DaimlerChrysler good to go with Chery
It looks like teeny tiny (and tinny) Pentastars could be coming. They could even be good. Tme will tell, as the DaimlerChrysler supervisory board has given its blessing to teaming up with China's Chery Motor Company. The Chinese government still needs to sign off, but that appears to be a formality at this point. What Chrysler gets out of the deal are Chery products to sell here and in Europe with Chrysler branding. This sort of harks back to the 1970s and '80s, when Chrysler was rebadging Mitsubishi products for domestic consumption. The upside is that Chrysler gets small cars in their livery immediately, though we're sure that federalization is the next hurdle to overcome before the models go on sale. It could be a good thing for Chrysler, as they get a point of entry into segments and markets abroad that they currently have no offerings for. Domestically, they can crash the small-car party without having to engineer an entirely new platform and its associated production labyrinth. While this may help keep DCX afloat, it doesn't help the domestic workers much. Not only that, execution of the products that do make it to the US market will absolutely kill or king the Chery-sourced cars. DCX badly needs to follow up the waning success of the LX cars, and we hope they do so with more attention to dynamics, materials and fit-and-finish then they did with cars like the Sebring and Compass.
[Source: DCX via AutoNews (Sub Req'd)]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
UpIrons 8:51AM (2/28/2007)
Chrysler didn't just rebadge Mitsubishi's in the 70's and 80's. Even as late as 2002 the Sebring coupe was a revamped Mitsubishi Eclipse and doesn't the new Sebring use the Mitsubishi Galant platform?
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UpIrons 8:52AM (2/28/2007)
... Also just watched the video on the Dodge "Demon" and that is most definitely a rebadged Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder.
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EnviroBob 9:50AM (2/28/2007)
I also hear that the 300 is actually a re-badged Plymouth Cricket. And to think some people say Chrysler engineering stinks...
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S K 10:15AM (2/28/2007)
This car is really, really small. Smaller than the Chevy Aveo Hatchback. I have severe doubts that Americans would ever take to it. Moreover it is a copy of erstwhile Daewoo Matiz, which is now known as Chevy Spark (After GM took over Daewoo).
The Matiz was originally offered with a 800 cc engine and now comes with a 1.1 L engine . However it is ok for Europe where people do buy such cars in decent numbers. Of course in India and other Asian countries such small cars form majority of the market; due to high gas prices , low salaries .
Moral of the story : No point in bringing it to the US.
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jgp 10:22AM (2/28/2007)
DaimlerChrysler: supporting communism everywhere.
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mr.ed 10:33AM (2/28/2007)
I'd guess that all the dopes who brought in Singers, Simcas and other out-of-step imported junk are retired or fired. So, a new crop of Chrysler's morons will give the Asians a chance to sink their bottom line lower than whale shit.
Chrysler's quality standards are seemingly lower than most others, so they won't notice the huge panel gaps, orange-peel paint and other lapses these imports will sport. But the magazine writers and consumers sure will.
'Bye, Chrysler. On occasion, it's been fun.
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Nick 10:36AM (2/28/2007)
They shoulda just merged with Mitsubishi when they had the chance- Now Mitsu is on the upswing and Chrysler is heading down the toilet.
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Carletti 11:31AM (2/28/2007)
Odd man, just odd. I would say that this little car looks to be a very unflattering vehicle to be found in. I think that the average American household has enough purchasing power to stop at a Hyundai Accent. And I don't think that the "made in China" bit will help.
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Rick Lyon 11:42AM (2/28/2007)
So Chrysler will be an upper scale luxury car maker (according tho their new marketing plan) made with cheap re-branded Chinese crap? Wow, it's going down fast.
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V.Greene 11:44AM (2/28/2007)
Um, guys... they're not bringing over the Matiz clone, Chery makes other cars. It'll probably be an adaptation of the Hornet concept, which IS a good look for Chrysler. The funniest thing is that Chery's current interiors - which are laughable in the vein of a Daewoo/Chevy Aveo - are about the same level as Chrysler's current interiors.
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Matt W. 11:54AM (2/28/2007)
Am I missing something, but doesn't Daimler own SMART? Isn't SMART a mini car business? Therefore, as long as Daimler owns Chrysler, why in the world would they want to bring another mini car lineup State side? Also, why would a buyer want to be saddled with an agreement to resell Chery's? For example, if GM is the buyer, they won't need Chery models because they have the Daewoo models to fill the market. This is the stupidest thing for Daimler to do considering the possible sale of Chrysler. Ugh, I hope Daimler gets stuck with Chrysler...
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BGJ 11:59AM (2/28/2007)
V.Greene -
Maybe you haven't read any of the reviews of the '07 Aveo - the interior is the most talked about positive for the car.
Carletti -
You don't think the "made in China" part will help, and maybe not. Don't forget that nearly every consumer good sold in the US seems to be from China. You ever been to Walmart?
Expect poor crash performance from this car, especially side impact. This is not a knock on Chery specifically - cars made natively in emerging markets just don't have the experience in what it takes to meet US requirements. Remember how poor Korean cars used to be? It took about 10 years for them to figure it out.
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Mike 1:41PM (2/28/2007)
I agree; "execution of the products that do make it to the US" is definitely in order. Perhaps by that big mechanical monster thing that crushes cars at those monster truck shows.
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Carletti 2:57PM (2/28/2007)
BGJ, yes obviously your point is well taken but I would say that quality in a shirt from Wal-Mart or a pair of shoes from Payless is an entirely different topic, in scope, from that of a $5,000+ vehicle intended to provide for safety, among other things, on American Interstates. I just don't think American consumers will be receptive to a car that bears the dubious title of being "made in China," partly because there are so many other options that consumers have, from more well-known makes, at the prices that Chery cars are going to be sold at.
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mike from scarborough 9:41PM (2/28/2007)
Buying a pair of shoes and cheap clothing is one thing,buying an automobile is another.Realy pissed off at DCX for doing this,I've been a mopar guy all my life,would never buy a car from China,or clothes,or anything as long as i have a choice.As Long as i live in Noth America I will support NAFTA, not a Communist Government,that has little regard for human rights,and is chocking the Globe's
atmoshere,at an alarming rate..
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