Autoblog

Chrysler to resume leasing vehicles soon?

Chris Shunk — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Earnings/Financials

2009 Dodge Ram - Click above for high-res image gallery

In late July 2008, Chrysler announced that it would stop leasing vehicles effective August 1. The news helped exasperate the decline of Chrysler group vehicle sales while giving customers fewer options for getting into a new vehicle. After leasing was discontinued, Chrysler's market share dropped from 11.3% to 9.2%. The decline came in part because of Chrysler's very public bankruptcy proceedings and its lackluster product lineup, but there is little doubt that the end of vehicle leasing was also a major contributor to the automaker's precipitous decline.

In an effort to get back on the right track, Automotive News is reporting that dealer sources say leasing could return to the Pentastar as soon as September 18. Chrysler is reportedly waiting until after next Tuesday to make an announcement so it can look over residual value data from the Automotive Lease Guide before making a final decision. Chrysler, which uses GMAC as its finance arm, could follow General Motors' lead and offer leasing only on select vehicles. AN estimates that the Dodge Ram, Journey, Nitro and Grand Caravan, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler Town & Country could be among the vehicles ready for lease duty.

Gallery: 2009 Dodge Ram

[Source: Automotive News]

Chrysler to resume leasing vehicles soon? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodbye, Routan? VW minivan reportedly not long for this world

Noah Joseph — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:22:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Volkswagen Routan - Click above for high-res gallery

That the Volkswagen Routan has been a dismal failure is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the industry, but until now, few have taken stock of just how poorly the badge-engineered minivan was selling.

The idea was fairly straightforward, if a tad ill-conceived: take a Dodge Caravan, slap on a fresh face and a VW badge and give it an unpronounceable name. The minivan is built alongside its Chrysler and Dodge counterparts at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, plant... or at least it was until Wolfsburg asked Auburn Hills to stop production. Apparently, not a single Routan has rolled off the assembly line since last December, and there are no immediate plans to resume production.

Nor should they, necessarily: Of the 22,037 Routans produced between its introduction in September and the cessation of production just a few months later, only 5,582 (less than a quarter of those made) have actually been sold. With that much back-stock, Volkswagen Group of America has been offering some attractive incentives, and dealers are likely super-motivated to sell, but the Routan's retail price is still a couple grand higher than a Dodge Caravan's, part of which goes towards recouping Brooke Shields' paycheck for that ridiculous advertising campaign. And with no sign of the remaining Routans' value going anywhere but down, there's little motivation for VW (to ask Chrysler) to resume production, much less green-light its replacement.

If there's a bright spot here, it's that the Routan actually isn't a bad minivan, particularly now that good deals are available. It's been said that it is the best-driving Chrysler minivan (with the best interior of the bunch), and that's probably true - even if the name, marketing and idea that this is a proper VW has never managed to resonate with consumers.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Goodbye, Routan? VW minivan reportedly not long for this world originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Minivan/Van, SUV, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Earnings/Financials

Click above high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Now that General Motors and Ford have completely abandoned the minivan market for good, the American originator of the species faces only Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and soon Volkswagen as manufacturers that also offer competitive choices. Perhaps you'd think that Chrysler would be benefiting as the only domestic automaker currently playing in the segment, but it seems that sales are down this year by 13 percent for the Chrysler Town and Country while the Dodge Grand Caravan is down an alarming 35 percent. High gas prices are the obvious reason why the minivan market is seeing such a harsh downward trend, and likely the culprit behind Chrysler's impending move to idle its St. Louis South minivan plant as early as December, which would leave some 1,500 employees jobless.

Utility vehicles have been the biggest gas-price casualties, and slow sales are said to be forcing the Jefferson Avenue assembly plant in Detroit where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander are assembled and the Toledo, Ohio North assembly plant which builds the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro into extended shut-downs, as well.

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge

Chris Tutor — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Dodge

Chris Krug has what we think might be the most bad-ass late-90's Dodge Caravan in the world. Like us, he apparently thought the 150-hp V6 just wasn't enough and added some supplemental power via a 1,000-hp helicopter jet engine. But he left the original piston powerplant in place to retain its street-legal status.

It's not easy to describe the rapidity at which Krug's green Caravan explodes off the line and down the track. It's seriously disconcerting to watch almost two tons of toddler-hauling mediocrity running an 11.17-second quarter mile with flames shooting out the back hatch. The black and white soccer ball sticker on the liftgate only further cements the surreal feeling that this van is just not right.

The turbine is government surplus and the flames are courtesy of judicious use of fuel sprayed into the helicopter engine's exhaust. Though the pyrotechnics make for a good show, Krug says they provide no boost in acceleration. The whole thing only cost about $17,000 to build. Krug says his Vanzilla tops out at only 113 mph because he still needs to do some work on the rear axle ratio. If it were us, we'd see about getting some wider rubber on those back wheels, too.

After you've watched the video above several times, click through to the jump for even more footage of this unholy amalgam of military might and mom-approved mobility.

[Source: Hacked Gadgets via Gizmodo]

Continue reading VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge

VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Chris Shunk — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Minivan/Van, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge, First Drive

2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT - Click above for high-res image gallery

Chrysler has had a lot of ups and downs over the years, riding the wave of one or two hot products at a time in a fight for survival. Fads at the Pentastar have come and gone, but the Auburn Hills-based automaker has had one mainstay since 1983: the minivan. Sure the VW Microbus came first, but here in the States it was Chrysler that started the minivan craze. From the minute that first Caravan rolled off the assembly line in the Reagan-era, this family-friendly minivan has been Chrysler's most important vehicle. With Ford and GM bowing out of the minivan segment altogether in recent years, the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan becomes even more important for Chrysler, as it has the ability to scoop up sales from its domestic competition to counteract the segment shrinking as a whole.

Chrysler has fought hard to remain innovative in the minivan segment with firsts like twin sliding doors, seats that fold into the floor, and now Swivel 'N Go, which allows the second-row seats to swivel around 180 degrees to face the third row. One look at the Grand Caravan's long spec sheet shows that Chrysler also threw every technology on hand into this minivan, but we wanted to see if things like satellite TV and twin DVD Screens translated into a better minivan. Hit the jump to read about the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT's stay in the Autoblog Garage. We've produced a video tour of the Grand Caravan's many features, as well.

Gallery: Review: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Continue reading Review: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Review: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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