Following eight hours of details on how Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne and his team will save and grow the fresh-from-bankruptcy automaker, it is tough to assess where the Pentastar is headed. Once a few miles away from the Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters, this significantly was clear: after nine years of Daimler and two several years of Cerberus ownership, what else does Chrysler need to lose?
If all goes to program, along with the U.S. marketplace scratches its way as much as a 14.5-million unit season in 2014 (Chrysler’s estimate, far more conservative than the 16.8-million yr Marchionne says analysts are predicting), Chrysler will break even next yr, 2010. It'll have positive cashflow by 2011 and pay off U.S. ($5.8-billion drawn) and Canadian ($1.5 billion) loans by 2014. Marchionne believes Chrysler can invest $4.5-billion per season on item progress and be profitable.
By 2014, and we’re talking calendar years here, which takes us out to the 2015 model calendar year, Fiat platforms will cover a full 56 percent of vehicles and trucks offered in North American Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram dealers (yes, Ram is now a separate brand). Chrysler-brand cars is going to be bought in European Lancia dealerships (there’s simpatico – Lancia has been a sort of pre-Enclave Buick in Western Europe because the post-Stratos years). Jeep will add far more diesel variants and will become a bigger player in foreign markets.
Chrysler eventually receives b- and c/d-platforms from Fiat. The Fiat c- and d-segment platforms are two variations of the very same. Fiat becomes d-segment platforms and greater from Chrysler, which means the FWD minivan platform and perhaps the RWD LX (Dodge Challenger/Charger/Chrysler 300) platform for greater Alfa Romeos and Lancias. There’s life inside 300, yet.
Fiat will create 500s in North America (almost certainly Mexico), with Chrysler-tweaked interior and exterior trim and bumper offsets, beginning in late ’10 with a January ’11 launch in select Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram dealerships. A 500 cabrio will come a season later, along with the 500 Abarth a year after that (’13, for those of you keeping score). Alfa Romeo will arrive just before 2014. Marchionne expects to sell about 70,000 Alfas per season right here, but that doesn’t have anything to do with Fiat’s prepare for Chrysler, which is this:
* 2011 Wrangler becomes an all-new interior.
* Compass and Patriot get all-new sheetmetal creating greater delineation in between the two, and new, higher-quality interiors.
* Commander’s final year, followed by cryptic timeline words, “international allocation” inside Chrysler playbook.
* All-new Grand Cherokee, as previewed at the ’09 New York International Auto Show. Very first model to get Chrysler/Mercedes/Hyundai joint-development V-6 engine loved ones, now separated from Merc and Hyundai, and renamed (once more) Pentastar V-6. In three.6- and later 3.3-liter variants.
RAM
* New Heavy Duty pickup and chassis cab, but you knew that already.
DODGE
* 2011 Avenger receives key refresh, new inside and new sheetmetal. May very well be no less than as considerable as the 2010 Ford Fusion’s update. Pentastar V-6 and new 4-cylinder engine family added.
* Journey becomes new inside, engines.
*2011 Grand Caravan becomes new interior, sheetmetal, engines which includes a main fuel economy improvement (see Avenger)!
*2011 Charger, second-generation LX, launches as planned. Consists of all-new sheetmetal, and key “expensive” redo of existing RWD platform.
*2011 Durango replacement launches. Based on exact same system as Jeep Grand Cherokee, but with optional third-row seat.
* Last 500 Vipers are constructed, with particular package, colors, and so on. Coupe and convertible. Spec Miata-like one-marque race series most likely.
No comments:
Post a Comment