[GuidoFL]

..... Not Dead, But May Become 'More Focused'

Rumors of the Dodge brand's death are greatly exaggerated, according to SRT boss Ralph Gilles--but that doesn't mean the brand won't undergo some "focusing." That's what we can extract from Gilles' Instagram posting (via Autoblog) last week. Responding to questions about the rumors of the Dodge brand's demise, Gilles said, "Dodge is here to stay!...

From: MOTORAUTHORITY EMAIL SENT OUT JULY 13, 2012 @ 12:01 pm

Anymore have a better idea of this ? I heard that dropping the Dodge mini van & Durango maybe the "focusing" ?

 

[Stratuscaster]

We'll know more when we know more - until then, the discussion will rage on and plenty will take rumors at face value because they can't be bothered to invest any time in thinking about the realities of it.

My take - if Sergio still wants Alfa to be the world-player he thinks it can be, he needs the sales volume of companion Dodge models to make that happen. That said, Alfa doesn't need a minivan or an SUV.

As such, any changes aren't happening overnight.

 

[Roy Thigpen]

I think eventually, the plan is to have Dodge with the Dart, Charger, Challenger (on the 200 platform) and move the Durango to Jeep, as the Grand Wagoneer (which is a great move. The Durango, as good as it is, has been a sales disappointment), I think the Journey and Caravan will be Chryslers. I think they'll add an A body (Hornet?) and maybe a version of the miata/alfa convertible down the road.

 

[billfrombuckhead]

I think they aren't quite sure they know what they're going to do. Marchionne still has other unsolved variables such as Alfa, Mazda, the European market situation, the Italian government/ union situation and the price of gas going forward. Can a front wheel drive C and D class Alfas be viable with consumers? Would a rear wheel drive Alfa/Dodge D class make money? Will upgraded Darts and Durangos start selling better? Can the Chrysler 200 replacement cover the whole D class for Chrysler? Have they really made a choice about the minivan situation?

I think so called badge engineering can still work for Chrysler in the US. The Grand Caravan and Town and Country situation proves it. I think they should have Chrysler and Dodge large and mid size crossovers as well. Chrysler should be affordable luxury and Dodge should be base/fleet models with available affordable performance upgraded models, pretty much what they have now only more focused. Export models can be tweaked for the situation.

 

[Erik Latranyi]

My take - if Sergio still wants Alfa to be the world-player he thinks it can be, he needs the sales volume of companion Dodge models to make that happen. That said, Alfa doesn't need a minivan or an SUV.

As such, any changes aren't happening overnight.

Your concept makes sense unless Alfa gets associated with Dodge (which is what the automitive press and VW will try to do).

Oh, that Alfa is just a tarted-up Dodge.

 

[RVC]

Your concept makes sense unless Alfa gets associated with Dodge (which is what the automitive press and VW will try to do).

Oh, that Alfa is just a tarted-up Dodge.

I agree. That's why SM needs to get someone to proactively play this game and kill such nonsense ASAP (I was going to say "before it starts", but judging by a video I just watched of those dumbasses at motortrend, the rumor mill has already started to work that angle. No doubt that mill's activity is being financed by someone...).

Again, marketing is more than nice Super Bowl ads.

 

[Stratuscaster]

Do the same people refer to Audis as tarted up VWs?

 

[tomaz]

I think Dodge will be "focused" on affordable "Sporty" (sporty as in great handling with a Sporty flair) Sedans/Coupes similar to how Mazda is, just Majority RWD. Dodge will be Full of "Niches":

• Dart FWD/AWD in Sedan and Hatch form.
• A D-RWD Sedan shared with Alfa Romeo (Giulia)
• Challenger Shared with Alfa Romeo (6C) Maserati (Gran Turismo),
• and a low-slung "4-door Coupe" like Charger shared with Alfa Romeo (169)
• Demon 2 Seater Sports car shared with Alfa's Spider

Thats a 5 Car model lineup for Dodge

 

[JavelinAMX]

We'll know more when we know more - until then, the discussion will rage on and plenty will take rumors at face value because they can't be bothered to invest any time in thinking about the realities of it.

My take - if Sergio still wants Alfa to be the world-player he thinks it can be, he needs the sales volume of companion Dodge models to make that happen. That said, Alfa doesn't need a minivan or an SUV.

As such, any changes aren't happening overnight.

Well, actually it can happen that way ...

We're very nearly at the end of their five-year plan. They've gathered pretty significant background data on a number of facets which detail the ChryFi buyer, ChryFi product performance, ChryFi undisclosed plans. They had Daimler-Chrysler books from the past at their disposal.

They can make very, very specialized well-informed changes with a fantastic array of background data crunched every which way on which to base those changes.

Yes ... They could make 'overnight' changes with a huge body of data to support their actions.

 

[Lampredi]

Do the same people refer to Audis as tarted up VWs?

No, because you see, the VW Group's excessive component sharing is something consumers are impressed by, but when other automakers do something similar it's suddenly a bad thing.

