Chrysler, getting serious...

90rocz
11-27-2005, 11:42 PM
(Discussion..)
I am seeing a lot more commercials for DCX cars, warantees, etc...
Hearing how they are "Set" on winning over or back, car enthuseists...
And it looks like they are "Serious"...
Looking at the HP, the RWD's, the warantees, New Sporty product, SRT designation that means performance...

I would go down the list, but we all have seen the numbers...they seem serious to me.(Like 200hp + 4 cyl's..)

Now they're offering,
2 years worth of Gas..!
5 years/ 60,000 mile warantee
2 year/ 24,000 mile scheduled maintenance

And they're profitable?? hmmmm...
They seem to be overwhelming consumers with what they want.

Josh452
11-27-2005, 11:49 PM
To build on your "Hearing how they are "Set" on winning over or back, car enthuseists..."

I've been tapped a few times within the past few months from both Chrysler & Ford....Too bad my heart lies with General Motors.

Mich84
11-28-2005, 12:52 AM
I've been tapped a few times within the past few months from both Chrysler & Ford....Too bad my heart lies with General Motors.

LoL...yea right. Never miss a chance to boast though do you? No wonder you and Buickman are buddies. Two enormus egos.

Brandon_Lutz
11-28-2005, 08:40 AM
You have to give it to Chrysler. They have proved that by giving the customer what they want, and by now building a quality product combined with effective manufacturing process you can be profitable. I just hope GM completes turning that corner soon.

number77
11-28-2005, 09:47 AM
You have to give it to Chrysler. They have proved that by giving the customer what they want, and by now building a quality product combined with effective manufacturing process you can be profitable. I just hope GM completes turning that corner soon.
In the past Chrysler had a good following of dedicated customers. Not just enthusiasts, but customers. If they can show they have good safety standards, good reliability, etc., then they may regain this. :)

96_Camaro_B4C
11-28-2005, 10:03 AM
So, they lower the rebates and offer free gas and maintenance instead? What's the big deal in that? If I can have a $4000 rebate, or a $1000 rebate plus gas for 2 years (just making up numbers for an example), I have to do the math to see which is better.

It isn't like they are throwing in free gas and maint. out of the goodness of their hearts. If I keep $4000 cash up front, that is a lot of money I can put toward gas, maint, or anything else I choose (vs. being forced to spend it on gas and maint.).

I think that 5 year/60k mile warranty is NOT an extension of the bumper to bumper warranty. It is a "mechanical" warranty, covering specific hard parts of the car, IIRC. Not sure about the warranty thing though.

Definitely an appealing offer the way the commercials paint it though. Reassuring for the customer, even if it doesn't amount to much in terms of cash savings.

91_z28_4me
11-28-2005, 10:11 AM
LoL...yea right. Never miss a chance to boast though do you? No wonder you and Buickman are buddies. Two enormus egos.
That is a little uncalled for. I think that Josh does a great job with his website as does Brandon. I am sure that Brandon has also been approached by other camps for enthusiest sites of their own as well. I think someone is a little cranky this mornin'.

Aeromaks
11-28-2005, 01:37 PM
Here is hte big difference...

By offering a big rebate you are more or less admiting the car is struggling to be sold at sticker for what it is, so you are compromising for an inferior car due to rebate.

By offering a car for near sticker, and give a longer warranty and free gas, in the consumers mind, and mine... the company is standing behind the product, and not trying to force it down your throat.

As you can see, both in the end cost the same, but perception is king, and personally, I wouldnt touch a car that is being forced to compromise due to price.

Mich84
11-28-2005, 01:44 PM
That is a little uncalled for. I think that Josh does a great job with his website as does Brandon. I am sure that Brandon has also been approached by other camps for enthusiest sites of their own as well. I think someone is a little cranky this mornin'.
Brandon? You mean the guy who runs GMI.com? Brandon and Buickman are not the same person. I didn't say Josh didn't run the site well, just always goes out of his way to brag about anything/everything. Or in this case, just lie.

Here is hte big difference...

By offering a big rebate you are more or less admiting the car is struggling to be sold at sticker for what it is, so you are compromising for an inferior car due to rebate.

By offering a car for near sticker, and give a longer extended warranty and free gas, in the consumers mind, and mine... the company is standing behind the product, and not trying to force it down your throat.

As you can see, both in the end cost the same, but perception is king, and personally, I wouldnt touch a car that is being forced to compromise due to price.

