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Old 10-17-2007, 03:56 PM
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Yankee
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Default RE: Chrysler pondering what Models to Cut

My thoughts are thus:

The Avenger has grown on me, but that Sebring... why Chrysler decided to model it after the extroardinarily underwhelming Saturn Ion with old 1990s Pontiac Grand Am-style body cladding is way beyond me. I agree, don't cut it, but redesign that eyesore ASAP. The previous Sebring was no beauty queen but it was miles-better looking than this new insult-to-the-eyes design is.

The Durango and Aspen, I say keep them but they should have a quick redesign too, although the Aspen is a far better looking truck than the Durango. This year's front modifications on the Durango helped... but they weren't enough. There's still a strong market for truck-based SUVs and with proper execution I think the Durango/Aspen could do quite well if given another chance.

The Dakota... that's a tough one. The compact truck market is pretty much drying up (yeah I know, the Dakota is really a mid-size), Ford is dropping the Ranger and GM hasn't had much luck with its Colorado/Canyon twins (the fact that they're quite ugly I'm sure hasn't helped). No matter what Dodge does with the Dakota, it'll always be overshadowed by the larger Ram. But with gas prices the way they are, maybe the Dakota will become more popular over time. Verdict: too close to call.

The Pacifica, I believe, has been let down by its ultra-crappy reliability in its first couple of years, and even though the latest version is much improved, I'm sure its lousy reliabilty reputation, deserved or not, will continue to dog it. I say keep it and redesign in the same vein as the new GM crossovers (the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, etc).

The Compass... ABSOLUTELY kill it. Termination with extreme prejudice should be the order of the day for that god-awful hideous atrocity.

The Patriot... it could have a shot, much like the Ford Escape or Chevy Equinox. At least it has some Jeep heritage styling of the 1984-2001 Jeep Cherokee going for it.

The Commander... never really cared for it, honestly don't really care what happens to it one way or the other. And now that the new Liberty looks like a downsized Commander, that makes it all the more irrelevant.

The Town & Country... yeah I suppose it can stick around. Now that Chrysler is the only domestic minivan market in town since Ford and GM bugged out this year, it's probably gonna be more popular than ever, so it might make sense to keep it around.

The Crossfire (I thought that was already dead) - if it isn't already, then kill it. It's an intriguing idea... if Chrysler were actually serious about making a car equivalent to the Cadillac XLR, then I'd be all for it. But as it stands, the Crossfire always seemed like a half-assed idea. The roadster wasn't half-bad looking, but the coupe version... yucko. Any car with side profile resembling a dog squatting to do its "business"... uh-uh. To the guillotine it should go.

Now... aren't you glad you asked.