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Ten Cars That Crashed Chrysler Into Bankruptcy
Detroit, 1:32 PM
Sun Nov 29
11 posts in the last 24 hours
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Ten Cars That Crashed Chrysler Into Bankruptcy |
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05/01/09
Chrysler's true demise started the day Maximum Bob was no longer President of Chrysler. Things would've been far different if that self-centered wop named Iacocca put his ego aside and gave Lutz control.
05/01/09
04/30/09
The Caravan/Voyager/Town & Country were the cause. They put more suicidal transmissions into more owners' hands than any car in history. Their reputation was irreparably tarnished by the vehicle that "saved" them in the 80s.
05/01/09
It used to be, if you bought a Mopar you had a 50/50 chance of getting an absolutely bulletproof car or the biggest piece of shit ever. Nowadays, it's a 100% chance of getting the ugliest, cheapest piece of shit ever.
04/30/09
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I actually don't think they have ever made 5 good cars.
04/30/09
1) Jeep Cherokee (grandfathered in from AMC): Capable off-road, livable on-road, arguably the first modern SUV.
2) '67-69 Dart: Legendarily tough engines, clean, pleasant styling, and simple, relatively reliable components. A favorite of old ladies in the late '60s and hipsters and hot-rodders today.
3) Hillman Hunter (grandfathered in from the Rootes Group-- a sentimental favorite for this Sunbeam owner): Chrysler's biggest international competition success was the Hunter's win in the '68 London-Sydney Marathon, where the little sedan proved tougher than the Lotus Cortinas and faster than the BMC Landcrabs. After this monumental achievement, Chrysler UK shut down its competitions department.
4) Dodge Viper: Bob Lutz's V10-powered toy brought performance and badass swagger back to Mopar after the depressing, if profitable, K-car era. Too bad it was too much of a niche product to make money for the company or share technology with other corporate platforms.
5) Number 5... hmm, number 5...
Fuck, you were right.
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And in case you were wondering, yes, I am still pissed off that Chrysler shut down Chrysler UK/Rootes's competitions department.
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Even if they gave E-class parts for 300 which was relatively successful, SLK parts for Crossfire etc.
That's just stupid, if the Germans are baddest mofos ever how come they gave MB platform for newest Jeep?
What Daimler did wrong was that they didn't started by giving boot to American designers who produced those ugly designs which are listed in gallery above.
04/30/09
04/30/09
You're right. Because Daimler had no interest in buying a company that had $7 Billion in cash reserves, a fully funded pension plan, a perfect balance sheet, 15% domestic market share and lots of new, profitable product in showrooms and the pipeline.
Nope, the Germans were only interested in sharing their technology and engineering talent with a worthy partner, they being of such a giving persuasion.
And those American designers? The ones credited for creating the Viper, Prowler, Dodge Ram, LH sedans, Neon, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and others that led Chrysler to record profits and sales? They were led by Maximum Bob Lutz. I suppose the Germanic brillance of their unabashed geniousness would have given him the boot, too, seeing all the crap he was directly responsible for.
Did I say Chrysler had SEVEN BILLION AMERICAN DOLLARS IN CASH prior to Daimler's purchase? Sorry, wanted to be clear and all.
05/01/09
04/30/09
Of course its not helped by hideous styling, a cheezy plastic interior and lousy market timing. I'm a little saddened as it could have been much better.
And what has happened to the Grand Cherokee is a travesty.
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Uh, yes I know. One was an establish, popular SUV that made Jeep massive profits until DCM bollocked it up royally and it lost its leadership market position. The other was not, but it was a good car in some ways.
04/30/09
But it seems to me that more parts and concepts went from Germany to Detroit than the other way, so how is MB responsible?
I'd rather blame the Executives who were willing to believe the merger could transform the Neon into a C-Class.
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Sprinters are great, until you have to fix them. Expensive parts and labor is high, just like working on a Mercedes.
05/01/09
04/30/09
It seems like even Chrysler's niche brands are woefully underdeveloped. Jeep hasn't had a true off-road offering in a decade. Mercedes is horribly behind the likes of Cadillac. (I consider those two more closely competitive than Audi, Volvo, Lexus, etc.) Dodge has some good offerings every once in a while, but they've consistently churned out nothing but slushboxy, fugly, plastic crap recently.
And now, because they failed so miserably, they're getting a golden parachute made from golden Andrew Jacksons, all 400,000,000 of them. I *almost* feel disgusted I voted for Obama, but then I think of what would have happened had McCain won, and I can't stop shuddering...
04/30/09
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1) Mercedes is not part of Chrysler.
2) Starting with the Wrangler Rubicon in 2003, Jeep's making more capable offroaders than ever before. This is a fact.
Re: Competition.
The 4 door Wrangler kicks the sorry ass of the H3.
The Ram is the only full-size pickup on the market that I'd consider buying.
04/30/09
Welcome to Clickapaloosa! Seriously, why can't Gawker IT figure out a way for our editors to post 10 pictures with text in between them?
/Rant
Back on topic:
I'm not sure the crossfire really hurt Chrysler that much. For some strange reason I've always preferred it to the MB SLK, in the looks department. I've never driven either one, so I can't comment on that.
I have yet to see a Sebring that is owned by someone else than a rental agency (look for the bar code on the rear left window as a tale tale sign). Hopefully the it will disappear soon.
I like the first generation Liberty, especially the available diesel engine. It's a shame they never made it 50 states legal...
I don't find the new Dakota particularly ugly. I guess it suffers mostly from the fact that it went from being the only mid-size truck to having to compete against the Tacoma and Frontier. Being the only mid-size with V8 power is not exactly a compelling argument in the days of expensive gas either...
04/30/09
04/30/09
I'd buy a 2005 Cherokee. In fact, I still might.
As for the Pacifica, I never got inside one but I thought they looked alright from the outside. Certainly roomy looking, and a good alternative to a minivan. Not bad mileage for a car that size, either. Not for me, but I thought it was pretty successful.
I can't disagree that much with the top 10 list, though I do feel that with 4 out of 10 of them being Jeeps it's a little harsh. Jeep is still one of the most valuable brands that Chrysler has. Or maybe I'm just such a Jeep fan that I can't come to grips with reality.
04/30/09
Any automaker worth their salt would kill to own the Jeep name brand and build high margin off-roaders.
04/30/09
The Commander isn't so bad, it's just they were priced like a premium product when they definitely weren't.
The tough part for the GC (and much of Jeep in general) is splitting the line between maintaining real Jeep offroad-ability and making an SUV that's competitive in today's SUV market (i.e. very sissi-fied and car-like).
The GC split the difference unsuccessfully: too unsophisticated to compete with an X5 or ML, too watered down to be taken seriously in the dirt.
05/01/09
I am going to take issue with your take on the Grand Cherokee though. While it's no Wrangler, it is a highly capable 4x4. It's not a vehicle that you might go mudding in without doing some modding first, but for those who live in areas that require 4x4 capability, I think it's among the best options for 4-door vehicles. I'd take it over an X5 any day. Actually I'd take two, since that's the price difference.
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The slight refresh they got recently (smaller front bumper) helped a little.
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