They have nothing for FWD cars. Not a single one that i would consider buying. It is no wonder sales are down 30% while GM and Ford are up. Ford and GM both seem a lot more aggressive about the B-C segment. Let hope Fiat get something here fast that is of quality.

 

Buy a Charger or 300 with AWD, and have the best of both worlds...

 

Tell that to Malibu, Fusion, and Focus buyers

 

 

You are largely correct.

Take away the LX, Ram, and Jeep. Is there any Chrysler products worth buying (overall minivan sales have crumbled the past couple of years and Viper is essentially a low volume specialty vehicle). Fiat is essentially (and rightfully) bulldozing Chrysler's lineup outside these models and replacing it with their own designs.

There are those who are looking at Fiat's gutting of Chrysler's supposed volume players (small and midsized cars) and immediately concluding despite evidence to the contrary that Fiat is looking to whipe out every Chrysler and hoist the Fiat logo on everything. Ridiculous.

The issue here is that everything that Chrysler did right and people actually buy (Rams, LX cars, Jeep) are being kept and have a strong future. Because of the crumbling of minivan sales, Chrysler is restricting the minivan to just 1 division. Chrysler. Fiat already reversed the Old Chrysler's decision to kill Viper (it'd be dead by now had old Chrysler's plan stood).

By the end of today, Fiat's Chrysler plan will be public (why they are taking a whole 8 hours to have a news conference is beyond me). However that won't matter with a few people. Regardless as to what Fiat says, people will still say Fiat has some secret plan to immediately dismantling Chrysler and turning it into Fiat.

Probably the same people who said that the government would take over GM and turn it into a hybrid car producing company and stock showrooms with government dictated cars that no one will buy.

 

They have no new product aside from the Ram. About all they have to look forward to in the near future are are re-badged Fiats which are not going improve the quality perception of Chrysler.

1 of the MANY problems

 

I had a chance to meet a couiple of gents from FIAT who were here in the US to work on product, from what I could gather.

I was surprised how little regard they had for the FIAT 500 and it's chances here. Judging by the good position FIAT finds themselves in < no real skin in the game > it will be interesting to see just what their intents are.

Much depends on the overall economic climate. Every car maker needs to keep an eye on the rising quality bar.

I wonder, in the back of my mind, if the Chrysler deal isn't a play to gain some time for suppliers to hedge their bets and pull back from allowing any maker to be too big to fail.

If America keeps jobs in the end, that's a plus to my way of thinking.

If it all turns out to be a time buying measure to fend off worse numbers for employment, etc., remains to be seen.

I wouldn't mind a big surprise on how America will take to what FIAT has to offer. Weak sauce will not cut it. More money from the government is not going to happen if the party in power has any thought or hope for a second term.

Chrysler was very close to being gone. I see no attitude to offer CPR if it goes badly.

 

I pretty much agree (though I recall a certain other car company other than Chrysler that would have permanently shut it's doors at the start of this year if it wasn't for an immediate infusion of government money ). The government has said no more money is going to automakers, and IMO it's not needed.

Both GM and Chrysler have IMO fixed or are well on their way to fix the problems they should have fixed on their own, but for various reasons (or in a few instances, excuses) didn't. Both have taken a chain saw to it's decision making process. Fiat's supplying the cars for Chrysler that Cerberus refused to fund. GM can actually make decisions that don't 1st require numerous studies and meetings, and has a new emphasis on quality that doesn't get dumbed down by it's own costing out process.

On the other front, I don't see the Fiat 500 as a cureall for Chrysler any more than the next gen Ford Ka being sold in the US will be a cureall for Ford. However, it is a landmark decision.

Like the Ka, (and even the upcoming Chevrolet Spark) the 500 represents the end of the wall between American car market offerings and that of the rest of the 1st world. That attiude within all 3 US car makers that left out cars that perhaps wouldn't sell in massive numbers (or make alot of profit), but still a significant number of people wanted seems to finally be fading into memory.

The Fiat 500 isn't going to be the car that saves Chrysler despite all the attention it's getting. What will save Chrysler is the reskinned midsized Fiat sedans that are replacing the pretty horrid Sebring and Advenger. Even though by European standards Fiat's fit and finish is midgrade, what's midgrade in Europe tends to be upper grade here in the US (ie: Volkswagen Passat). That in itself is like night and day with Chrysler's current midsize cars.


Going off the subject, I see US based car makers headed for a new dominance in the marketplace. Ford's taken down Toyota in quality rankings and will be pumping out it's best global models here in US factories. Chrysler will be doing the same via Fiat internals while keeping and improving the cars that they are expert at (the Ram, the 99 Charger concept based 2010 Charger, and a...gasp... restyled 2011 Dodge Challenger and a new Viper). GM has finally reverted back to the GM I knew growing up... a company that's capable of bringing out alot of exciting new cars and designs in rapid succession with quality just as good as anything out there.

I see Hyundai/Kia becoming a major player in the US, and Honda isn't going anywhere. However, I see GM and Chrysler recovering and along with Ford creeping back in market share over the next decade as long as none forget the lessons learned this decade.

Focus on making cars that people want (forget if it doesn't make a million dollars per model or you won't sell a gazillion of them, small profits are still profits), be a leader in quality (replacing power window motors purposely designed to break only make people mad and swear you off), and take the inititive (frequent facelifts and bold design can be risky, but have big payoffs if they work and can easily, quickly...and cheaply... be revised if they don't).

 

You keep saying that...but it was never really an option to let GM shut down. There was actually talk of saving GM & letting Chrysler go