Only a K resurrection can save Chrysler brand

[ChargerFan1]

Hear me out - boxy retro 1987 K-sedan with a modern twist, 1.2L and some hybrid miles, and has to be sold proper "this will get you most places on battery, you have the engine when needed further" Then expand, rampage, mini van etc and keep them so cheap people cannot look away. Key is keeping them cool w/ constant marketing "its cool to drive cheap" - everyone knows someone that had a k-car, tell the stories in media / advertising. Chrysler doesnt have a pulse, this brings it back, grass roots.

 

[patfromigh]

Your heart is in the right place, but the Politburo says no. For the record, the STLA medium and large platforms are the K-car strategy resurrected. Here is my idea for an affordable vehicle for the Stellantis lineup, carried over from a past concept.


This would use the STLA medium platform, a domestic built IC engine and batteries. The generator and electric motors would be provided by Leapmotor. They're now in the Stellantis orbit and are the only one in the house building the necessary extended range pieces which are small enough to fit.

This wouldn't be a Chrysler branded vehicle. I think the brand should chase after Lexus and not be a bottom feeder.

 

[cgseller]

I'm with @ScramFan on this one. Your heart is in the Plymouth (or even Eagle) space. If that fails to garner enough sales to cover costs (remember low cost usually needs to have high volume) then you kill the brand w/o damage - since those are brands that have already withered .

It does mean startup costs, registrations, signage, new "leaders", but they are names N.A. consumers already (still) know about and have higher reputation than FIAT.

Is there a market for Hybrid vehicles in the U.S. w/o bells/whistles and be a sub 30k vehicle? Buick seems to have figured out how to do that....

 

[scatpack_69]

It’s a pretty bleak picture with minimal projects on the horizon. Chrysler? Dead. Dodge? Well….haha. Charger reboot is gonna have to carry the sole torch. See what happens with Durango. Jeep? Unfortunately Jeeps somehow got bloated, not only in size but required standard features and price. I remember TJ’s being very affordable and kick myself all the time for not buying the last (JK is still kinda meh for me) but overall, too spendy. Ram is still using a cab from a decade and a half and charging premo prices for ancient stuff. And the new cab 1500 is mid cycle on that cab!

They seem lost with no sense of direction. And the only guy I held any hope out for giving something good is done in just less than two weeks

Really not much to get excited about. But hey, mergers seem to always benefit Chrysler….

 

[ChargerFan1]

The K doesn't need to be the be all and end all, it could be the rebirth. We are in recession, it would be like the PT cruiser, a retro car, but affordable and useable. And the platform could be expanded upon. I see no way forward with that model 3 rip off concept thing, they are clearly in a death spiral. When everything is so expensive you need a cool cheap car with fantastic marketing. Modern retro 84 4 door and rampage truck debut same time? Maverick killer??

 

[cygnus]

Stellantis is so incredibly lazy - all they have to do is copy BMW for the I6 PHEV. If they think people are going to buy the 2025 Grand Cherokee with a 2L (now the only powertrain offered in MY25) at the same price at the Grand Cherokee with a Pentastar, they're out of their mind. I'm sure Dave at Allpar will excuse it though. Allpar is forever in denial, they are so incredibly pathetic.

Ram is quickly plummeting to the Earth's core - everyone who wanted a Hemi, has one. They still had a chance to engage the customer base with a clean sheet V8 with MHEV, and they blew it.

It's all screwed up, as @redriderbob has said, we're well on our way to Daimler 2.0. They destroyed the entire company after Segio died. I don't recall shifts being cut and people being laid off under Sergio.

I've heard Ram 1500 Ramcharger will be $80K to start. It's Joever for Stellantis.

 

[ChargerFan1]

Stellantis is so incredibly lazy - all they have to do is copy BMW for the I6 PHEV. If they think people are going to buy the 2025 Grand Cherokee with a 2L (now the only powertrain offered in MY25) at the same price at the Grand Cherokee with a Pentastar, they're out of their mind. I'm sure Dave at Allpar will excuse it though. Allpar is forever in denial, they are so incredibly pathetic.

Ram is quickly plummeting to the Earth's core - everyone who wanted a Hemi, has one. They still had a chance to engage the customer base with a clean sheet V8 with MHEV, and they blew it.

It's all screwed up, as @redriderbob has said, we're well on our way to Daimler 2.0. They destroyed the entire company after Segio died. I don't recall shifts being cut and people being laid off under Sergio.

I've heard Ram 1500 Ramcharger will be $80K to start. It's Joever for Stellantis.

Tavares is a fake CEO, the board has about 10 minutes left to fire him and replace with someone that knows what they are doing if they want to save this thing. IF they fire him they better hire someone with EU and NA manufacturing and sales experience, with excellent track record - and fast. As it sits they would be better off bringing back someone like Reid Bigland. I know the PSA side would never agree to that, so they can keep Tavares to run their side into the ground.

