I see your point, JRRF. My question is would soccer moms go for the Jeep "experience?"
Jeep is built on the notion of brawny, rough, rugged, durable, "manly" etc., but would that translate to safe, gentle, easy handling, affordable etc. that soccer moms lean toward.
If Dodge goes for performance what is wrong with a "performance" DD? OK, so it is not a Bugatti but with the Hellcat option it could stick with most of the sedans out there. I don't see DD going for the drifting, sports car, quarter-mile crowds, but a fairly speedy 3-row SUV would probably go well with 40-ish-and-plus upscale families who just want to look bad-to-the-bone.

 

They are keeping Caravan so I don't buy the "performance car only" argument. I think there is plenty of room in the lineup for a Durango "sport" and continued R/T. Citadel makes no sense with a Grand Wagoneer holding the luxury title. Price on the Wagoneer will also be higher then a comprabable DD since the Durango and GC share that price category.

I think they continue the switch to all Dodge vehicles carrying the SRT trim which kills the GC SRT and gives it to the durango.

That way the Jeep brand gets the luxury off road versions and Dodge keeps performance/sporty versions. All bases are covered in this scenario and the platform and drivetrain sharing makes it an easy production process.

If you want a luxury SUV that can easily transport your puffy coat/vest family to the mountain cottage in December you get a GC or Grand Wagoneer.

If you gave up your sports car because you had too many kids and you have to accept those days are behind you until the kids are out of the house then you get a dodge.

 

Caravan is gone ...only town and country's available

 

Rumors were that the Grand Wagoneer will be positioned as an ultra-lux Land Rover / Escalade type competitor. So there should still be plenty of room for a Durango Citadel.

And just because Dodge is being positioned towards performance doesn't mean they're going to get rid of base versions of the Charger or Dart. And it doesn't necessarily mean the Durango is gone either.

It'll be about dollars and sense. If FCA feels the Durango is profitable in the long run they'll keep it. On one hand, since its development costs are shared with the much higher selling Grand Cherokee, seems like it could be highly profitable despite only selling 60k units a year. On the other hand, they may feel the Durango takes production slots away from the more profitable Grand Cherokee and will eventually can it just for that reason.

Chrysler has a large 3-row crossover coming which could effectively replace the Durango, not the ultra-lux Grand Wagoneer.

 

I have to disagree with this. While Jeep may have it's ancient roots in the army, the GC brand was built on the upscale suburban soccer mom.

 

Off of MotorTrends website today...the Durango is here to stay folks.

Chris

"The Grand Wagoneer, which will reportedly be bigger than the old Commander, will be a full-size SUV that will seat up to seven people and share its stretched chassis with the Dodge Durango. According to the company's five-year plan, the lux SUV is scheduled to debut sometime in 2015 and will likely go on sale as a 2016 model."

http://wot.motortrend.com/1410_jeep_...mium_suvs.html

 

I like the word "share", as in it's recognized that the two will coexist. But they have the dates wrong. The 5 year plan called for the GW being released 3Q 2018.