Bye Bye Dart and 200

[itguy08]

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/27/dodge-dart-chrysler-200-dead-confirmed/

I still say Sergio is going to put Ram and Jeep on the block like Ferarri and gut the rest of Chrysler.... He's grasping at straws as they circle the drain.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Quote:
market shift from cars to trucks and UVs [utility vehicles is] now seen as permanent shift in demand

Oh really. Just wait till gas prices go back up again.

 

[Brasileno]

Heh. I wonder if they will be at this year's Auto Show?

And I used to see a lot of Chrysler 200 commercials. Complete with Eminem soundtracks.

 

[Hokiefyd]

"An automotive giant shifts focus from small cars to build more SUVs and trucks." I think I've seen this movie before...

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
"An automotive giant shifts focus from small cars to build more SUVs and trucks." I think I've seen this movie before...


Yeah - apparently it's all in with no plan B....

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/27/fca-jeep-ram-production-plans-official/

 

[Hokiefyd]

I guess you gotta make hay while the sun shines, right...?

I'm not sure my business strategy would weigh so heavily on a cheap gas gamble, but that's why these guys get paid the big bucks...

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

"The Italians are going, the Italians are going." And take that goofy looking Fiat Pop with you boys.

 

[supton]

Use the Dodge name to make minivans, Ram to make trucks, Jeep to make, err Jeeps; and use Fiat to make small cars? Chrysler to make midsize?

I wonder if they are just streamlining stuff. Right now, USA doesn't do much for small cars, so just import Fiat's for that purpose. Let each group focus on doing what it does best: truck, car or crossover.

 

[surfstar]

Gas is cheap, trucks make much more profit than small cars. What could go wrong?

Thanks to these idiots, they just jinxed gas prices to shoot back up.

 

[A_Harman]

The Dart was a nice-looking car, but it had reliability problems. No wonder, in that it was crash-programmed into existence in about a year after the Fiat takeover. Chrysler just doesn't have the resources to be a full-line manufacturer anymore, and Fiat doesn't know the American market, having been out of it since 1980.

Ram. Jeep. Hemi. Viper. Those are the only things they have that car consumers associate with Chrysler. It's their corporate identity. And they don't even make the Viper now.

What they need is a V10 hemi diesel in a 4wd Viper.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
"An automotive giant shifts focus from small cars to build more SUVs and trucks." I think I've seen this movie before...


Yep. That's part of why Fiat is the current owner. If Daimler Chrysler had kept a full range of cars and made them well they would have been much better positioned in the market when fuel prices shot up. Aside from trucks FCA seems destined to be a 2nd tier manufacturer.

 

[Reggaemon]

I always thought the Dart should have been named Neon. They would have sold more. People liked that car, I still see more Neons than I do Darts.
People don't remember Dodge Darts, that was like 35 years ago.

 

[javacontour]

If they could make the Fiat and everything else as reliable as their competition the multiple brands might make sense.

Fiat - Small Cars, some fun cars in the mix such as the Fiat 126 Spider

Dodge - Larger Cars, big fun.

Chrysler - Luxury Cars and Minivans

Ram - Trucks and Vans aimed at those who might use their vehicle for work.

But I doubt it will work. Seems to make more sense to collapse instead of creating more brands. But what do I know?

 

[daves87rs]

Well, at least I'll know where to get a cheap small car now....sucks for people who already got them...

 

[Andrew1972]

Fiat still has production in Europe to make up for 200 and Dart when that need arises again. GM and Ford had it right importing their decent designs(Focus,Cruze, Fiesta, Sonic) instead of reworking them a lot for US specific market.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

They just got the 200 right!

 

[fdcg27]

This seems like a remarkably short-sighted move.
The Dart is an attractive and decent car while the current 200 looks pretty good as compared to the ***** previous gen C200/Avenger, which were still decent drivers, even with the four. Having driven both, I find the old gen Avenger four to be more refined than the Fusion four, although neither could be confused with an Accord or Camry.
Chryco is also the third horse in a two horse race in the pickup market and pickups, Jeeps and the C300 and platform derivatives cannot alone carry the company.
Fuel will likely remain cheap for the foreseeable future, maybe the next decade, but fashions change.
Put the average SUV or pickup driver in any decent car and they'll never use a truck as a daily driver again, regardless of the price of fuel.
Betting on large barge cars and trucks seems a risky strategy.
DB did very badly with Chrysler and it looks as though Fiat will do even worse.
I'm not surprised.

 

[bubbatime]

I dont think we have been down this road before? Clearly a well thought out and planned execution.

 

[dishdude]

I've had the 200 and Dart as rentals, I thought they were pretty decent cars. If you stuck another brand's badge on them, people would immediately change their opinion!

I bet they'll turn to the Alfa Romeo brand for small and midsize cars. They had a big display at NAIAS with some beautiful cars that I could see capturing a younger crowd that would probably be looking at something like a VW or Mazda.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I'd be willing to bet that good ole Walter is rolling in his grave right now.