Autoblog

Yep, that's Jeremy Clarkson talking up the Chrysler Sebring convertible in his column for The Sunday Times today. What, you expected anything less than a wholesale evisceration? Clarkson weighing in on the astoundlingly sub-par Sebring is pretty much the motor-journalistic equivalent of using a Stinger missile to take out your kid's SpongeBob birthday piñata. It didn't stand a chance.

The laughs come early and often as the Chrysler gets mercilessly worked over like one of Mike Tyson's sparring partners in the '80s, but be forewarned: by the time Jezza puts down his pen, America's Number One Fan has managed to work in AIG, Lehman Brothers and the Iraq war as he slips in his obligatory jabs at the country, which the Chrysler becomes symbolic of.

The way Clarkson sees it, quality sucks in the Sebring and other American cars because we Americans have no sense of history and are thus incapable of planning for the future (by making something built to last). Whatever -- he's entitled to his opinion. Speaking for myself, I can deal with the crappy Sebring in the grand scheme of things; that's a miniscule tradeoff for having something to celebrate on July 4th. Besides, it's not all tea and cookies in the former motherland, anyway...


[Source: TimesOnline | Tip: Kris]

Lending further credence to earlier rumors of platform sharing between Chrysler and Nissan, The Wall Street Journal reports that Chrysler is in talks to base its next mid-size sedan on the next-gen Altima platform. Chrysler's "Project D" focuses on finding or designing a suitable replacement for the current Sebring and Dodge Avenger, models which have fallen on their faces with consumers. Other rumors point to Fiat being the chosen platform-supplier. After all is said and done, Chrysler could have a line-up which consists of a small car from Chinese automaker Chery, another small car from Nissan, a mid-size sedan from Nissan and a line of full-size sedans, pickups and SUVs of its own design. While Chrysler's main goal is to become profitable once again, there is certainly some danger in becoming a re-brander of cars from other companies, especially in the hotly-contested mid-size sedan market.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Click above for more shots of the Volga Siber

Featuring a slightly revised front and rear fascia on a previous-generation Chrysler Sebring chassis, GAZ has resuscitated the Volga brand name with the Siber sedan. In the words of Sergey Zanozin, Chairman of the GAZ Group, "The GAZ Group has started to produce a new line of cars under the Volga brand on platforms from the world's leading manufacturers. The new production complex has the flexible capacity needed to bring new models into production at minimal cost and investment in the future." Well, alrighty then. While the old Sebring platform might not exactly set the world on fire, it is definitely a step in the right direction for Russian roads, with a slightly lifted ride height and beefed-up suspension components to handle the stresses of Siberian winters. The Siber uses a either a 2.0-liter Chrysler engine with 141 horsepower or a 2.4-liter churning out 143 hp. Standard features include air conditioning, dual airbags, ABS and traction control. All in all, it's not that bad.


[Source: GAZ]

Gas prices are up, which has led to increased interest in midsizers, more specifically, the midsize offerings from Chrysler's competition. The Sebring has taken a 30 percent sales whack this year, mostly due to reduced fleet sales. The Avenger's year has been a little brighter, posting a two-percent gain. Contrast that with everyone else; Malibu, Fusion, and Accord are up ten percent or more this year; and therein lies Chrysler's problem. Ditching Chrysler's outmoded V6 for the four-cylinder powertrain will deliver more competitive fuel economy, if you can stand the NVH increase.

Top heavy with trucks and taking fire over the Avenger and Sebring's interior quality and efficiency, Chrysler's seriously looking at re-jiggering the sedan twins, killing the top R/T and Limited trim levels and sliding some of the good stuff down to the SXT and Touring trim levels. The 3.5-liter V6 will be left out as standard equipment, though, as it doesn't post great fuel economy. The goodies that normally accompany the six, like heated leather power seats, dual exhausts, and 18 inch wheels, will end up as standard gear on the Sebring Touring and Avenger SXT. The prices of those models get bumped - 9.9 percent for the Dodge, now starting at $21,750, and 3.4 percent for the Sebring, offered for $21,670. What's up with the Avenger costing more than the Sebring? We don't know. The Journey is also being considered for this initiative, rumored to be called the "Fight Back" plan, and suppliers had until yesterday to give Chrysler a yes or no on feasibility.

[Source: Detroit News]

The Chrysler Sebring has been a major league disappointment since its introduction in 2007, but execs at Chrysler headquarters have promised that a new, better midsize sedan is on the way. The photo to the right is not that magical new Chrysler, but is what appears to be a warmed-over version of the Sebring we already have. The most obvious change arrives at the hood, where the Sebring's ungainly washboard ribbing is replaced by a smooth surface. There is significant camouflage covering the front bumper and lower fascia, but due to some un-kept grass, we can't see any details. The Chrysler experts over at Allpar say that the updates will mainly improve aerodynamics and reduce wind noise, which will also help improve fuel economy.

