http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/ Autoblog Comments for http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 20th 2008 4:18PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 21st 2008 7:15PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 20th 2008 4:21PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 20th 2008 4:32PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
Price, features...... T&C is more luxurious, while the Grand Caravan is more of the soccer-mom vehicle]]>Apr 20th 2008 4:44PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
If done properly, it will increase sales. The Durango/Aspen twins are a pair that can work with the Durango covering the lower price ranges and people who might get the vehicle dirty and the Aspen covering the ritzy soccer moms and gangsta/urban cowboy types. Stuff like the Liberty/Nitro is just silly since they are both stealing sales from each other. ]]>Apr 20th 2008 5:55PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/I agree with your assessment completely, but that dilemma could easily be fixed by axing one and offering additional trim levels on the other.]]>Apr 20th 2008 5:57PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
pretty sure the 599GTB and the 612 share a chassis. at least the chassis is closely related.

Enzo and FXX too ... though i guess those we not ever sold at the same time. ]]>Apr 20th 2008 9:33PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
The Chrysler Aspen/Dodge Durango duo, and the Caravan/T&C, are old-school badge jobs. The Aspen, in particular, adds nothing to the brand; Navigator/Escalade shoppers aren't interested in driving something nobody's heard of.

Even with the more sincerely-differentiated Sebring/Avenger, Caliber/Compass/Patriot, and Nitro/Liberty, Chrysler missed the point of platform-sharing. Instead of coming up with a handful of great products and selling them as a dozen different vehicles, they came up with a few lousy products whose proliferation has put the smell of death on the entire company.

Considering how many Chrysler products people were genuinely *excited about buying* a few years back--the PT Cruiser/Convertible, 300C, Magnum, Charger, SRT4--this has truly been a spectacular decline.

By all means, Chrysler, kill the clones, ditch the extra tooling and marketing costs, and dump what money is left into the remaining also-rans.]]>Apr 20th 2008 11:38PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
But several other manufacturers also do twins. Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, Chevy Trucks and GMC Trucks, are just a couple of examples]]>Apr 21st 2008 9:21AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 20th 2008 4:45PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
Others... well, of the LX cars, would they go from 3/4 to 1? Those cars are mechanical twins but look very little alike.

Of the JS cars, well, they can eliminate the Jeeps; none of the others (except maybe the Avenger/Sebring) overlap really.

It will be interesting to see how this one unfolds.]]>Apr 20th 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
I'd agree about the Compass, however. It's the only non-trail rated Jeep and it's just a failed attempt at making a CUV.]]>Apr 20th 2008 5:50PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 21st 2008 3:15AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/Apr 20th 2008 4:51PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
I'm sick of people saying the Patriot sucks. Yes, it's a car-based Jeep. But it's also the most off-road capable CUV in its class, as well as among the most fuel-efficient, most attractive, and lowest-cost. In other words, it's pretty much everything the lowest-rung Jeep should be.

This is like those irritating Mustang fans who constantly say "GET RID OF THE V6 IT'S FOR POSERS". These people say that anybody who wants a fuel-efficient Mustang should just buy a Camry because they're "posers" who don't really care about performance and just want to look like they do. They complain that these people ask for "ridiculous" numbers like 22 or 25 mpg overall fuel economy out of a car that's lighter than a Camry or even a much-smaller Mitsubishi Eclipse (check Edmunds, people) and would like a decent engine rather than the ancient 4 liter the Mustang currently has. When they ask for the 3.5 liter they get told "YEAH WELL YOU'RE GETTING THE FOUR BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER AND WE GOTTA SELL FLEET."

I can't stand some of you Mustang guys, man. And Ford, if you seriously build the new Mustang without a really fuel efficient engine like Motor Trend has said you won't, (make it a 3.5, under $25,000 please), I'll buy a Toyota Camry out of spite.

Back on topic: Some people would like a fuel-efficient, reasonably off-road ready vehicle but can't afford it. The rest of Jeep's lineup sucks for anybody who needs fuel economy. The engines are ancient, the vehicles are heavy and ugly and generally speaking their only saving grace is off-roading. Jeep must fix this. Why? Three words: TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. Same vehicle as Liberty or even the Wrangler (essentially), same ability, better reliability. If it doesn't change to address the Toyota Cruiser, it'll be like the Detroit 3 when the Corolla debuted.

No brand can rest on its laurels. If Jeep builds off-roaders but another company comes out and builds them better at the same price, Jeep will die. Plain and simple. No domestic brand is going to get a pass just because it fulfills a niche. The Jeep Patriot is Jeep's fuel-efficient off-roader and it's the only one Jeep has. It is a legitimate off-roader and is BETTER AT THIS than the RAV-4, Escape, and CR-V it competes against. It accomplishes its mission in doing this. Thus, it must exist.

(Also: Wow, aprime, I just noticed your comment. We actually agree on something re: the Patriot. Holy crap, after our last discussions on Ford I thought that wouldn't be possible :D]]>Apr 20th 2008 9:56PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
The Patriot sucks all around.]]>Apr 20th 2008 10:11PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
Yes, but this is just like every Jeep currently made, if not every Chrysler product currently made. Singling out the Patriot because its interior sucks whenever every car Chrysler makes has the same crap is silly. Exterior looks like every other Jeep too, same as Liberty except for the headlights, same as Commander. The engine, however is fuel efficient, and it can propel a 3500-pound 4wd car with 21 mpg overall fuel economy. As for the handling, it's a friggin' SUV, dude. Of course the handling sucks, you're driving a 3500 pound box on wheels.
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Jeep advertises it's vehicles to be off-road oriented....to be looking for something fuel efficient, and then bash Jeep for not being a refined bubble shaped soccermom-mobile is quite unrealistic. To people who want off-road vehicles, Jeep's lineup is rather nice :)

The new FJ cruiser is a complete joke....especially when you're talking about offroad capability when comparing against the Wrangler and older FJ40s, Jeep has nothing to worry about when talking about the new FJ cruiser.]]>Apr 21st 2008 12:56AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/20/chrysler-cutting-lineup-wont-sell-twins-anymore/
All right, I don't know all that much about off-roading. My point was that the Toyota is simply more reliable.

As for the "refined bubble-shaped soccer-mom mobile" argument, my point is that the Patriot is exactly what those aren't, but it gets equivalent fuel efficiency. I wouldn't buy a CR-V or RAV-4 because they're ugly. I'd buy a Patriot. And there are very few modern cars I like and would want to drive.

I dislike all midsize and large SUVs, midsize and large cars, large pickups, and small cars on the market. There are five cars I'd want right now: Ford Mustang (and only if it gets 21 mpg with an automatic), Chevy Camaro (same), Chevy Colorado (same), Ford Ranger (same), and Jeep Patriot. I hate the rest. They are exactly what I don't want and never wanted. The Japanese cars are boring and ugly (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota anything, Honda anything), most American and foreign makes are the same. Give me anything other than those five and I'd hate it. I know, I've been reading car magazines for the past year, every car I see, and I hate them all. They're all either gas guzzlers or boringly styled.

So I take offense whenever somebody says that these cars aren't meant to be fuel efficient or shouldn't exist. l know the Patriot isn't the best, but I was amazed that Jeep had actually built something I liked. Something that didn't look like a girl's car and didn't get 15 mpg. I can live with downmarket interior and crap everywhere if it's reliable, but it would depress me if they got rid of the Patriot. It's the only car that currently exists that I can look at and say "I'd like that car."

I think when I get my next car I'm gonna be depressed no matter what I get, because I'm going to either hate looking at it or hate filling it up with gas.]]>Apr 21st 2008 2:22AM