After divorcing Daimler, going steady with Fiat and cutting off Nissan, Chrysler looking for Chinese partner?
2006 Dodge Hornet concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Over the past couple of years, Chrysler has been in discussion with seemingly every carmaker in the world about some sort of tie-up to achieve some particular end. Before it was battling for its very survival, it was in serious talks with Chinese automaker Chery about building a car or two, including a vehicle based on the 2006 Hornet concept car (pictured) and the A1. Fast forward to today, when everything has fallen away – including its collaboration with Nissan – and now news agency Reuters says that Chrysler and Fiat are headed back to the People's Republic.
Neither company has any noteworthy presence in China, a situation that both companies are desperate to change. According to Reuters, they want to find a Chinese maker to build something on Chrysler's C Platform, which underpins the Jeep Compass and Patriot, and Dodge Caliber.
Chrysler currently exports ten of its models to to China. Fiat has a partnership with Chinese car company Guangzhou – which, in turn, is also allied with Honda and Toyota – to build a factory where Guangzhou will build cars on Fiat platforms. Guangzhou is a company that Chrysler has already approached, and the easiest route appears to be to simply expand the partnership via Fiat. No matter how it gets done, just give us a Hornet that looks like a Hornet... and not an A1.
Gallery: Dodge Hornet Concept
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[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Todd 6:03PM (8/27/2009)
Chrysler's a slut.
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zypr3xa 6:08PM (8/27/2009)
Yeah they are the slut but I will be its bitch for a Hornet......
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MikLawry 10:26PM (8/27/2009)
Amen to that brother. That makes two of us! I love this car.
Farmboy 6:09PM (8/27/2009)
I don't think the public eye would approve of a Chinese partner very well.
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Will 8:00PM (8/27/2009)
By law, you have to have a Chinese partner to build/sell cars in China. Every major auto maker has a partner or three over there.
Farmboy 8:43PM (8/27/2009)
But such a public announcement, along with the negatively working "divorcing Daimler" and "cutting off Nissan" just doesn't help the idea of a Chinese partner. Saying you work with Chinese companies is negatively viewed now with lead paint and lose of American jobs, so to speak.
thomas 11:58PM (8/27/2009)
i guess....
but as was stated earlier, everyone else already does.
you think Buick is sticking around because of all Lucernes they've been selling stateside??
its not. its because GM has a couple Chinese partners and Buicks are super popular there.
believe me. a Chinese partner is a problem Chrysler wishes it had.
johndeflumerijr 6:13PM (8/27/2009)
Anything can and will happen in the car business. It would be nice if Chrysler merges with a Chinese car company, and we get 45 mpg cars in America
John DeFlumeri Jr Clearwater, Fla.
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Epsilon-Not 6:21PM (8/27/2009)
A Chinese-American-Italian automaker? Now things are really getting complicated...
Farmboy 6:34PM (8/27/2009)
It's like being Scotch-Korean!
Aznauto 6:28PM (8/27/2009)
Only way Chrysler can survive is if they scrap their current lineup completely and replace it with Fiat and Chinese made cars (SAIC, FAW and Dongfeng).
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Mr.Oak 8:22AM (8/28/2009)
Absurdly stupid observation. Getting rid of current lineup, somewhat true. Success through selling "ONLY" Fiats in America? extremely ignorant statement.
FIAT (proper) doesn't currently have a single car designed for the American market. History has shown that european car companies (FIAT, Peugeot, Alpha Romeo, MGB, Triumph, Rover) to name a few, have failed miserably , when they pick up their european market offerings, and shipped them over here.
On Chinese made cars, it is quite a leap for a Chinese market car to reach US Federal standards. Part of the reason that Chinese market Buicks are not commonly sold in the US. Chinese safety standards are chronologically approx. circa 1970s NHSTA standards.
AZZO45b 6:38PM (8/27/2009)
..... they want to find a Chinese maker to build something on Chrysler's C Platform, which underpins the Jeep Compass and Patriot, and Dodge Caliber.
Hey Americans hated it... why not give the Chinese a shot to drive sub-par crap ?? Wonder if the "new" Caliber & CompA$$ will be packed with rebates & deep discounts???
These vehicles were poorly styled & even more poorly engineered... WHY would anyone want to go into a brand NEW market with proven junk? Sad.
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katatonics 6:48PM (8/27/2009)
The Hornet concept car is the epitome of everything Chrysler has done wrong. It is a great looking, relevant small car...and it's just a concept. That may be given to China.
