by "CivoLee" (civolee)
Published 01/27/2017 at 22:17
by "CivoLee" (civolee)
Published 01/27/2017 at 22:17
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(a few seconds of vinyl static, then a lo- to mid-fi recording of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” begins)
Ah, the American auto industry. Equally loved and hated both at home and abroad. At one time there were many different marques hailing from all over the country...but if you ask someone in the past 25 years where American cars come from, they’ll tell you Detroit, Michigan, and they’ll almost invariably point to the “Big Three” (Tesla is still too niche at this point to be considered a major player, but I have high hopes for them); the Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and (the former) Chrysler Corporation.
Yes, Chrysler. The smallest of the Big 3. The bronze medalist, better than the other competitors but not good enough to win the gold or even the silver. The Zoidberg of the American car industry. Some even argue if they even still count as an American company, given that while Chrysler still exists as a brand (barely, now down to two cars since they gave up with the 200), the company is now officially named F iat C hrysler A utomobiles US as a reflection of their status as a subsidiary of Fiat.
Yesterday, Tom McParland asked Jalopnik readers how much they’d be willing to pay for a Chrysler 200 and the replies ranged from the high hundreds to low thousands...but most replies were hateful jabs at FCA, with one commenter even saying they’d pay to have it towed if one suddenly showed up in their driveway . And yet, for every 10 jeers toward the 200/Chrysler in general, there were one or two comments saying they love their 200 or Dodge Dart and were sad to see them go away in FCA’s lineup.
Like I said above, the American car industry seems to get both love and hate in equal measures, not just from the general car-buying public but also from the enthusiast community as well. And it seems there’s no more extreme example of this than Chrysler. They get love for Jeeps, HEMI V8s, and minivans (for those that want them), and they get hate for inconsistent QC, a seeming inability to make a decent compact, and their association with subprime auto lenders and rental fleets.
My own experience with Chrysler has been fairly limited. My maternal grandfather had a Dodge 600 when I was little, and long before that he had a Challenger (or was it a Plymouth Barracuda? I don’t remember; I’ll need to ask my family that someday). When my father was selling cars, one day he brought home a Chrysler New Yorker as a demo. The thing had a TALKING DASH!!! As a kid I thought this was the coolest thing EVER! “Please fasten your seat belt.” *click* “Thank you.” *door is opened while car is running* “A door is ajar.” No, a door isn’t a jar; a door is a door and a jar is a jar!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA HA HA ha....ha...ha....ha.......(anyway) On what would turn out to be our last vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, my family rented a then-new Dodge Intrepid. Now, that might not sound like much, but compared to the ‘85 Pontiac Sunbird my family normally drove at the time, it was a limo.
If my thoughts on Chrysler could be summed up in a single word, it would be (Spock voice) “fascinating”. To many they’re a blue collar brand at best, but what is too often overlooked is how innovative they have been over the years. Remember the Turbine Car? What other American manufacturer not only built a whole fleet of what were essentially concept cars, but also loaned them out to members of the general public to get their thoughts on it? Chrysler concepts not only usually had engines (from what I understand that was a rarity), but when one was greenlit for production, not a whole lot was changed (as compared to say, Pontiac and the Aztek). Chrysler pioneered the minivan (1984 Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country) and the midsize crossover (the original Pacifica, even though it wasn’t necessarily something to be proud of it was still an idea that was ahead of its time). They brought RWD back to the domestic full size segment.
But I think their biggest innovation by far was to get essentially their entire FWD lineup from 1981-1993 out of a single platform . Sure, it might have been because they didn’t have the funds to come up with new platforms, but I have to respect it when people come up with a lot out of a little.
Plus, say what you want about the Challenger’s size/weight in relation to the Mustang and Camaro, but you have to admit nothing else exists like it in that price range, and since GM said no to the Buick Avista becoming a production model and we’re unlikely to see a new Ford Thunderbird or Lincoln Mark VIII, probably nothing else will.
And yet...mention Chrysler and the first thing that’ll come to far too many people’s minds is the Sebring they rented 5 years ago or The Dukes of Hazzard...
"Joe Patroni" (therealjoepatroni)
07/14/2017 at 14:59, STARS: 0
Their current CEO is worried about the next downturn. He doesn’t think Chrysler can survive another 2008.