From Bloomberg News: Bloomberg.com: Worldwide I think people aren't fooled by these hybrid SUVs that charges a $10,000+ premium for just 4 or 5mpg improvement in fuel economy. If they had put that 2-mode transmission in a minivan instead, I wonder if it would have sold any better..?
When i was young I was a MOPAR guy, now I'm sorry to say the days for Chrysler are numbered, very numbered
Personally, I'm disappointed that Jim Press couldn't do more. This is the guy who was on the Toyota board of directors, and if anyone knows how to develop a hybrid car people would want, build it and bring it to market, it's him! Cerberus lured Jim Press away from Toyota when they bought out Chrysler from Daimler. When that happened I was wondering if a hybrid Chrysler minivan or passenger car would be in the works. Truly disappointing.
This is something I don't understand. Everyone wants a hybrid mini-van. Hell, I'd even buy a hybrid Scion XB like vehicle. Light weight, good gas mileage and can carry a lot of gear and family if necessary. Put a flat roof on it with tiedowns that I can carry a 4'x8' piece of plywood on. Why won't anyone make something like that?
The execs are that dumb and (ahem...) dumber! Usually all they care about is the almighty dollar, not the consumer. Unfortunately, that kind of attitude yielded cars that appealed to nobody and away went the customers.... now the company. This is where I give Toyota the credit that is due. They not only build a reasonably good product, they plan for the future with the customer in mind. Look at the design of the Prius. I have not seen so much thought put into the design of a vehicle as the Prius.
Isn't Jeep still part of Chrysler? Jeep wrote the book on SUVs and has a strong network of dealerships and owners. Why bother with any other SUVs. Seems redundant for Chrysler, which is luxury cars, anyways. Dodge is strong on trucks. So why don't they stick to their strengths. American car companies load themselves down with redundant makes and models that are outdated--just adding to their costs. Jeep has yet to come out with a hybrid, though they have a diesel-powered SUV in Europe. Why not here? They have that Compass/Patriot SUV which gets good gas mileage and could be a 30+ mpg winner as a hybrid. The Ford Escape seems the only sensible hybrid SUV out there--as long as you don't have to tow a boat.
And yet, now that Chrysler is as financially unatractive as one can imagine, GM wants to buy 'em? Why wouldn't GM rather invest in tomorrow, rather than Chrysler's yesterday? This is what GM does with taxpayer bailout money?
Their cash. I cant remember how many bills, I want to say 11 will help them go for a longer period of time. They will get rid of the over lap and keep the mini van and a few other lines.
Just a couple of comments: Jeep does have a diesel vehicle here. It is the diesel Grand Cherokee with the Mercedes 3.0L V6. GM wants Chrysler for the minivan. GM killed their minivan to concentrate on SUV's. Chrysler has the best selling minivan on the market with the Caravan and Town & Country. The market is moving from SUV's back to minivans, so GM needs a minivan. They can probably buy all of Chrysler for less than it would cost them to develop an minivan once they sell off the rest of the company. Renault / Nissan want the Jeep brand, Wrangler and the Dodge Ram. Nissan has already contracted with Dodge for a rebadged Ram to replace their Titan. Renault sold AMC / Jeep to Chrysler in the early 80's and wants it back. Someone will want the Viper Chrysler has $11 Billion in cash which GM needs badly but they also have $9M in debt. That is still a net of $2B in cash. All the rest of Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge will be scrapped. That is why the Durango Hybrid is being canceled, the base model has been killed off.
