Future Outlook: The Chrysler Brand

So as a proud fan of the Mopar brand since I was a child, I have seen the various ups and downs of Chrysler… the ups being many of the cars in the late 80’s and the 300c…the downs being…well, nearly everything else. In the new era of Chrysler that we live in the company is sitting in neutral as its ownership changes to Fiat. I believe this is a great opportunity for the brand and will share some of the vehicles I believe the company needs in order to succeed in the market in the future… for sake of time and me just rattling on, no Dodge or Jeep discussion…just the Brand itself.

Small, Fuel-Efficient Hatchback

In my opinion one of the best concepts Chrysler has had recently was the Nassau, debuted at the NAIAS in 2007. This design would be in the right direction when moving away from the old and tired PT Cruiser into something new and fresh. It would be built on a Fiat small platform and would come in a 3-door and 5-door hatchback variants. The 1.4l turbo engine from the Fiat 500 Abarth would be sporty at around 130hp, and return great gas milage at about 32/45mpg.

Mid-Size Sedan

So the Sebring is out after the company ran the name to the ground with its last experiment in design, and in comes the 200c EV concept. The car is another design hit and also includes many interesting interior technologies that would help the car standout from the crowd. The car could be built on a variation of the Avenger and Sebring platforms or off an existing Alfa platform and could include the new Chrysler Pentstar 3.0l engine, churning out somewhere around 245hp with around 22/31mpg. A base model with a turbo version 1.9l diesel and an EV similar to the Chevrolet Volt with a smaller Fiat 4 cylinder would be ideal.

Large Sedan

 

So the only saving grace of Chrysler in the last half of the decade gets a well needed refresh with updated exterior and supposed all new interior. This car is big for the company and needs to be truly affordable and revolutionary considering this large vehicle market is now dying quickly. The engine upgrades need to see fuel economy shoot into the 30mpgs on the highway, which is rumored to be true according to company projections. This car should debut at the New York Auto Show in April and will be examined in depth on this site at that time. From what I am hearing the car should be dead on and show signs of life from Auburn Hills. (via @autoblog)

Crossover SUV

 

After the death of the Chrysler Pacifica, I believe the company is going to need something else to fill the slot. I believe the name Voyager or Pacifica would do fine and certain design elements from the EcoVoyager concept above would be fitting (without the jelly bean shape of course). A trendy, modern, fuel efficient crossover would help give an edge against competition from the Ford Edge, GM’s Traverse/Enclave vehicles, and the Mazda CX-9. Keeping the car smaller with more amenities than the larger SUV’s from the Dodge brand would help to differentiate the products and avoid cannibalism in the segment.

Small Sports Car

 

So its early to think about vehicles such as these….especially after the lack-luster result from the Crossfire. But a small sporty vehicle with a powerful Penstar V6 would bring back some excitement to the Mopar family. Alfa could lend some sporty platforms such as the one underpinning the Brera to give it a solid chassis. The styling similar to the Firepower concept would be fantastic performance vehicle to fit the slot in between cheaper roadsters like the Sky and less expensive than a BMW Z4 or Mercedes SLK.