Whither the 200C and Dodge Circuit?

One of the more interesting aspects of the Five Year Plan presentation was the Q&A period at the end, in which people asked Sergio Marchionne questions to which the answer was obvious, like (paraphrasing) “Are you kidding?” and “Really, are you kidding?”

But, reflecting the general tendency of mass media reporters and analysts to not remember the companies they’re following, nobody asked about a few key items.

The first of those was the Chrysler 200C, which many people felt could be a game-changer for Chrysler. The rear wheel drive sedan could be gas-powered, hybrid, or electric, and it was reportedly ready for production. A photo of the interior display was used in the Chrysler overview as an icon for innovation. Still, absolutely no mention of this car was made, and none was in the charts and graphics. That does not mean it’s dead, but it’s not a good sign, either.

The second was the general electric strategy – the “modular components used in existing cars” idea. It appears to be dead, but there’s no real way of knowing. We do know that the prior strategy is gone now, and only one electric commercial vehicle is planned for the near future – an electric minivan or electric Fiat commercial van, it seems, with the latter being more likely. (Of interest, again, is that Chrysler built and sold electric vans in the 1990s, which were completely ignored by the movie “Who killed the electric car?” but which are still on the street. Some of them, anyway.)

The Dodge Circuit seems to be gone; it wasn’t mentioned by name but fits the description of the un-marketable car floating around. The Circuit would compete directly with the Tesla and the value proposition for Chrysler was… not there. I always thought that one was nutty, myself, because Tesla has that market wrapped up in the public and media eye. The Circuit could be like the Spirit R/T: fine on its own, but completely overshadowed by its competitor (Taurus SHO at the time), regardless of technical merit.

So where is the 200C?

There really is no way to know unless you’re at Chrysler. It’s possible they’ll swap it in for the existing Sebring with the “refresh” though everything they announced makes that seem very unlikely. It’s possible they’ll sell it as a surprise gift. It might show up as a Lancia or Alfa Romeo since it’s sized appropriately for those brands and would sell in competition with the front-wheel-drive Sebring and its successor.

We are intensely curious…

Don’t believe a word of it!

The Wall Street Journal scooped everyone on the Five Year Plan, or so it seemed. The next day, an automotive news outlet of great repute came out with an equally incorrect but consistent story based on “informed sources.” Finally, someone who certainly knows Auto Task Force insiders came out with another consistent story which would relegate Chrysler to minivans and trucks. It might still be true, but only if you consider the basic platforms – an important part of the vehicle but not necessarily the MOST important part. After all, consider that the Reliant, Daytona, Imperial, and minivan were all based on the same basic platform (they did not have the same platform but they were all based on the same platform).

Here’s our story on the Journal’s story:

According to the Wall Street Journal, which claims access to people who have seen Fiat’s plan for Chrysler, many of the recent rumors regarding current models are incorrect, and Chrysler will incorporate more Fiat Group products than expected.

Vehicles planned for the US, according to the Journal article, include a replacement for the Chrysler Sebring, based on a Fiat design. The PT Cruiser, Sebring, Avenger, Compass, Caliber, and Patriot will all have their final year in 2012, with even the popular Dodge Caravan ducking out; the Chrysler Town & Country will be Chrysler’s sole minivan, according to the article, though historically the Caravan has sold better.  The Nitro will also be dropped.

Marketing for the Fiat 500 is unclear; the article claims it will not use the Fiat name but “will be marketed as the 500.”

Alfa Romeos to be sold in the US starting in 2012 include the MiTo subcompact hatch, a midsized sedan, and the Milano, all to be made in North America. Chrysler will start up a Sebring replacement and compact sedan in 2012 and a compact Fiat-based Jeep in 2013, they say.

To be kept are the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger.

Under this plan, Dodge would be strictly muscle cars and trucks, while Chrysler would take over the “Chevrolet – Plymouth – Ford – Toyota” position as the “everycar” brand. No mention was made of plans to move Chrysler upscale, which were announced by the former head of the Chrysler brand shortly before he resigned.

Now, a lot of this is true. What isn’t? The Dodge Grand Caravan will remain, and be redesigned in 2014. The Nitro’s fate is unknown. Liberty will move to a Fiat platform. Fiat 500 will be called the Fiat 500 and will use the Fiat name.  Dodge will get new cars, based on Fiat designs – with one actual Fiat imported without changes (beyond what is needed for sale in the US).  Chrysler will indeed be moving upscale, if not in price then in image.

Above all, the engineering staff is going to be increased. And, while the charts do show numerous Fiat platforms coming to the US, to the point where 50% of Chrysler’s vehicles will be Fiat-based, the charts also differentiate between vehicles made by Fiat and imported “as is,” and those re-engineered by Chrysler to meet their own needs. Whether this is a sheet-metal-and-shock-absorber deal or a true re-engineering, we don’t know. You can build very different cars on a single platform – Audi TT vs Volkswagen Jetta, anyone? Camaro vs G8 or Nova? Mustang vs Ford Fairmont? Belvedere Six vs Hemi Superbird?

The second media outlet claimed that Chrysler and Dodge would disappear outside of North America. It now appears that Chrysler will continue in Asia, and in other markets Chrysler and Lancia will alternate; while Dodge will still be used here and there, sparingly. There is a lot more sharing going on than one would expect.

Oh, and the amount of money going to Fiat… remember all those billions in consulting fees going to Mercedes, for “sharing” their lovely previous-generation-but-still-expensive technologies? Fiat has so far gotten $0.  What’s more, they haven’t shifted everything to Italian suppliers. Mainly, though –

For the first time since Daimler first took over, an increase in the engineering staff was announced.

Wow.<

Maybe it’ll work out after all.