And for those saying Chinese anything will face bad press in the U.S., I call bullocks. The U.S. is quite taken with Korean built automobiles now, so why not Chinese.
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futurama 7:09PM (8/27/2009)
Chinese cars coming to US in one form or another is quite inevitable. They will be here.
However, it took Koreans nearly 20 years to really put a name for themselves. Chinese car in already saturated and ultra competitive market... they will have a hard time for market acceptance and will take some time, unless they bring a game changer here. (Remember Excel? It was 'Almost' a game changer in a form of Cheap Car)
airchompers 7:11PM (8/27/2009)
I suppose this sample is indicative of the writing on your blog? Good luck! You'll need it if you want to communicate complex ideas.
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Bus Rand 7:19PM (8/27/2009)
All of this gives me a headache in a depressed and confusing sort of way. What has happened to the American auto industry is not unique among American business. Beware of the glorified beancounter with the golden resume. The one who knows how to play the stock market shell game to bring in investors, but can't distinguish their arse from a hole in the ground, let alone know anything about the actual customer.
What happened to the American car company? For the past 20+ yrs. it's been run for the most part by folks who are not car guys and know absolutely nothing about cars (or the American culture as it pertains to American cars). This can't all be blamed on unions, although these same people are also responsible for allowing that insane debacle as well.
The invasion of the imports was inevitable and trying to be like them rather than accepting it and continuing with their own indentity was a huge mistake. AMC tried to do the same thing with Harley Davidson and if the company hadn't been bought back and returned to it's roots, I doubt they would be half as successful as they have been since (let alone still around).
As far as Chrysler is concerned, what car has generated more excitement than they have seen in years? The Challenger......and I wonder why that is? With the success of the Mustang I wonder why it took them so long? Convincing the almighty beancounter to approve the project no doubt. Can you imagine the success of a retro '68 Charger? Why put the badge on a 4 door car?
The Prowler could have been a huge success that was doomed to failure by the powers that be who knew nothing about the hot rod culture. It should have had a V8, it should've had all three V8s available, there should've been a plethora of options and a much stronger involvment with Moperformance, it should have been made so the price tag could be as low as possible using existing parts (i.e. dakota drivetrain, etc.), make it easy to work on. All of this was a no brainer if you have the slightest knowledge of the history of the hot rod culture. I was told it didn't have a V8 because the frame wasn't wide enough. SO MAKE IT WIDER!!!!!!! It would've looked better anyway!!!!.......pathetic.
Look at how long it took Chevrolet to bring back the Camaro after the success of the Mustang. Do you know how times the beancounters that be tried to kill the Corvette? The beancounter might say, "we don't sell many of these cars and they're expensive to build." What they forget (or incapable of grasping) is that it's these cars that get the customer interested in American automobiles into the showroom.
In 1968-69-70, Plymouth dealerships always had a Hemi Road Runner GTX sitting in the showroom. The average Joe came in to drool and dream until reality sank in. Between the actual cost and the outrageous insurance rates, it was quickly realized the car was beyond his reach. Then the salesman would show him one with the 383 magnum, same four speed and an 8 3/4 rear end instead of the dana 60 (damn near as good), a bench instead of bucket seats, etc., etc.. Now he was looking at a car that was half the price, affordably insurable and still a heck of a lot of fun to drive! No, they didn't sell a lot of Hemi Roadrunners but they sure sold a hell of a lot of the car mentioned above, the source of the army of Roadrunner clones you see today. Remember, Joe didn't come in to see the budget muscle car. This scenario was repeated over and over with all the big 3.
In the old days, you were hired in at a company, you worked your way up from the bottom and if you made it to the upper ranks, there was nothing you didn't know about the company or it's customers. Maybe this is overly simplistic for today's environment but I think the fact that it's been all but abandoned in most major corporations is why we're in the boat we're in.
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fmwso 10:19PM (8/27/2009)
Excellent post, Bus Rand, I second everything you said. A little long but I took enough time to read it lol. As I said before, "they don't make cars with heart anymore."
BoxerFanatic 11:47PM (8/27/2009)
Agreed.
Henry Ford's prophetic quotes have unfortunately come true.
"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business."
"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one."
I wish we had more of this, though...
"The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time. "
xtasi 7:25PM (8/27/2009)
a Hornet based off the Versa would be nice. It could battle all he "box on wheels" cars that are now the latest rage. Chrysler has some of the best concepts around. Though their execution usually sucks. (except for Prowler and Viper... I did like the way the prowler looked... engine was not so nice, but it looked pretty cool).
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