I see a lot of posts/articles indicating ford and gm have new engines/transmissions, new vehicles in the mix, etc. For Chrysler, I see the electric car (not really practical for soccer mom/grocery getter duty), and the hornet, but what about new engines for passenger vehicles? Are they going to do something interesting with the avenger/sebring line? I know they just brought out the Challenger, and improved the Hemi in the trucks, and the minivan was just redesigned.

 

Chrysler has the new Phoenix V6 in the works. Many in the industry will tell you that the work has been put on hold for the indefinite future, as the last thing the auto industry needs is another DOHC V6.

IMHO, the words "Chrysler" and "future" don't belong in the same sentence at this time.

 

I understand people think Chrysler is nothing but a shell left, but its getting a little old...seriously...

1) Pheonix will debut in the revamped 2010 LX cars and all-new Grand Cherokee. There will be a Durango derivative, based off the GC.
2) Hornet is obviously a go
3) Electric cars are alive and well
4) Mid-sized cars still have a ways to go...still debating on whether or not to go it alone or do it with Nissan.
5) A Chrysler derivative of the Journey is in the works for MY11.

Remember, we already got a new Liberty, Patriot/Compass, Ram and vans in the past 24 months. That's most of what we sell anyway. The Grand Cherokee is my oldest product at this point! Chrysler still has 10% of the retail market...it isn't like they're shrinking violets, people...

I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting. The Dakota will probably be dropped. The biggest thing we need is mid-sized cars, and they're working that out now. Maybe we'll get a re-badged Altima...

 

Chrysler is still getting a version of the Journey? I thought that was cancelled a while back. Is it back on?

I really like the Journey. I wish they'd offer a 4 cylinder on the higher trim lines.

 

What ever happened to the Cummins V6 diesel that was supposed to be coming out for jeeps, durangos, half-ton rams, etc? I heard about it from a Cummins rep while at a college job fair two years ago and he said it was almost done.

Off-topic, but what happened to the rumors of the Minimax 310 hp 525 ft-lb. 4.5L diesel for GM?

 

That will be out this summer in the 2010 GMT-900's

 

According to my previous dealer rep (took a buyout ), it was on...nice looking car, too. I've been told the Durango and Grand Cherokee are drop dead gorgeous. The Durango looks and is sized much more like the first gen one (which it would have to be, if its to be mated with a GC), and I guess has a hint of Porsche Cayenne in it.

Those are so far along, they can't be cancelled. Same goes for Phoenix...and the LX cars...on top of all the new stuff we already got. We ain't dead yet, gentlemen...all we really need is a good mid sized car and a good compact pickup!

 

Chrysler is far from being the desolate wasteland productwise that you (and others) may think. As mentioned, there are infact a number of products that are in the pipeline, and Chrysler has been busy recently on powerplants that continue to deliver high power while at the same time get high fuel economy.

The new revised Hemi is the first. The Hemi now gets 375 horsepower, yet has the fuel economy that matches V6s. The Phoenix V6 aims to raise the bar for V6s, though I think the Ford EcoBoost V6 is going to steal the show.

Chrysler's problem has been that it not only didn't continue the LX quality on cars that followed, but the LX cars themselves are being continued far too long. The 300 has been out for 5 years already and it's going to be out 7 by the time it's replaced.

 

1) That 300 fact is a big, big problem. I have '05 300C returning lessees that have NOTHING they want to buy from me...the '08s weren't changed much at all. You have to park the 2 next to each other to even notice the difference. This car was a styling coup when it came out...its old news now I still love them though...I admit, many on here will think I'm nuts, but I'd take a C over a CTS, dollar for dollar. For anyone who wants to knock me, I'll ask...have you driven both?

2) The new Hemi makes GM's 5.3 and 6.0 look obsolete. Better power than the 6.0, with roughly the same mileage as a 5.3. I drove an '08 5.3 Avalanche after getting out of a new '09 Hemi Crew Cab Ram, and thought the e-brake was left on...seriously!

3) Guy, do you have any specifics on Phoenix? I've heard 3 different displacements, with a 4.0 being the largest...with the 3.7 one being about 285hp, and scheduled to be the standard GC engine in '10. Can you shed any light on it?

Given the Ram, and how amazingly impressive it is, I can't wait to see the new Grand Cherokee...

 

Sweet. I wasn't sure if it was still on schedule or not. Does it meet the 2010 emissions standards without urea injection? Are the Silverado and Sierra due for a refresh, or will they have the same sheet metal? The current Sierra half-ton with 4x4 and that little diesel would be nice! If they are still as cheap as they are now...that would be very tempting.

Does anyone know anything about the small V6 Cummins? Josh95Z28conv maybe?

 

No its delayed too .

Fuel efficiency first, second towing.

 

Please, don't believe that. Until production vehicles are running down the line, it's never too late to cancel a program (and, hell, we've seen a few instances where product gets canned after just a few months of production - 2008 Magnum, anybody?).

 

The '08 Magnum, as you and I both know, was changed so little from the original that its barely even worth mentioning. It isn't like it was an all-new platform or re-skin that needed some time to be amortized out. You and I both know that projects that are further along, in a situation like what we find ourselves in, are far more likely to be produced than "what ifs" like what Chrysler currently faces with their midsize...

Its just getting old that everyone thinks Chrysler has nothing going on anymore, and is DOA. Everyone from our wonderful Congress to board members here seem to agree on that, yet it isn't true...

 

The Chrysler version of the Journey (JZ49) was cancelled a while back.

 

Well, I won't argue with you

That sucks...guess my former dealer rep was mis-informed. Anything else been cancelled lately that you're aware of?