Chrysler Needs A Smart Plan
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PT Cruiser convertible, it seems part of a plan, conceived before the new owners took over Chrysler, to kill the entire PT lineup. The company has sold more than 1 million PTs (mostly the five-door wagon/hatchback model). Alas, the creators of the PT, a great-looking vehicle, left Chrysler and took key positions in General Motors, and the PT became "nobody's baby."
Having a low-price car like the PT wearing the Chrysler badge cripples any effort to make Chrysler an upscale division. Of course, the PT was to be a Plymouth until Chrysler killed that nameplate. Chrysler's new owners are supposed to be sharp businessmen, so I find it hard to understand how they have agreed to phase out its most successful small vehicle, just when everyone is worrying about energy prices.
The risk in phasing out vehicles and closing factories is that it just continues a downward spiral. The latest reports are that the new leaders are considering turning Dodge into a pure truck division, getting rid of all its cars. It would make sense in avoiding duplication, but would wipe out some of Chrysler's best cars. It would destroy the effort to make Dodge a global brand, and frankly, be as dumb as the decision to eliminate the
PT Cruiser. I can also tell you this: re-badging the upcoming Dodge Challenger sports coupe as a Chrysler will just not work.
On top of this is the imbalance in the Chrysler lineup -- heavy on Jeeps and other SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans. Only a third of Chrysler sales are in what we call passenger cars, and that is with counting the
PT Cruiser in that category. Let's not forget the complaints about quality, design and interiors.
What would I do if I were running Chrysler? My first goal would be to stop the process of combining dealers. I would do my best to make Jeep an independent franchise. I would create a new Chrysler-Plymouth sub-franchise that imitates the BMW-Mini and Toyota-Scion strategies. Under Plymouth, I would sell an expanded
PT Cruiser line and a less-expensive version of the minivan.
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Chrysler Needs A Smart Plan - Forbes.com
Source: Forbes.com, Jerry Flint