Chrysler and Chery resume discussions; Hornet confirmed
Chery officials say the pause in their discussion with Chrysler was so the Chinese company could get a better idea of the American's future. Now that Cerberus has taken over, Chery sees the coming years filled with puppy dogs and lollipops. And in their giddiness, someone at Chery leaked a few details of the project to Automotive News. Chery will build two cars for Chrysler, to be sold under the Chrysler brand. Chery is already building one of the two in China (possibly the A1?), but for Chrysler it will be shipped in kit form to South America where it will be assembled for that market.
The other Chery-built car will, in fact, be the Hornet, according to AN's anonymous sources. The car will be based on Dodge's show car, but engineering will be handled by Chery in China. Hornet production could begin as soon as 2010.
It's good to see these two playing nice again, even better to hear the Hornet may actually reach production.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BowserUSC 7:11AM (5/24/2007)
Whatever car is in that picture is the ugliest car I've ever seen.
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Yago bal 7:29AM (5/24/2007)
It's nice to see two 3rd world manufactures joined together to produce a high quality car. :) did I say "high"? I meant "really crappy"... :)
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Dave 7:47AM (5/24/2007)
"to be sold under the Chrysler brand."
Hasn't the Chrysler name been devalued enough? The Hornet should be a Dodge.
Or, better yet, an AMC.
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RickDom 8:48AM (5/24/2007)
If you actually read the article, the Chrysler is going to be sold in South America, not the US and it's not the Hornet. We need to work on your reading comprehension.
Dave 11:50AM (5/24/2007)
Here's what AB says:
"Chery will build two cars for Chrysler, to be sold under the Chrysler brand. "
It aint my comprehension thats the problem.
bmoredlj 9:13AM (5/24/2007)
Whatever car the two ultimately produce, I'm sure the interior will have generous swaths of matte plastic aluminum trim.
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bfg0 12:31PM (5/24/2007)
Maybe Chrysler would sell more if they stopped styling their products like circus clown cars.
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Dr. Phil 11:01AM (5/24/2007)
The car look very nice on the picture, I hope the impression stays when I see it on a street.
But "made in China" thing worries me a little. Call me prejudiced, but most of the "made in China" things I've ever bought had looked like a read thing from the distance, worked like a real think for a few hours, and then broke beyond repair. Lowering quality wouldn't be the best development for a company that isn't a role model in it already.
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Calebe 12:06PM (5/24/2007)
I hope they do not call it the Hornet. That name was on two pretty good cars in the past. I hope they don't stain it on a low quality car.
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Corey 12:22PM (5/24/2007)
Dr. Phil, looking at what/how you wrote your comment. I think your ignorance speaks for itself.
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Rick Lyon 12:31PM (5/24/2007)
Production WILL BEGIN in 2010? hahaha Everything about that car will be outdated and the design will still be ugly. Chrysler is still heading downwards it seems.
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Don 5:53PM (5/24/2007)
I sure hope these things will be high quality.
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Don 5:54PM (5/24/2007)
And c'mon! The Hornet concept is the shiznit!
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KC 6:38PM (5/24/2007)
The competition - mini, new beetle, xB, etc - will be moving on to their 3rd generations of their little niche hip cars by the time the Hornet ever sets rubber to pavement.
And people thought GM was late to the party with the HHR compared to the PT Cruiser
Whatever.
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LD00 2:07AM (7/06/2007)
This model is for sure will be made in Chery plant, but seems the engineering will be handled by Chrysler!!
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Tom 10:14PM (7/17/2007)
I mean if anyone here read Chery's history, you will see that Chery is really determined when it comes to quality, it hired Japanese engineers, it is one of 5 car companies in the world to possess a very advanced painting system, it has one of the world most advanced quality control system.
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Jim 4:11PM (9/14/2007)
Does anyone know where the Chery came from ? Ask a GM engineer. It was stolen from there designs by the Chinese for a vehicle they were building in China. GM spent the money and China went down the down the road to build the same car with one of there companies. Dance with the devil....
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