RLSH700

That is my concern as well. Despite what some people in the press will tell you about how "gracious and helpful" MB was trying to be to its unfair spouse, they were like Vapires to Chrysler. The company has been underfunded in many terrorities hence the reason why it will take a lot of investment to help them catch up. The interior quality of new models are below that of models made pre and during the beginning of the merger. They have to dedicate their budget to getting a new V6 line as they haven't had a true update since 1999. They need more competitive transmission to compete currently.

They really don't have any "car" plaftorms of their own anymore (the LX/LY are all MB based, Caliber/Compass/Patriot and Avenger/Sebring are based off of a Mitsubishi platform) with the exceptions of the PT Crusier which will eventually be dropped or updated on one of the other platforms, and the Viper which is a low production model. What the company needs to do is insert a board in their mouths, clamp down hard, and invest big time into the things they lost during that terrible, abusive marriage.

I would like to see a convertible, but I'm not sure they really have the financial resources and I'm not entirely positive about the popularity of such a model as I don't see that many convertible Mustangs anymore.

Skippy, you're right, this model will have a strong impact on the company. The thing that makes me comfortable about the quality and reliability is that the reliablity ratings for the stuff that matters (the engines, transmissions, etc.) appears to be holding up quite well in the LX cars. CR has flip-flopped on their earlier opinion that the Charger was unreliable and now rates it at being reliable and the 300 is also receiving better treatment from them as well.