November 5th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
The new Chrysler and Dodge logos will not be appearing on cars destined for the European market after 2011. Instead, cars sold in the North American market as Chryslers and Dodges will be badged as Lancias and Fiats. The move is designed to save money by reducing distribution costs.
The Chrysler Voyager minivan will appear as the replacement for the Lancia Phedra and hte next-generation 300C will be sold as the successor to the upscale Lancia Thesis. The next Sebring and the new midsize crossover will also wear Lancia badges. The Dodge Journey will become the replacement for the large Fiat Ulysse minivan and the Fiat Chroma will be a re-branded version of the upcoming Dodge mid-size sedan.
As was confirmed yesterday, Jeep will be hte only CHrysler brand that will be sold in Europe under its own name.
November 4th, 2009 by DaveAdmin
Dealer network productivity is to be increased, with redefined dealer standards. Chrysler went from 21% of dealers to 12% in the US, losing 2,831 dealers in the last 19 years. Project Genesis is continuing as planned, to increase franchise attractiveness, profits, and throughput, providing a sound base for reinvestment. Full implementation is due for 2011. At the moment, Chrysler has around 440 sales per dealer in metro areas; the goal is for them to go up over 700. Tight credit is a serious problem especially for dealers — and Chrysler dealers tend to sell fewer cars per month than competitors. New dealer financing will replace Chrysler Financial by December.
Just 36% of dealers have a return on sales greater than 1.5%; they expect this to increase to 60% by 2014. Dealer support is being expanded to include financial skills. Planned growth of commercial vehicle sales will require overcoming strong competition and changing service hours to meet business owners’ needs. In general, dealers need to overcome problems of high land cost, and customer convenience (old or suboptimal locations).
A green facility initiative is planned to both increase environmental friendliness, and to cut costs.
A North American version of the
Fiat 500 is expected to increase foot traffic and new customers. It will mainly be sold in key metro areas with specific interior showroom branded salons, and a high degree of customization through accessories. The 500 will have dedicated sales and service staff.
Since June 10, dealers have committed over $250 million in capital investment, with 20 new buildings, 200 major renovations.
A North American version of the Fiat 500 is expected to increase foot traffic and new customers. It will mainly be sold in key metro areas with specific interior showroom branded salons, and a high degree of customization through accessories. The 500 will have dedicated sales and service staff.
Dealer network productivity is to be increased, with redefined dealer standards. Chrysler went from 21% of dealers to 12% in the US, losing 2,831 dealers in the last 19 years. Project Genesis is continuing as planned, to increase franchise attractiveness, profits, and throughput, providing a sound base for reinvestment. Full implementation is due for 2011. At the moment, Chrysler has around 440 sales per dealer in metro areas; the goal is for them to go up over 700. Tight credit is a serious problem especially for dealers — and Chrysler dealers tend to sell fewer cars per month than competitors. New dealer financing will replace Chrysler Financial by December.
Just 36% of dealers have a return on sales greater than 1.5%; they expect this to increase to 60% by 2014. Dealer support is being expanded to include financial skills. Planned growth of commercial vehicle sales will require overcoming strong competition and changing service hours to meet business owners’ needs. In general, dealers need to overcome problems of high land cost, and customer convenience (old or suboptimal locations).
A green facility initiative is planned to both increase environmental friendliness, and to cut costs.
Since June 10, dealers have committed over $250 million in capital investment, with 20 new buildings, 200 major renovations.
November 4th, 2009 by DaveAdmin
Chrysler’s five year plan is being unveiled, with a limited-entry webcast on Chrysler LLC’s corporate web site, constant updates at Automotive News, and frequent updates here at allpar.com. The plan will take around five hours to describe.
The plan is for a complete repackaging of all current vehicles, with new options mixes, by the end of the fourth quarter of 2009. A complete overhaul of branding, marketing, positioning, and point of sale is to be completed by the end second quarter of 2010.
Follow our regularly updated page at http://www.allpar.com/corporate/chrysler-group/five-year-plan.html
October 29th, 2009 by DaveAdmin
This Fiat 500 was spotted by Nick in Hamburg, Michigan. He said the interior had “the standard mule car test equipment on the inside.”
This Fiat 500 was spotted by J.P. Joans in Bloomfield Hills, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. It sports manufacturer plates and quite a bit of mud. (See our Fiat 500 page for a larger image.)
Fiat 500
October 20th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Fiat SpA, the Italian industrial holding company which owns Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo and controls Chrysler Group, is expected to report a third-quarter operating profit tomorrow as sales of its car brands have grown and overcome declines in sales in its truck and heavy equipment lines.
Although Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler, is not expected to say much about Chrysler, the company’s European automotive brands are outperforming the market. Even as overall industry sales dropped 6.6 percent, Fiat was up 1.8 percent, Lancia grew by 1.9 percent and Alfa jumped 10.1 percent, giving Fiat SpA 8.8 percent of the European market, a nice improvement from just eight percent a year ago. The Fiat 500 and Panda were especially well-suited to the incentives offered by European Union governments to spur sales and get older, less efficient vehicles off the road.
Fiat’s growth is attributed to its strong diesel program and its stable of small cars. It is this technology that Marchionne is counting on to restore Chrysler to profitability and reduce its dependence on light truck models.
September 24th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
After two years of brutal slashing that left the company unable to produce new vehicles, knowledgeable sources say Chrysler Group now plans to bring back some of the salaried workers it had cut and ask its current employees to start putting in overtime.
The driving force behind the change is CEO Sergio Marchionne’s desire to get some fresh and refreshed product to dealers. Among the targeted vehicles are the Belvidere trio: the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Patriot; the Town & Country and Caravan and the PT Cruiser, which Marchionne saved from the chopping block in one of his first product moves after taking over the Auburn Hills automaker. The Fiat SpA CEO wants to get the job done in 18 months instead of the usual 24-36 months.
To make this happen, employees working in the design, engineering and product development groups will be asked to begin working overtime and a small number of workers who were laid off or accepted buyouts late last year will be asked to return.
The plan must be approved by Chrysler’s board and the federal government.
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