Chrysler Needs About Half Its SUV Models, Press Says (Update1)

By Greg Miles and Jeff Green

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Chrysler LLC, the automaker that gets three-quarters of its U.S. sales from pickup trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles, needs about half of its 11 current SUV models, company President Jim Press said.

The automaker will need fewer SUVs as it consolidates the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands into combined dealerships, Press said in a Bloomberg television interview today from the New York International Auto Show.

``We're going to stop overlapping, we're going to bring everything under one roof. By doing that we will have more products in the markets we are not covering,' Press said. ``Our finances will have better quality.'

Chrysler, the third-largest U.S. automaker, is seeking to reduce costs after more than $2 billion in losses since the start of 2006. The company's dealers said in February that Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler outlined a plan to pare total models by almost a third, to about 19 from 28.

Press said at that time that Chrysler also has ``redundant' minivan models that compete against each other and that the automaker will cut offerings during the next four to five years.

The automaker, owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP since August, said this month that it will shut the company for two weeks in July to save money and will sell a California design study. Chrysler is trimming 25,100 jobs and has said it will drop models such as the Pacifica SUV and PT Cruiser convertible.

 

Very smart move, and this is something I think several of us could agree with...... I mean...why do you need 3 minivans? Or better yet....why do you need 4 CUV's that are basically the same model?

 

Theres only two minivans, but I think it would be a bad move to cut either of them. I would keep the patriot, cherokee, wrangler, durango, liberty, and that is about it...

 

compass and caliber need to go. alogn with the nitro aspen and druango. commander must go. so i agree the patriot, libetry grand cherokee, wrangler should stay. i dont think cutting the minivans are a good idea. we just got a fully loaded new T&C and it isreally like a luxury model of the caravan. i dont think it would work to cut the T&C and try to have a luxury caravan. a luxury caravan just isnt right. now im sure it would work better to cut some of the base trims of the t&C so they clearly are mainstream and luxury. chrysler needs a smaller sedan. like the neon was comparable to the cobalt. they need a vehicle of that size in the line up.

 

I dunno, I think they need to keep the durango, they want to have something on the larger SUV size to at least try to compete with the exploder and trailblazer and such. Especially with the hybrid durango coming out, it might get comparable mileage to one of those smaller SUV's, with a hemi. I still kinda like the calibers, but I don't think they are selling well enough to keep them around, what they really need to do is bring back the neon, why they cut their best selling economy car still makes me wonder... Aspen and Commander needs to go no doubt though, the Aspen is just a fancy durango, of which I have only seen about 2 on the road, and even though I like the commanders, they are just huge pigs that really offer no more than the durango does...

 

the grand cherokee is explorere and trail blazer size. the durango is done. the plant will be closing soon. next generation will be built off the same platform and in the same factory as the next grand chrokee. i dont see them keeping it around considering this. it is not like ti sells good either. the commander is a super sized grand cherokee. built off the same platform. the commander is the definition of chyrsler building vehciles to compete with itself. as commander sales went up grand cherokee sales went down. the caliber sells well and i guess it would be ok to keep around. but the compass needs to go to hell and die and that page of jeeps history should be burned and forgotten.

 

Keep the Aspen over the Durango. It's much better looking.

Caliber needs to stay.... we just need a sedan version or a coupe... bye bye compass

 

I never really understood Liberty, Compass and Patriot.... One of the three is fine.

 

Liberty and Patriot are pretty similar, Compass is an embarassment to Jeep...

Did they ever give any reason for cutting the Neon? I still see that as one of the stupidest moves Chrysler has made.

 

The neon never did get cut, it was just replaced by the caliber. And if its going to be a one-bodystyle deal then a wagon should be it. There's tons of lame boring sedans out there, nothing wrong with going a little different route. Unless they plan on bringing back the coupe bodystyle alongside the sedan, then the neon can stay dead as far as Im concerned.

I dont like the compass too much either, but I saw a solid black one with the Rallye trim and it wasnt TOO bad looking. If theyd put the SRT-4 motor in that with AWD, then it'd be a respectable rally car and subaru fighter.