Fiat to gut Chrysler
Discussion
Interesting article on Reuters - Chrysler to be merged with Lancia outside of the US - obviously Fiat are bringing their expertise in the large car market to the table 
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN024055592009110...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN024055592009110...
) and more still of nothing at all.I used to work for a Chrysler dealer in the UK. The only cars of theirs which I'd touch with a ten foot cattle prod were the 300C and the Crossfire, both coincidentally based on Mercedes products.
The PT Cruiser was a dog, slow, thirsty (our loan car, a 2.4 auto averaged 13.9mpg!) and cumbersome. Lower wishbone bushes had "fail" designed into them, we used to replace them pretty much every 6 month service under warranty. And why 6 monthly service intervals FFS? Everyone else has been on 1 year plus for donkey's years!
The Voyager was ok if you really needed 7 seats (most Voyager owners had two small children...) but again it was thirsty beyond belief (even the diesels only did 28mpg) and had the same wishbone bush design as the PT.
Better off dead frankly.
The PT Cruiser was a dog, slow, thirsty (our loan car, a 2.4 auto averaged 13.9mpg!) and cumbersome. Lower wishbone bushes had "fail" designed into them, we used to replace them pretty much every 6 month service under warranty. And why 6 monthly service intervals FFS? Everyone else has been on 1 year plus for donkey's years!
The Voyager was ok if you really needed 7 seats (most Voyager owners had two small children...) but again it was thirsty beyond belief (even the diesels only did 28mpg) and had the same wishbone bush design as the PT.
Better off dead frankly.
My gut feeling is that this whole deal will end up with both Fiat and Chrysler dead. It's a marriage made in hell. Fiat is propped up by the Italian government, and the loyal Italian buyers around the world, however their mass market appeal hasn't been there for, well, errr, ever.
They've never had a car that could stand up in the market like a Ford, or Vauxhall/Opel in Europe, with very few exceptions in the last 20 years.
Their run-of-the-mill cars were below ordinary. They seemed to lack to the fizzy buzz that even Pugot or Squitron managed with the 205, 306, or Suckso.
There were a few interesting cars, but they all lacked something somewhere. For some reason they just haven't been able to put a "complete package" together.
Alfa Romeo have built a few crackers, but they're not "boggo repmobiles", and this is where the mass market is.
Now they're going to use Larfia to brand the Chrysler's that they do "keep" in Europe - if I read that correctly.
They pulled that brand from the UK because of shocking build quality and a name for abysmal engineering. The Beta hasn't been forgotten, even if the Delta was such a good car (for a Fiat).
Now moving on the Chrysler. Their tie up with Daimler Benz caused the Germans a lot of grief. They tried to produce quality motorcars in Chrysler plants, and it resulted in the Alabama Lemon (ML), shocking quality on the E-Class, and a brand-wide drop in build.
The Chrysler brand attempted to move up-market on the back of Benz. Admittedly they did improve, but they were still woeful. It did result in a revival of Jeep to a bigger global brand than before the merger. The Neon was awful. The Stratus (that we didn't get in the UK) was better, but still below par compared to Ford/GM product. The Voyager still is in some ways a market leader in terms of what you get, but Chrysler's new found "up market" image means that the Voyager is in a market "above" the Galaxy/Sharon/Alhambra or similar, when in reality it wasn't. A bit of brand-snobbery.
All of this overshadowed by the Japanese brands - with Toyota and Honda bringing new meaning to the words "grey" and "bland" (add efficiently to those words!), but with good build quality, reliability, and value for money.
The 300c, quite nice, but the Hemi (the only real engine choice for such a big barge) is old, thirsty, and no match for GM's LS series, living only on it' "name".
While it's vogue now, will it have the charm that a Jag XJ still has in ten years? Or will it be pigeon-holed with the Lexus as the choice of the Nigerian diplomat?
Fiat's plans will rip what guts are left in Chrysler, killing it off, but the financial burden will drag Fiat down with it, especially when they try to take on the US Unions.
The remains will be picked up by either Ford or GM, none of the Japanese car giants will get it, they're in for a rough ride. Maybe the Chinese will step in, but would they touch such a poisoned chalice? The prize will be Jeep, the rest of it won't be worth a light.
They've never had a car that could stand up in the market like a Ford, or Vauxhall/Opel in Europe, with very few exceptions in the last 20 years.
Their run-of-the-mill cars were below ordinary. They seemed to lack to the fizzy buzz that even Pugot or Squitron managed with the 205, 306, or Suckso.
There were a few interesting cars, but they all lacked something somewhere. For some reason they just haven't been able to put a "complete package" together.
Alfa Romeo have built a few crackers, but they're not "boggo repmobiles", and this is where the mass market is.
Now they're going to use Larfia to brand the Chrysler's that they do "keep" in Europe - if I read that correctly.
They pulled that brand from the UK because of shocking build quality and a name for abysmal engineering. The Beta hasn't been forgotten, even if the Delta was such a good car (for a Fiat).
Now moving on the Chrysler. Their tie up with Daimler Benz caused the Germans a lot of grief. They tried to produce quality motorcars in Chrysler plants, and it resulted in the Alabama Lemon (ML), shocking quality on the E-Class, and a brand-wide drop in build.
The Chrysler brand attempted to move up-market on the back of Benz. Admittedly they did improve, but they were still woeful. It did result in a revival of Jeep to a bigger global brand than before the merger. The Neon was awful. The Stratus (that we didn't get in the UK) was better, but still below par compared to Ford/GM product. The Voyager still is in some ways a market leader in terms of what you get, but Chrysler's new found "up market" image means that the Voyager is in a market "above" the Galaxy/Sharon/Alhambra or similar, when in reality it wasn't. A bit of brand-snobbery.
All of this overshadowed by the Japanese brands - with Toyota and Honda bringing new meaning to the words "grey" and "bland" (add efficiently to those words!), but with good build quality, reliability, and value for money.
The 300c, quite nice, but the Hemi (the only real engine choice for such a big barge) is old, thirsty, and no match for GM's LS series, living only on it' "name".
While it's vogue now, will it have the charm that a Jag XJ still has in ten years? Or will it be pigeon-holed with the Lexus as the choice of the Nigerian diplomat?
Fiat's plans will rip what guts are left in Chrysler, killing it off, but the financial burden will drag Fiat down with it, especially when they try to take on the US Unions.
The remains will be picked up by either Ford or GM, none of the Japanese car giants will get it, they're in for a rough ride. Maybe the Chinese will step in, but would they touch such a poisoned chalice? The prize will be Jeep, the rest of it won't be worth a light.
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