OT: Chrysler getting axed?
With the FIAT-Chrysler news conference Friday morning at 3am Eastern, the company is prepared to release their new five-year plan. Chrysler, the halo brand of the American portion of FCAU, is rumored to be on the chopping block with the nameplate getting shuttered altogether. This would just leave Dodge, Jeep, and Ram as the lone brands remaining, with Jeep and Ram both being part of rumors to be sold off to various investors over the last five years or so. Additionally, Fiat is pulling out of the US market.
As a big MOPAR fan who has family ties to Chrysler this stings quite a bit, and I am hoping it does not preceed a sell-off of the Jeep/Ram duo and the closing of the Dodge brand. Dodge especially makes very cool cars and I wish for a successful future for the company.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/automotive/fiat-chrysler-expected-to-ann…
That's true, as they only have the minivan and the 300 (basically a luxury Charger), and I've always found their lack of available cars in the lineup to be a bit odd. It feels like they were in a weird place, not quite performance (that's Dodge's thing) and not quite luxury, just kind of there. Even with the 200 it was still a weak lineup. Just shocking there was nothing really offered, nothing unique to the Chrysler name like Dodge has with the Viper (admittely, a supercar) and Challenger.
Toyota and Hyundai, just to name two brands, have done fine in the "not performance, not luxury, not economy" brand space. In fact, half of the industry occupies that space.
Very quick but made strange noises.
Junk!
was the first "chore" I remember as a kid. Metallic fleck blue was just a lovely color. I never thought about the connection of Victors Valiant as my first car experience even though I have a Valiant cap and daughter has Valiant on her leggings.
Oh, my bad, going too far back.
1978 '79 and '80 were magical years because these two epically awful cars were both in production by the same company. And come to think of it the Concord was also in production around that time. AMC sort of cleanly proved out the Darwinian nature of the auto industry.
I had an aunt who had one and painted it... wait for it... metallic PURPLE.
which were also really terrible cars.
Cordoba, baby!
Had to love it, and what better spokesman than Khan!
Please note that this was, "the new, SMALL Chrysler." I once talked to a collector with a 64 Olds 98 that was 222" long. That's 18.5 feet. Just sayin'.
Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe. 216.9 inches - 18 feet of two-door longliness. It's like they tacked 3 cars together; one for the engine bay, one for the passenger compartment, and one for the trunk.
I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS
take Trish Stratus for a ride ;)
Yeah, I'd be surprised if Jeep or Ram are sold off. Though if Fiat is really not looking to be in the US market, they might as well get fully out.
If that's the case, where would presumably be a spin-off or another buyer, and rumors like that would probably have leaked by now.
CEO Sergio has been pitching a merger to GM for a few years now and GM's reponse has always been "lololololol, no. but we'll buy Jeep if you want." So selling Jeep or Ram isn't as far fetched as it seems.
The resident minivan (currently badged the Chrysler Pacifica) will presumably continue to be sold in some form, as it remains competitive with rival products from Honda and Toyota. If the Chrysler name is indeed scuttled, that's a remarkable departure made less remarkable by the drumbeat of historical brands like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Mercury, and (yep) Plymouth being put to the sword in recent years.
So, perhaps, Dodge it is. I have a hard time believing that they'll shed the Jeep or Ram labels, which sell pretty well and have a good niche. So if this is a downsizing it's more about simplifying the brand offerings. No need to have two classic car makes when you're only making enough vehicles for one of them.
In other business downsizing news, our local Sears and K-Mart are getting the axe, despite having relatively good markets available. Hard to make money on a store when management stopped trying years ago.
Rented a Pacifica a year ago last December to drive from Denver to Albuquerque for my Mom's memorial service. My three kids are now big, ages 26, 21, and 21 (twins) at the time. Since we all have smaller cars now and rarely travel any distance (like to Michigan) with all 5 of us together anymore we thought it would be smart to rent something with some space. None of us are mini-van fans, but we all agreed that the Pacifica was a pretty sweet ride for the 900 mile round trip.
I even got pulled over for speeding in southern Colorado jamming out to Trout Steak Revival on the sound system. Fortunately, the nice state trouper did not feel compelled to give a ticket to a man on his way to his Mom' memorial service.
Comparing Dodge and Chrysler, Dodge is the only of the two brands with an identity. It encompasses cool, interesting cars and with the re-introduction of the Viper, leaving Dodge to prop up the Chrysler name makes less sense to me than even killing Chrysler. The problem with the Chrysler nameplate is that it has no defined niche. Such, they've got the minivan, but the 300 is a "luxury" Charger, and they offer nothing else. It needs to have something special or unique to justify the continued existence.
Double post
Friend of mine who was an engineer at Chrysler before the financial crisis said all the engineers drove hondas & toyotas so there's that...
Most of us here at the Auburn Hills Campus drive FCA vehicles....
although a lot of contract people who still don't, but that was the case when I was at GM too
That's one of those bullshit legends that the haters always trot out. I grew up in Lansing and it was always trotted out about GM/Oldsmobile workers, yet the 2-300x per year that I went by one or more of the factory or office parking lots around Lansing, the amount of non-GM vehicles (let alone non-US brands) was nowhere near half. Even during the worst years, the employee discount was more than enough to overcome any real or perceived deficiencies. The non-GM cars you did see did tend to be older. It's harder to be choosy when you're spending <=$2000 on a car. You simply take the cleanest thing you can find.
Not quite. They're going to continue making the Mustang.
Though I think the Focus only in a hatchback crossover style.
Yea, the Ecosport. I was going to mention that one too, but when googling it, I saw it referenced as an SUV. It's basically going to be the Fiesta of Ford SUVs.
So much for that shiny new Fiat dealership on Stadium Ave.