OT: Chrysler getting axed?

Submitted by SteelCityMafia on

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…

SteelCityMafia

June 1st, 2018 at 12:53 AM ^

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.

Chaco

June 1st, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^

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. 

Couzen Rick's

June 1st, 2018 at 12:08 AM ^

I can't imagine they would sell Jeep or Ram, unless they were closing altogether. Make too much money and are the most successful brands under FCA umbrella. I'm not sure if Dodge survives this or not, to me looks up in the air. Fiat and Chrysler were two of the weakest brands on the market so this makes sense.

stephenrjking

June 1st, 2018 at 12:19 AM ^

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. 

Unsalted

June 1st, 2018 at 12:56 AM ^

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.

SteelCityMafia

June 1st, 2018 at 12:57 AM ^

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. 

Inflammable Flame

June 1st, 2018 at 6:47 AM ^

Jeep is rumored to be going partially hybrid over the next couple years andthen introducing fully hybrid vehicles some time after that. Here is my take...Chrysler is not being killed off but rather will become their electric brand. A spokeswoman said Chrysler is not being killed off and will be address at a later date. Waymo will be ordering over 60k+ hybrid Pacificas this year...I'm probably wrong but I could see this happening.

potomacduc

June 1st, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^

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.