Motor Trend is reporting that Chrysler is considering a few different options now for its 2012 midsize offerings. The first option is to stick with Project D, which is gobbling up engineering and design resources. Option two is to use either Fiat's premium midsize platform or the Nissan Altima platform, and design and engineer the rest of the vehicle from scratch. Chrysler can also decide to badge-engineer one of the vehicles, which would be a far cry from the original plan to have many vehicles spawned off one platform.Since Fiat currently doesn't have any infrastructure in the U.S. and Nissan already has ties with Chrysler (Dodge will be building the next Nissan Titan and Nissan will be building the Hornet out of Versa parts), the Japanese automaker makes more sense.
[Source: Motor Trend]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
azzo45 @ Jul 31st 2008 2:06PM
It will be a Nissan... the contents of Chrysler's Pacifica Design studio was sent to a building in Warren MI.
Chrysler & Nissan teams are working on a small car project
Jim @ Jul 31st 2008 2:59PM
"It will be a Nissan... the contents of Chrysler's Pacifica Design studio was sent to a building in Warren MI.
Chrysler & Nissan teams are working on a small car project"
What does this have to do with anything? Pacifica was a *Design* (i.e. styling) studio. Nothing to do with engineering.
azzo45 @ Jul 31st 2008 8:49PM
Jim: Designers at Pacifica had engineers as part of their staff. Pacifica was more than stylist & clay modelers...
Kumail @ Jul 31st 2008 2:07PM
yeah! the sebring wont be fugly anymore! or they might screw up their entire brand by fugly-fying the 300! still dont want a chrysler! yeah!
Torrent @ Aug 3rd 2008 5:21PM
I don't care if they get a Sentra and stick a Sebring badge on it. At least it'll be moderately appealing. I mean the Sentra's quality is better than the Aspen's. Really.
MemphisNET @ Jul 31st 2008 2:07PM
Although I'd prefer something home-brewed, a Dodge/Chrysler Altima would be pretty sweet so long as they can nail down the styling and not simply put a badge and different headlamps on it.
It goes without saying, Chrysler LLC cannot half-ass its next midsizer
Jim @ Jul 31st 2008 2:56PM
"Although I'd prefer something home-brewed, a Dodge/Chrysler Altima would be pretty sweet so long as they can nail down the styling and not simply put a badge and different headlamps on it."
Of course, if they nailed down the styling on the current JS platform, it'd be just as good.
"It goes without saying, Chrysler LLC cannot half-ass its next midsizer"
true; but discarding JS is precisely the wrong way to go about that. The Avenger and Sebring are so miserable in large part because DCX threw away a competent platform (JA/JR) for no good reason.
Throwing away more money by moving to *yet another* platform seems totally wrong-headed.
azzo45 @ Jul 31st 2008 10:16PM
Jim: The JA/JR was an aging platform. This platform was a dealers dream... they were always fixing SOMETHING doing warranty work on too many items.
(1) All the manufacturers want that Five*****Star Crash rating to put in their advertising. The JA/JR wasn't going to get that for them.
(2) Chrysler decided to move away from the "cab forward" design (styling) architecture. The current Avenger /Sebring's exterior styling looks like a$$... but the platform is improved over the JA/ JR.
(3) The Nissan Altima was MUCH better build & overall package then ANY of the mid size Chryslers. On numerous outing I drove the different gens of Chrysler mid size entries & its domestic & import competitors back to back.
The JA/ JR platform & the "cab Forward" looked great... sadly the car was an engineering / Product Planning disappointment.
More proof? SRT did everything but a Stratus/ Avenger. Ever wonder why even Chrysler blew off an SRT6 for this platform? They dumbed down this segment for fleet sales & people looking for basic, cheap transportation.
IMO, Nissan has made much better midsize cars & Chrysler will gamble on their package over their own.
Vintage @ Jul 31st 2008 2:16PM
Option N: BRING BACK THE FREAKIN NEON. Make it a bit safer, and put an interior in it that isn't complete garbage. 130hp basemodel, 150hp midmodel, SRT4 engine top of the line model. Offer 4 doors first, then make coupes. Keep the weight and options down.
WIN!
azzo45 @ Jul 31st 2008 2:32PM
You keep saying that... (1) the neon had quality issues & sales were dropping off big time.
(2) "Making it safer..." & "updating the interior" TAKES $$$
Money that Chrysler would have to pull away from a totally NEW small car to "update" the neon.
Its like plugging a leaky dam with a few packs of bubble gum. The SRT-4 was doing alright... but its strength wasn't fuel economy... it was the performance.
Brent @ Jul 31st 2008 4:54PM
Bring back the Neon and offer nothing for an Avenger replacement?
Vintage @ Jul 31st 2008 6:41PM
The avenger has always been underpowered, undersprung, and lame. It had a nice looking exterior back in the day, but it sucked overall.
Judy Zik @ Jul 31st 2008 10:13PM
Yes that's what we need. A 15 year old platform that wasn't in any way competitive when it was pulled. It didn't handle as well as the other cars in it's class. It was noisy and had quality issues and was a safety nightmare. That will really stand up in 2009 or 2010 against the new Euro Focus and GM's new small car. NOT.
Chrysler needs new vehicles that are actually competitive in their class. Not more cheaply made poor quality cars that they have to offer steep discounts to move.
Vintage @ Aug 1st 2008 9:25AM
The fact you call a neon ill handling just shows how ignorant you are, as the neon was one of the best FWD cars ever built. It could hold its own against a miata in the autocross. Quit being stupid.
ML @ Jul 31st 2008 2:16PM
Not a bad idea. I'd actually consider a Chrysler product if it were a Nissan, and maybe - with Nissan's influence - Chrysler might even stay afloat for a few more years.
SteveRB @ Jul 31st 2008 2:29PM
I'd buy a Hyundai car if it was a Porsche product.
another_one @ Jul 31st 2008 4:21PM
Would you buy a tatra if it were a Jaguar?
ML @ Jul 31st 2008 4:43PM
another_one, Would you?
Cire @ Jul 31st 2008 2:18PM
My vote would be for a Dodge Intrepid FWD midsize sedan and coupe on the Nissan Altima's D platform (with completely distinct Dodge exterior/interior styling) and a Chrysler Concorde RWD midsize sedan and coupe-cabrio on the Challenger's RWD LC platform or Nissan's FM platform. This would provide a more mainstream midsize entry for Dodge and a more premium midsize entry for Chrysler.
steven @ Jul 31st 2008 2:32PM
Challenger is on the same platform as the 300 not the Sebring!