Yea I have to agree. The average consumer would see more value in the free gas, warranty and service plan. Average consumer may think those things would add up to more than one big rebate.

90rocz
11-28-2005, 01:45 PM
I think by offering the Maintenance etc, they are saying, Hey, we're not going to abandon you after the sale, we'll take care of you..."
I think it's an effective switch, in perception, as someone mentioned in another thread...to the average consumer, that's what counts.

96_Camaro_B4C
11-28-2005, 01:54 PM
Yes, I agree that it does make for an appealing marketing ploy to the average consumer. I'm just saying that, in terms of dollars and cents, for the educated consumer it isn't much of a benefit (if at all).

Sort of a "feel good" marketing pitch. :)

Ken S
11-28-2005, 02:30 PM
Whats the exact details of the gas for 2 years deal? I read one place they wre just going to give you a debit card, which you can techinically use
anywhere, for anything.


I think it is a good perception-marketing thing. One can argue cars are still being sold at the sticker price and the free gas and maintanence is seperate.. So the cars value itself isn't hurt as bad, vs say lowering the price on the cars itself. If thats going to be the case or not, I dunno.

Stealth 86 LSC
11-28-2005, 02:40 PM
what theyd probably do is take the epa average rating, average mileage/year, and projected gas price averages and figure out a dollar amount.

Angelis83LT
11-28-2005, 03:03 PM
they take the average milage drivin per year and the fuel milage of the car and say that is how much gas you get. I remember seeing a commercial and it tells you exactly how they base the free gas offer in the really fine almost unreadable print at the bottom of the screen in all that other crap at the end of it

JOHN1243
11-28-2005, 03:14 PM
Have you looked at the SVO/SVT catalogs from Ford over the past 15 years??

They have offered a ton of parts to go faster from either their own or endorsed aftermarket products. Gm's performance parts catalog has been a joke and Chrysler's has been non-existant until recently.Have you seen the thousands of parts already available for the new Mustang and it's still in it's original model year?
I am a GM family child for years but don't knock the others for offering hotrod parts on the side when GM is just getting started.(ex/ cobalt ss /saturn rl performance packages). They are behind.

JOHN

Lions3
11-28-2005, 03:18 PM
I have a question though: If you took two cars, one from GM and one from Chrysler, both are equally optioned and CLEARLY meant to compete against eachother, even after that 4000$ rebate, is the GM *really* that much cheaper anyways?

anasazi
11-28-2005, 03:45 PM
could you imagine how many more cars they'd sell if GM got rid of the "cash rebate" offers and offered 4 years of free gas?

taking gas at $2.50 / gal, average of 30mpg, that $4000 rebate just became a great marketing ploy for "free gas for your first 48000 miles"

i'd round it to 50k miles simply for the bigger number shock value

30thZ286speed
11-28-2005, 06:05 PM
GM is sooooo slow, GM is switching gears, but its taking so long, once the RWD programs are online that will help alot.

Gas is back down to $1.80 - $1.85 around here, I don't think gas will be that big of a incentive, unless it goes up which it probably will.

guionM
11-28-2005, 09:06 PM
So, they lower the rebates and offer free gas and maintenance instead? What's the big deal in that? If I can have a $4000 rebate, or a $1000 rebate plus gas for 2 years (just making up numbers for an example), I have to do the math to see which is better.

It isn't like they are throwing in free gas and maint. out of the goodness of their hearts. If I keep $4000 cash up front, that is a lot of money I can put toward gas, maint, or anything else I choose (vs. being forced to spend it on gas and maint.).

I think that 5 year/60k mile warranty is NOT an extension of the bumper to bumper warranty. It is a "mechanical" warranty, covering specific hard parts of the car, IIRC. Not sure about the warranty thing though.

Definitely an appealing offer the way the commercials paint it though. Reassuring for the customer, even if it doesn't amount to much in terms of cash savings.

Why?

1. Doesn't adversely affect the vehicle's resale value.
2. Cheaper than incentives and rebates to institute.
3. The public equates this with the same service from more exclusive car names.

Gotta realize that marketing isn't about logic. It's about getting the most mileage with the least promotion.

Chrysler is to rebates what Scrooge is to Christmas, and it's paying off for them. They are have been using rebates only where needed, and this moves them farther from the rebate game.

For DCX, this is a marketing coup. :bow:

mastrdrver
11-28-2005, 10:30 PM
Is this some more of Lee's marketing work?