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Detroit, 5:26 AM
Wed Nov 11
30 posts in the last 24 hours
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04/30/09
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Bring me a fucking FIAT Panda 4X4 or a FIAT 500. Period. Make 'em affordable, but don't make them with crappier Chrysler plastics or their shitty "Americanized" engines or slushboxes. If you're going to do that, just put Chrysler out its misery and don't do any more damage to the FIATs we love.
If I see a Hemi anywhere near an Alfa I'll puke. My 1972 Alfa has a more sophisticated hemispheric-head engine than Chrylser currently produces. No thanks.
04/30/09
Whatever the company becomes, they would be insane to not have Dodge Truck and Jeep as two core brands. Both are profitable and the Jeep brand equity rivals Mercedes-Benz in this country. I really don't think we'll see rebadged Dodge Trucks or Jeeps as Fiats, or vice versa. At most we'll get a small urban van like the Ford Transit.
The Viper? Who cares. A limited production car that will have no connection to the new company. Is there a point in keeping the ol' dinosaur around? Maybe, who knows.
Everything else is on the table. I fully expect to see Fiats rebranded as Dodges and sold thru the existing dealer network. Ultimately the NA Fiats will be built in NA as Dodges. Does the Chrysler brand need to exist in the new company order? Will consumer buy a Fiat rebranded as a Chrysler? Will Fiat spend money to maintain or strengthen the Chrysler brand? I say no to all these but we'll see if they keep it around.
BRANDS:
Dodge
Dodge Truck
Jeep
Fiat in large markets and select dealerships
04/30/09
04/30/09
lap ring.. laugh at Mercedes, Corvette, Nissan, Porsche, Bugatti
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1. The Dodge Scarface SUV: Say hello to your little friends from a commanding driver's seat.
2. The Chrysler Corleone: A bright orange grille announces your presence as the patriarch of the Chrysler brand family. Limited powertrain warranty.
3. The Jeep Goodfella: Perfectly at home doing hard work in the rough-and-tumble, but also capable of blending into whitebread suburbia.
04/30/09
Where are all of the Chinese when Ash is making fun of Italians?
04/30/09
/Dated an Chinese girl in high school.
04/30/09
And of course, Chrysler, which is easy.
04/30/09
Jeep: Wrangler and Cherokee lines will remain. Commander will be killed faster than a red shirt in Star Trek. Hopefully they take the car-based Jeeps and throw them in the Adriatic.
Chrysler/Dodge: Don't be too surprised to see one of these nameplates dropped, or for Dodge to only produce the 'performance' cars like Challenger. 300C may survive, and the Town & Country will survive.
Fiat: The 500 will finally come to the US, but no Abarth. The Panda will come and also be crossbranded, as TAI said.
UAW: It will be interesting to see what happens over the next month or 6 while Chrysler is in bankruptcy, but I would not be too surprised to see the UAW shrink their stake and Fiat increase theirs. Also, it will be really interesting what happens in a couple years when they have to negotiate the new contract. As part-owners, the UAW will have to be on both sides and will have to figure out how to get their members what they want while keeping the company profitable. Not an easy task, and I fully expect the union to fall back into their old ways.
Long Term: Chrysler will be back begging for money from the government in another 20-30 years.
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I think you missed Dodge trucks, which would be more valuable (profitable) than the performance vehicles.
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