It is no secret that Chrysler is in trouble. Just like Ford and General Motors, the automaker has seen its share in the United States auto market shrink against the surge of Japanese and even European automakers. With Jim Press now with Chrysler, analysts are expecting things to change in the storied automaker.
The automaker recently announced that they will be dropping four models. This is expected as Chrysler has some auto models which are only weighing down the already troubled company. This decision is said to be good for Chrysler according to analysts and they are expecting more models to be dropped by the automaker.
The Chrysler Pacifica, PT Cruiser convertible, Crossfire, and the Dodge Magnum were dropped by the Detroit automaker. Joe Philippi, a principal of Auto Trends Consulting said that these four models are obvious choices to be dropped. The Pacifica and the Magnum showed reduced sales for the month of October this year compared to October of 2006. The Crossfire and the PT Cruiser on the other hand are niche vehicles which Chrysler is not having success with.
"This was the low-hanging fruit you could deal with right away," Philippi said. "There's clearly more to come," he added. With the four models now no longer the concern of the automaker, Chrysler can now turn its attention to other models which are not performing too well and are only sandbagging the company.
The automaker is said to have an abundance of large vehicles like SUVs which have horrible fuel efficiency. Other automakers like Ford and General Motors are offering vehicles with the same room capacity of SUVs with the fuel efficiency just better. Crossovers are said to be the solution to consumers' need for fuel efficient yet roomy vehicles. But Chrysler is clearly missing that as they are known for gas-guzzling SUVs.
The automaker is also being criticized for its inability to catch up with its competitors, American or Japanese alike. The Dodge Caliber and the Chrysler Sebring are just some of the vehicles which have been redesigned by the automaker but have failed to impress consumers. Even if they are equipped with durable , they are still way behind the competition.
The Jeep brand also needs overhauling according to analysts as it is loaded with vehicles which compete with each other. Todd Turner of car Concepts said that he thinks that there are at least three models that Chrysler has to drop and these are the Jeep Compass, the Chrysler Aspen, and the Jeep Commander.
