I think some brands at a minimum in that group for sure
Walter P Chrysler's great grandson "letter to the people, saving Chrysler, a call to action" is Chrysler at risk of going under?
- Thread starter wemay
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For this to work, there will have to be a winning beyond a doubt plan for the brands of the new Chrysler corporation.
There is currently so much overcapacity in the industry overall, so Chrysler would have to have some low volume, high profit boutique offers to start with. Cadillac is moving in this same direction currently with the Lyric and other offers that will be high price / profit and low volume.
They would also have to cater to a higher volume, high profit, parts supply market.....that is how the MOPAR brand got started in the first place. Low volume offers might be high performance muscle offers like maybe a new Viper or Barracuda. There could also be some specialty vehicles in the mix like law enforcement model offers based on the the current proposed Charger where the platform could havthe ultimate in flexibility in drive train (ICE, Hybrid, and BEV), and could support 2, and 4 doors.
I wish Mr. Rhodes well, but the team whomever that might be, will have to come up with a plan not to compete with the current competition, but standout from them and provide offers that are not available from any other auto maker in North America.....just my two cents.
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There is currently so much overcapacity in the industry overall, so Chrysler would have to have some low volume, high profit boutique offers to start with. Cadillac is moving in this same direction currently with the Lyric and other offers that will be high price / profit and low volume.
They would also have to cater to a higher volume, high profit, parts supply market.....that is how the MOPAR brand got started in the first place. Low volume offers might be high performance muscle offers like maybe a new Viper or Barracuda. There could also be some specialty vehicles in the mix like law enforcement model offers based on the the current proposed Charger where the platform could havthe ultimate in flexibility in drive train (ICE, Hybrid, and BEV), and could support 2, and 4 doors.
I wish Mr. Rhodes well, but the team whomever that might be, will have to come up with a plan not to compete with the current competition, but standout from them and provide offers that are not available from any other auto maker in North America.....just my two cents.
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I agree. The Vans still have a lot of value to offer- even with some updates. My dad has a 12 T &C, and it has served him well. Heck, I’d still consider one- simple and easy to use……
The Pac itself it a nice van too…..just too pricey for the families that need it…..
It’s why it sucks to see all these Dodge and Chrysler products going. So much potential missed….
Yeah and they also killed off the 1500 Classic… leaving the ~$3,000 more expensive 1500 in its place. Either way, almost $50,000 on a base pick up with a NA v6 is ridiculous.
Chrysler has been going down for many many years...
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Add poor Tucker..........
The Big Three really could have been called The Evil Big Three several times thru the early to middle 1900s.
So, What goes around , comes around? Maybe? Eventually?
Seems all Three have been tripping over their own feet again and again since the late 1960s. Plus each time they so call recover ,
each one resembles less and less of what there once was.
I have always had a soft spot for C H R Y S L E R vehicles. I've even had 5 myself in the past. I just don't know what I can do to help them stay afloat! 
My Dad had always been MOPAR man. He drove them most of his life and even owned a '60 DeSoto. He later changed to BUICK and then Ford.
My Dad had always been MOPAR man. He drove them most of his life and even owned a '60 DeSoto. He later changed to BUICK and then Ford.
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The "letter" by the Grear Grandson was all general...nothing specific.
Just saying "Chrysler needs a compelling new car now, not tomorrow or next year but now". is just empty talk.
I suppose the bottom line is that GGson wants to see the 15 companies of Stellantis craft a game winning grand slam.
Didn't they have one with the Dodge Grand Caravan?
Just saying "Chrysler needs a compelling new car now, not tomorrow or next year but now". is just empty talk.
I suppose the bottom line is that GGson wants to see the 15 companies of Stellantis craft a game winning grand slam.
Didn't they have one with the Dodge Grand Caravan?
The 300 made a rather big splash 20 years ago.
I have an FCA era Viper and 3500 RAM Dually. Both have been great. The FCA RAM Dually, is far better then the '95 Dodge Dually I had.
Daimler Benz lost their shirt on Chrysler and the merger was more like a bank taking over a local grocery chain.
D-B did give Chrysler the excellent RWD platform that spawned so many variations.
Things have been downhill ever since.
FCA did introduce some promising products and then promptly dumped them.
The outlook for the remains of the company is not bright.
Even Jeep has become more of a cult thing than a serious player.
Notice all of the rubber duckies on the dashboard of every Wrangler?
Who else knows the story behind that?
D-B did give Chrysler the excellent RWD platform that spawned so many variations.
Things have been downhill ever since.
FCA did introduce some promising products and then promptly dumped them.
The outlook for the remains of the company is not bright.
Even Jeep has become more of a cult thing than a serious player.
