RE: Chrysler's shift in strategy accelerates
Hmmm...Unnamed foreign car manufacturer. How come I get the feeling it is Chery or some other Chinese manufacturer?
Getting rid of the softer image for Jeep is the right move. Whoever came up with that whole idea wasn't thinking straight. People don't like Jeeps because they are a refined CUV company, they like them because of their tough, rugged image of offering world class off-road vehicles for a more reasonable price than their competitors (Land Rover, their ex-division spun from AM General Hummer, etc.).
The Patriot isn't a bad idea for a vehicle, it just doesn't fit Jeep at all. It would be the perfect vehicle for Eagle, but since Eagle is gone just like Plymouth do to being ignored, it would make a good vehicle for Dodge. The only thing that needs to be changed is they need to lose the CVT and use a normal automatic and offer a V6 to compete directly against models like the Escape and Vue. The Compass is a pointless model that needs to be dropped as it is just a station wagon and Jeep does not need station wagons.
Jeep does need a smaller SUV like the Patriot though, it just needs to be RWD/4WD to fit the Jeep criteria. The Liberty was too large to justify the I4 which is why it was not a popular engine choice in the first generation and why they did not carry it over to the new Liberty. If they would make a conventional automatic, RWD, V6 option, and increase the off-roading capability on the Patriot it would be a fine vehicle for Jeep.
Overall, it sounds like some good ideas. I'm not entirely sold on this cutting back on the number of dealerships. I can see only trouble coming from this.
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"To Debate and Moderate" since 2006
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