Chrysler also plans to simplify manufacturing by making many former options standard equipment, adding the Premium and Luxury group as standard on the Limited model. The Touring model a eight-way power driver seat, chrome and leather shift knob, and traction and stability control. What we don't know is whether Chrysler has updated the Sebring's interior, but the automaker has insisted that it was racing to update it quickly. The good news for interior designers is that the Sebring redo can only get better.

[Source: Allpar]

Amidst all the wheeling and dealing going on at Chrysler LLC., the automaker still has a lineup of current cars that needs attending to. The Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger duo have been underperforming in the marketplace since they were introduced in 2006, and in an interview with The Detroit Free Press, Chrysler's executive vice pres Frank Klegon reveals exactly what's going to happen to this company's midsize sedans in the future. Chrysler is readying a mid-cycle fix for the Sebring/Avenger that will include improvements that Klegon calls "cosmetic" and some "more functional things". Hopefully the quality of the interior materials is addressed, as well as the engine lineup of these vehicles featuring a four- and six-cylinder that don't match up well with the competition in terms of power or fuel economy.

But Chrysler is also looking beyond the five-year life cycle of the current cars to what comes next. It has formed a special task force dubbed Project D, which has begun work on the next Chrysler D segment platform that will likely spawn sedans, hatchbacks and CUVs and be sold the world over. We have no details yet on the car, which should first arrive around 2011/12 in the form of replacement for the Sebring and Avenger. And as far as we know, Chrysler is not testing on chimpanzees.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just wrapped up its latest battery of batterings and most of the tested contenders in the mid-size segment faired well. The Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, along with the Infiniti G35, Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu, Saturn Aura, Mitsubishi Galant and Kia Optima all received a grade of "Good" for front and side impacts, with the exception of the Optima, which ranked "Acceptable" during the side impact evaluation. However, problems arose in the rear crash test, where the G35, Altima, Malibu, and Aura were all rated as "Marginal," while the Avenger/Sebring received an "Average" score and the Optima walked away with a gold star and a "Good" rating. The only vehicle that received a "Poor" rating on any of the tests was the Mitsubishi Galant, which didn't hold up as well during the rear-impact test.

All the details from the IIHS are available in the press release after the jump.

Anyone who's rolling in a 2007-2008 Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Avenger, take note. Chryslerberus is recalling all 181,000 of those vehicles sold during that time to fix an electrical defect that affects unused connectors on the tire pressure monitoring system. Apparently, corrosion can cause a short, and owners could experience their vehicles failing to start, stalling once underway, or some other affectations of the electrical components, including the cruise control. Formal notices are going to be sent out later this month, and dealers have been instructed to locate the problem and seal the affected circuits. Check your mailboxes, folks.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Twenty-four year Chrysler employee Mike Donoughe has left the company after two months in his new post. Named to head Project D in January of this year, the program is creating new mid-sized cars that would replace the Sebring and Avenger and have actually have a chance against the Camcordimabu.

Chrysler says that there was no conflict, but other outlets have reported that Donoughe clashed with CEO Bob Nardelli and so-called Acting Chief Innovation Officer Peter Arnell. Arnell is an outside marketing consultant who also worked with Nardelli at Home Depot, and apparently came up with the Celine Dion/Pacifica campaign (does anyone remember that?). Project D is tasked with developing Chrysler's next-gen midsize cars and also investigating ways for the automaker to be more competitive. (Not allowing demonstrably inferior product like the current Sebring and Avenger to ever see the light of day would be a great starting point.)

We know Chrysler has the talent to get this right, it's only a matter of how much upheaval it will take to do so. And since the new Sebring and Avenger aren't due until 2010 or 2011, whatever Chrysler comes up with better be awfully good, since most people's experience with them will be via the rental fleet gulag. Mark Chernoby has replaced Donoughe as vice president and chief engineer for Chrysler's future mid-size product team.

[Source: Wall Street Journal via Autoweek]

click above for more images of the 2008 Dodge Viper

Cerberus has had a chance now to fully inspect Chrysler LLC's offerings, and the private equity firm wants to make fast changes. The equity firm owners recognize that a complete overhaul of the relatively new Sebring with its cheap interior and eye-sore looks needs to happen immediately. Unfortunately, some of the cash necessary to fix the Sebring may come at the expense of the Dodge Viper. Inside Line reports that Cerberus is prepared to make an instantaneous decision regarding the future of the Viper, both because of a cash crunch and because the $85,000 snake may be losing its bite anyway with the passing of a new national energy bill and higher CAFE standards around the corner. It's hard for us to imagine Dodge and parent company Chrysler LLC losing its halo car like this. We're no auto execs, but the Viper does nothing but make money and fans for Chrysler, and since it's new for 2008, another redo isn't required for at least a four-year life-cycle or so. In other words, we don't like the idea, and likely very few of you do either. Thanks for the tip, Gustavo!

[Source: Inside Line]