If you say that Audi is a tarted-up VW these days, you'll be met with incessant cries about "MLB! MLB! MLB!" - as if the past decades of VW-Audi platform sharing never happened...

 

[Erik Latranyi]

Do the same people refer to Audis as tarted up VWs?

They should. But VW has a marketing department. Chrysler has monkeys throwing poop at a dart board.

When Piech talkedabout a vehicle, he talked about all the unique features that set it apart from its VW cousin.
When Marchionne talks about a vehicle, he brags about all the cost savings he made by sharing the platform.

 

[Mike V.]

Yay, another thread full of dream model lineups.

Mike

 

[RVC]

They should. But VW has a marketing department. Chrysler has monkeys throwing poop at a dart board.

When Piech talkedabout a vehicle, he talked about all the unique features that set it apart from its VW cousin.
When Marchionne talks about a vehicle, he brags about all the cost savings he made by sharing the platform.

That right there is pure gold.
Somebody should print one of those huge things that hang in front of the AH offices so that SM sees it every time he walks in front of the building!

EDIT: and even more telling is the fact that VW's chief marketing guy is Luca de Meo, who was a FIAT man.
He had a disagreement over the future of AR (back when SM wanted to kill it off) so he resigned and was immediately scooped up by VAG.

 

[Lampredi]

That right there is pure gold.
Somebody should print one of those huge things that hang in front of the AH offices so that SM sees it every time he walks in front of the building!

Well, to be fair, I seem to remember that a lot of the hype surrounding VW's new MQB architecture revolved around how it would provide VW with tremendous cost savings. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that VW's current success is primarily marketing-driven, as its cars may be good, but not that much better than the competition than what sales figures may suggest. VW even got away with a 10-year model cycle of its most important vehicle, the Golf, without anyone complaining - contrast that with how Fiat is treated when it takes its time to renew its offerings.

EDIT: and even more telling is the fact that VW's chief marketing guy is Luca de Meo, who was a FIAT man.
He had a disagreement over the future of AR (back when SM wanted to kill it off) so he resigned and was immediately scooped up by VAG.

I've always wondered what really made Luca DeMeo leave so abruptly, do you have any more details about this? I mean, for a while he was in fact touted as Marchionne's potential successor at Fiat, and all of a sudden he was gone - and to Volkswagen, no less!

Do you know exactly what the disagreement was about - whether Alfa Romeo would survive? Did Marchionne really intend to kill it off? Why would DeMeo want to work with Volkswagen anyway? And is he somehow involved in Volkswagen's plans to take over Alfa Romeo (I ask because the blog with the brilliant name "Das Alfa Romeo" - run by some Italians who have the audacity to call themselves "Alfisti" despite their obvious pro-VW agenda - somehow reminds me of the old "Quelli Che Bravo" Fiat Bravo promotion blog, which I believe was a Luca DeMeo initiative)?

 

[Charger Red]

Your concept makes sense unless Alfa gets associated with Dodge (which is what the automitive press and VW will try to do).

Oh, that Alfa is just a tarted-up Dodge.

Or correspondingly (depending on the market) "Oh, that Dodge is just a knuckle dragging-induced Alfa."

 

[Erik Latranyi]

Or correspondingly (depending on the market) "Oh, that Dodge is just a knuckle dragging-induced Alfa."

Well, saying the Dart has "Alfa DNA" certainly has not helped sales!

 

[MoparNorm]

Well, saying the Dart has "Alfa DNA" certainly has not helped sales!

For a LOT less money, time and avoidance of production glitches, Giulietta could have been brought here, as is*, rebadged and sold 60,000 per year.
Pride goeth before the fall.


*in the same manner as 500

 

[barracudafett]

Erik Latranyi, on 13 Jul 2013 - 3:53 PM, said:

Your concept makes sense unless Alfa gets associated with Dodge (which is what the automitive press and VW will try to do).

Oh, that Alfa is just a tarted-up Dodge.

Or correspondingly (depending on the market) "Oh, that Dodge is just a knuckle dragging-induced Alfa."

I always like to think of the ME 412 at times like these

http://www.allpar.com/photos/concept-cars/chrysler/chrysler-ME-412.jpg

 

[billfrombuckhead]

For a LOT less money, time and avoidance of production glitches, Giulietta could have been brought here, as is*, rebadged and sold 60,000 per year.
Pride goeth before the fall.


*in the same manner as 500

They still would have had to make a CUSA wide platform for other cars like Cherokee and 200. It also would have created an image problem for coming Alfas.

 

[MoparNorm]

They still would have had to make a CUSA wide platform for other cars like Cherokee and 200. It also would have created an image problem for coming Alfas.

I fail to see how the best selling Alfa would create an image issue for Alfa?

They already have an American Platform for the 200.
A Jeep should NEVER share a FWD short armed independent suspension architecture with a pavement car.
What you note, is Marchionne's vision, however it may prove to be myopic.