[Stratuscaster]

From lvelleq's article:

Chrysler's lineup will expand in 2015 with the addition of a mid-sized front-wheel-drive crossover to replace the Dodge Journey in Chrysler Group showrooms. The replacement will be based on the Fiat-derived CUSW platform.

Original article (subscription may be required): http://www.autonews.com/article/20130902/OEM04/309029961/chrysler-brand-to-add-crossover#ixzz2dkVvjme4

 

[RVC]

Old news.

 

[Stratuscaster]

Not to me. Apparently I missed it. Care to share a link?

 

[Mr_WoLoLO]

Not to me either, so a link older than this one would be appreciated.

Anyhow on my side, thanks for the update Stratuscaster, the updates here on the 200 seem very interesting , plus well I've read that the Crossover plan was going for a T&C replacement, which according to this is not the case, that's great :thumbsup: , so this means that the Journey will co exist with that new Crossover or that the Journey will be actually dropped?.

Well if Dodge if aiming for muscle and muscle-like cars I guess they'll drop the Journey, hope not.

 

[Stratuscaster]

I read it as "Journey is dropped and Chrysler gains a mid-size crossover since "crossover" really doesn't get people excited in a "Charger/Challenger" kind of way.

But apparently the crossover that will replace the Grand Caravan (and perhaps Durango) will fall under that new "Dodge way." :huh:

 

[billfrombuckhead]

It makes no sense to give Chrysler the small crossover and Dodge a larger crossover. I bet they both are Chryslers as well as the minivan and Dodge is just affordable sporty cars. I bet we see a Chrysler Grand Caravan minivan and a Chrysler Town and County crossover.

 

[RVC]

Not to me. Apparently I missed it. Care to share a link?

What, the next Journey being CUSW? It's been talked about in a couple of threads and I even posted a chinese article a few months ago that said specifically they were going to build the [new] Freemont in the same plant were they build the Viaggio (and shortly the Cherokee and hatch Viaggio)
I believe we also spoke about it in the Caravan vs T&C thread and the death of dodge, but I'd have to go hunt for it.

Anyhow, this another crossover from Chrysler, another one for Fiat, a CUV for Alfa... all CUSW.

 

[dakrt99]

At this point I have given up on trying to understand where they are going. The circus is still in town. In a few years (maybe 5 years), the only thing left on the car that originates from Chrysler, will be the badge. Maybe I am a da mn fool for hoping that one day Chrysler would make their own cars, instead of bending and molding everything into a Fiat.

 

[dana44]

Don't worry, I'm there right alongside you.

 

[Dave Z]

We were told all along that the plan was to replace the current, aged product first, using Fiat stuff to jump-start, then to work on brand new, Chrysler-originated cars.

 

[TripleT]

At this point I have given up on trying to understand where they are going. The circus is still in town. In a few years (maybe 5 years), the only thing left on the car that originates from Chrysler, will be the badge. Maybe I am a da mn fool for hoping that one day Chrysler would make their own cars, instead of bending and molding everything into a Fiat.

I am confused by your post?

Fiat/Chrysler will someday be one company sharing resources in a way that never happened under the Germans.

When was the last time the small and mid-sized vehicles has a platform the was specifically Chryslers? For that matter a small engine? So that boat sailed when the PT cruiser retired.

But this platform sharing has been a 2 way street. Some where on a Maserati board I guess someone could be saying the same thing as posted but I doubt it they are probably trilled with the new products coming on board.

So Chrysler is making its own products but sharing global resources.

Could be the a mid-size CUV will be market along side a Dodge or not but in the end badge doesn't matter more than positioning. We have had Journey and Pacifica so we can either again.

 

[Stratuscaster]

What, the next Journey being CUSW? It's been talked about in a couple of threads and I even posted a chinese article a few months ago that said specifically they were going to build the [new] Freemont in the same plant were they build the Viaggio (and shortly the Cherokee and hatch Viaggio)

No, the point that the Dodge Journey will go away and be "replaced" by a Chrysler Crossover.

It makes no sense to give Chrysler the small crossover and Dodge a larger crossover. I bet they both are Chryslers as well as the minivan and Dodge is just affordable sporty cars. I bet we see a Chrysler Grand Caravan minivan and a Chrysler Town and County crossover.

Same set of articles mentions the possibility that Chrysler gets BOTH the T&C minivan AND a larger crossover - which makes even less sense from the "eliminate duplicity" standpoint.

(And that Canada would get a rebadged T&C as a Grand Caravan.)

 

[billfrombuckhead]

I think it makes sense to make Chrysler the mainstream family car platform with a small crossover, larger crossover, minivan and a d-class front wheel drive sedan. I think they should make the minivan a "Chrysler Grand Caravan", the crossover a "Chrysler Town and Country". I think doing this can make the marketing more focused and also allow dodge to focus it's marketing as well.

 

[ChryslerFiatfan]

If you want to know what Chrysler brand is becoming just look at Lexus or Cadillac. They have sedans, and crossvoer midsize vehicles. The new Pacifica is probably meant as competitor to the Lexus 350 or Caddy SRX. Those Luxury brands have CUVs so Chrysler needs one too.

Dodge/Fiat Journey is a mainstreanm CUV for the masses and probably differing in size of features to mask the sameness. Lexus and Caddy don't have Minivans, so why should Chrysler have one? Dodge's mass market competition, Honda and Toyota do make Minivans, so it will continue the Grand Caravan. They also make CUVs, so Dodge/Fiat will have a small Journey sized one too.

 

[unclejjg]

Well....this pretty much shoots in the foot all members that previously said the KL HAD TO BE A JEEP......turns out, Chysler gets a few CUV's too. Wish they would have planned on this earlier, and allocated the R&D costs of the KL to Chysler so Jeep could use some funds on producing a.....well, you know.....Jeep.

 

[jerseyjoe]

When I see it I will believe it.

 

[Stratuscaster]

Well....this pretty much shoots in the foot all members that previously said the KL HAD TO BE A JEEP......turns out, Chysler gets a few CUV's too. Wish they would have planned on this earlier, and allocated the R&D costs of the KL to Chysler so Jeep could use some funds on producing a.....well, you know.....Jeep.

Key difference here - Journey's replacement is said to be a 3-row CUV. KL Cherokee is not. Nor does the Journey replacement need to accommodate the Jeep-spec AWD/4WD hardware. (Which also might explain why they just didn't craft the KL Cherokee out of the Journey.)

 

[dana44]

Why not simply build something people want, not add or remove things according to some new flash in the pants category?

 

[james.mooney.]

So Chrysler, the premium and soon-to-be mainstream brand, gets a FWD midsize crossover (Journey replacement), FWD minivan, and FWD minivan-based crossover. Dodge, the muscle-car brand, keeps the RWD Durango (for now, at least).

Makes sense to me!

_IF_ D-RWD is engineered to make crossovers, I could see a Dodge Nitro (as well as an Alfa Romeo Kamal and possibly a Jeep Patriot) coming from that platform.

 

[james.mooney.]

Key difference here - Journey's replacement is said to be a 3-row CUV. KL Cherokee is not. Nor does the Journey replacement need to accommodate the Jeep-spec AWD/4WD hardware. (Which also might explain why they just didn't craft the KL Cherokee out of the Journey.)

Agreed. Also, the current Journey (114" wheelbase) splits the difference size-wise between Cherokee (106" WB) and Grand Caravan (120" WB). If its replacement is about the same size, it will be a large mid-size crossover, bordering on full-size, while the Cherokee is a small mid-size crossover, bordering on compact.