Chrysler near death. Again….
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I know, it has happened before. many times.
But check out the Chrysler.com main page.
-All you see is the Chrysler 200. Which is already dead.
They stopped building it a while ago. But it’s still there…
They still managed to sell 57 294 of them last year.
And 178 000 the year before! (That’s what some advertising money does…)
No bad at all. Then, Marchionne announced he hated the car and was
stopping production.
-The Chrysler 300 sedan. The current generation came out in 2011.
So it’s already 6 years old. Most of the competition has been redesigned.
From what Chrysler is saying, a new one (If that ever happens) is still a couple of years away.
They sold about 53 000 of them last year. (Which isn’t bad l for that segment)
-The pacifica Minivan. Gas and Hybrid versions.
The one bright spot. Showing Chrysler can still compete in one segment.
So they basically have only 2 models.
I don’t really know any other main stream brand with only 2 models for sale currently.
Mitsubishi maybe?
What is going on???
I thought the original idea of blending Chrysler for the US market and Lancia for Europe was pretty good.
But no. That idea got killed.
Just like any new product. (Except the minivan)
What do you think?
Have you heard of any new product for Chrysler???
Maybe Peugeot should buy it and sell us Opels and Peugeots under the Chrysler name?
Marchionne is a killer,he is turning most of his brands into shitty business… Fiat, Dodge, Lancia and Chrysler used to have a wide portfolio some of them with great designs…
Their designs are not bad , but they build junk, so no loss, if it went away.
Who would have ever guessed just 5 years ago that Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati would each have a broader model lineup in the US than Chrysler?
I'm not sure you can apply a 1960's "brand" concept anymore. There are no standalone Chrysler dealers in the US, they all sell Jeep and Ram and Dodge and Chrysler, and sometimes Fiat.
Back in the day you had Dodge and Plymouth and DeSoto competing head-to-head for sales, with different dealers and different executives. High-end (fully loaded) Dodges competed with Chrysler and even Imperial.
FCA offers a good lineup, but they don't compete internally anymore (Aspen vs. Volare, for instance). That's better for dealers, and it's better at the corporate level too.
They can still live on with Jeep and Ram brand. Once gas prices up go though, they may be bankrupt for the 3rd time.
Quite sad.
They really should have;
– Chrysler 100 Cruiser
– Chrysler 200
– Chrysler 300
– Chrysler 400 large flagship (Think Cadillac CT8)
– Chrysler Pacifica
– Chrysler Town & Country CUV
– Chrysler Aspen (could have endangered Grand Cherokee sales but would have allured a non Jeep buyer)
– Chrysler Roadster
But now it's like they are not even trying!
FCA's product lineup is a complete joke top to bottom. Where a normal manufacturer has one maybe 2 brands with a full lineup to choose from, FCA expects you to drive around town and decipher all it's different brands to see the complete lineup. Want a small car – head to Fiat. Midsize – sorry can't help you. Full-size – we have a couple outdated Dodge and Chrysler models. Luxury – we have a couple Alfas and a couple Maseratis. Want an SUV or crossover – well theres some at Fiat, some at Dodge, some at Jeep, some at Maserati, you'll figure it out.
It's all old and outdated, and poorly built, regardless of brand.
FCA needs to ditch Chrysler and Fiat brands (neither has ANY brand equity anywhere in the world), make Dodge the full line mainstream brand, fold Ram back into Dodge, sell Maserati to Ferrari, and make Alfa Romeo the full line luxury brand. Then they'd just have Dodge, Jeep and Alfa Romeo as the brands, with Dodge and Alfa sharing platforms. At least in this scenario the 3 brands share a similar sporting DNA, each with its own twist.
When consumers buy FCA cars, don't they know they will have years of uninterrupted frustration and repairs?