 

[ChargerFan1]

I see fraudster CEO Tavares has fired another sales guy. This loser has literally canned everyone that can't keep 2019 sales numbers while the vehicles are double and triple priced - he is that stupid

https://www.autonews.com/executives/stellantis-names-new-sales-boss-after-jason-stoicevich-leaves

 

[scatpack_69]

I had bad feelings about this PSA thing, bad even going back to pre-Fiat. Just don’t like it

 

[Archknight]

Stellantis is so incredibly lazy - all they have to do is copy BMW for the I6 PHEV. If they think people are going to buy the 2025 Grand Cherokee with a 2L (now the only powertrain offered in MY25) at the same price at the Grand Cherokee with a Pentastar, they're out of their mind. I'm sure Dave at Allpar will excuse it though. Allpar is forever in denial, they are so incredibly pathetic.

Ram is quickly plummeting to the Earth's core - everyone who wanted a Hemi, has one. They still had a chance to engage the customer base with a clean sheet V8 with MHEV, and they blew it.

It's all screwed up, as @redriderbob has said, we're well on our way to Daimler 2.0. They destroyed the entire company after Segio died. I don't recall shifts being cut and people being laid off under Sergio.

I've heard Ram 1500 Ramcharger will be $80K to start. It's Joever for Stellantis.

I honestly think people took the 2.0T going in a Grand Cherokee out of context, since the STLA Large KM Cherokee is being released in the same MY. I couldn't find any actual information on the 1.6T version of KM that people kept talking about and the only thing I found on it mentioned the STLA Medium platform.

I can see the 4xe models continuing as they are for the Grand Cherokee, unless they are going to have some other hybrid version as the base engine. I also wouldn't think they would build Grand Cherokee without the ability to plug in the I6 that doesn't make sense considering how much effort they placed into its development. Lastly with Cherokee and Grand Cherkee SWB literally sharing the same pricing segment they have to give the two some distance. The only way to do is cutting down on trims for the Grand Cherokee and increasing the entry price. They will have to get the Cherokee (KM) in that $30K to $42K range to make it work without too much overlap.

 

[cygnus]

KM, being built in Mexico, should start around $30Kish. Compass is vastly overpriced, albeit it finally got the 2L engine, but Compass is only going to be around for another year or two before the next generation is built in Brampton, which will most assuredly get the 1.3L as the base and a 1.3L + MHEV as mid/high level trim option. Next Compass should start around $24K-25K. Cherokee at ~$30K. Grand Cherokee at $36K.

 

[patfromigh]

Getting back to the K-car thing, most of the 1980's and 90's K-platform products had wheelbases and widths that would size them on the STLA "Smart" platform. A sedan would be a very hard sell in today's market. Perhaps a tall hatchback would work.

 

[ChargerFan1]

Getting back to the K-car thing, most of the 1980's and 90's K-platform products had wheelbases and widths that would size them on the STLA "Smart" platform. A sedan would be a very hard sell in today's market. Perhaps a tall hatchback would work.

That is exactly what I would forefront with, tall wagon / cuv + rampage truck + modern sml Caravan

One platform, one drive train, one marketing campaign, 3 vehicles. If its cool in the media people will pick it up, see: Tesla, but this is down a few affordability notches - but better ease of use. Then hit them with a cool and cheap roadster (same platform, same factory line)

 

[AlexB]

KM, being built in Mexico, should start around $30Kish. Compass is vastly overpriced, albeit it finally got the 2L engine, but Compass is only going to be around for another year or two before the next generation is built in Brampton, which will most assuredly get the 1.3L as the base and a 1.3L + MHEV as mid/high level trim option. Next Compass should start around $24K-25K. Cherokee at ~$30K. Grand Cherokee at $36K.

But the Chevy Blazer starts at $35,000, Honda Passport starts is $41,000 and Cherokee is Midsize.

 

[cygnus]

But the Chevy Blazer starts at $35,000, Honda Passport starts is $41,000 and Cherokee is Midsize.

Absolute insanity. I paid $39.5K for the 2018 WK2 Limited in October 2018

 

[MPE426HEMI]

Taveres is that stupid! He’s done nothing with this company only delayed the inevitable. No competitive product only over priced, dressed up bling. Crash & Burn time!

 

[ChargerFan1]

Taveres is that stupid! He’s done nothing with this company only delayed the inevitable. No competitive product only over priced, dressed up bling. Crash & Burn time!

Learned Tavares use to (possibly still is) be on the WEF board. No wonder the V8's got INSTA CANCELLED the minute the ink dried on the buy out.

 

[patfromigh]

There is a new thread following the Mopar Insiders article about a Fiat Scudo based, Ram ProMaster City coming to America. One of the details which caught my attention is that the new van is coming from the TOFAS operation in Turkey. Now that TOFAS is back in the picture, how about a small Dodge for our Market ? The Tipo is probably getting close to its sell by date at this point, hopefully there is a replacement in the pipeline using one of the new STLA multi energy platforms.

I suggest something like the Tipo wagon with the 1.5 liter GSE , 7-speed hybrid powertrain, but with a slightly raised suspension and more aggressive wheels/tires for a crossover style. The Dodge brand cannot survive as a strictly muscle car brand.