Notice all of the rubber duckies on the dashboard of every Wrangler?
Who else knows the story behind that?
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I have a like/hate relationship with Chrysler vehicles. Early trans failure with a new 1990 Dynasty. Then, we had a PT Cruiser, early trans failure again, plus a bunch of engine related headaches. Sometimes I find myself drawn to buying a Gladiator, but the price, death wobble?, and who knows what else, snaps me out of it.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
I think it's important to keep in mind that he's talking specifically about the Chrysler brand here:
NOT what we all associate with "Chrysler", which is Jeep, Dodge, RAM.
Chrysler has been neglected and rudderless for decades. It wanted to be a luxury marque like Cadillac and Lincoln (see: 300 and 200) but it also wanted to be a reasonably priced people mover (see: Town & Country) and now it's trying to be a slightly more upscale people mover (Pacifica). The brand currently has only these two vehicles, an "entry level" pseudo-luxury barge on a (very good) 20 year old Mercedes platform and a slightly up-market mini-van:
And he's concerned about the brand's future? Duh! LOL!
But this isn't news, nor is it the fault of Stellantis, whose adopted parentage of Chrysler is quite recent.
The problem is that Jeep and RAM have been vastly more successful in selling "Luxury" and "Luxury Performance" vehicles (Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, Trackhawk, TRX, SRT, Limited...etc) than Chrysler was. The Pacifica is the first "unique" vehicle to Chrysler in ages, and I have a hard time believing it is going to be the saviour of the brand. Even RAM isn't just trucks, even though truck sales dominate, it's also vans.
IF Chrysler is to stick around, it needs to be reborn like Cadillac was, and even that's a long-shot IMHO, given the current market conditions, consumer sensitivities, EV stuff...etc It's not a great period of time in which to try to undertake a brand makeover.
Well said. I was in a rental Pacifica last month. Nice vehicle with a modern interior. I'd consider buying a 300 if they modernized its interior. It looks 20 years behind the times.I think it's important to keep in mind that he's talking specifically about the Chrysler brand here:
NOT what we all associate with "Chrysler", which is Jeep, Dodge, RAM.
Chrysler has been neglected and rudderless for decades. It wanted to be a luxury marque like Cadillac and Lincoln (see: 300 and 200) but it also wanted to be a reasonably priced people mover (see: Town & Country) and now it's trying to be a slightly more upscale people mover (Pacifica). The brand currently has only these two vehicles, an "entry level" pseudo-luxury barge on a (very good) 20 year old Mercedes platform and a slightly up-market mini-van:
View attachment 236833
And he's concerned about the brand's future? Duh! LOL!
But this isn't news, nor is it the fault of Stellantis, whose adopted parentage of Chrysler is quite recent.
The problem is that Jeep and RAM have been vastly more successful in selling "Luxury" and "Luxury Performance" vehicles (Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, Trackhawk, TRX, SRT, Limited...etc) than Chrysler was. The Pacifica is the first "unique" vehicle to Chrysler in ages, and I have a hard time believing it is going to be the saviour of the brand. Even RAM isn't just trucks, even though truck sales dominate, it's also vans.
IF Chrysler is to stick around, it needs to be reborn like Cadillac was, and even that's a long-shot IMHO, given the current market conditions, consumer sensitivities, EV stuff...etc It's not a great period of time in which to try to undertake a brand makeover.
Stellantis holds claim to fourteen marques, half of which could be considered to be on less-than-stable ground. To put it charitably.
Critical mass is vital to the auto business, especially since mega OEMs became the norm, but taking in fundamentally weak brands that would not have otherwise survived on their own, and trying to undertake reclamation projects with a finite amount of capital available is not a strategy for long term success.
Bob Eaton got suckered by Schrempp, Chrysler suffered under Daimler, and suffered even after being cast off to Cerebrus.
As beloved, and however notable some marques are, it is worth asking if it's just more merciful to let them fade away naturally, even if they leave a void, and worsen the homogeneity of the market.
Critical mass is vital to the auto business, especially since mega OEMs became the norm, but taking in fundamentally weak brands that would not have otherwise survived on their own, and trying to undertake reclamation projects with a finite amount of capital available is not a strategy for long term success.
Bob Eaton got suckered by Schrempp, Chrysler suffered under Daimler, and suffered even after being cast off to Cerebrus.
As beloved, and however notable some marques are, it is worth asking if it's just more merciful to let them fade away naturally, even if they leave a void, and worsen the homogeneity of the market.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Look at Olds and Pontiac, both formidable marques in their day, eventually becoming "brand engineered" shadows of themselves only to die in the bankruptcy.
Imagine a uglier Pontiac version?
I can imagine more plastic cladding that fades in the sun. .
