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With Jim Pressure now at the wheel of Chrysler's new product strategy, Nardelli can expect a dispassionate dispatch of the biggest losers in the lineup. And he'll have a lot to choose from. "Chrysler is absolutely choking with product that steps all over itself," says John Wolkonowicz, auto analyst with Global Insight in Boston. Nardelli and Press are still figuring out how to sort out that mess. One thing, though, seems certain: they want to clear the shelves of the stuff that isn't selling. They won't say what is going yet, but here are some models analysts say are headed for the end of the road:
Jumbo SUVs As gas prices began to soar a couple of years ago, Chrysler decided it was high time to add SUVs to their lineup. What were they thinking? First to go will be the Chrysler Aspen and Jeep Commander—seven-passenger, Hemi-loaded behemoths. They are the slow-selling siblings of the Dodge Durango, which itself could be threatened by a breathtaking 28 percent sales drop this year. The success of GM's new fuel-efficient, seven-passenger crossover utility vehicles—the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook—show that old-school guzzlers just aren't how we roll with our kids and cargo anymore.
Small SUVs Chrysler also introduced a dizzying array of small SUVs in the last few years. There's the Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Caliber and a four-door Jeep Wrangler. Only the Wrangler is selling well. So here's how analysts expect Cerberus to cull the herd: The Compass, a "girly Jeep," according to Peterson, bites the dust. The Nitro gives way to the similarly sized and priced Caliber, which sells better. The Patriot stays in the lineup, but perhaps at the expense of the older Jeep Liberty, which is also similarly sized, but pricier.
CONTINUED
Full Article LINK:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20743583/site/newsweek/
Jumbo SUVs As gas prices began to soar a couple of years ago, Chrysler decided it was high time to add SUVs to their lineup. What were they thinking? First to go will be the Chrysler Aspen and Jeep Commander—seven-passenger, Hemi-loaded behemoths. They are the slow-selling siblings of the Dodge Durango, which itself could be threatened by a breathtaking 28 percent sales drop this year. The success of GM's new fuel-efficient, seven-passenger crossover utility vehicles—the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook—show that old-school guzzlers just aren't how we roll with our kids and cargo anymore.
Small SUVs Chrysler also introduced a dizzying array of small SUVs in the last few years. There's the Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Caliber and a four-door Jeep Wrangler. Only the Wrangler is selling well. So here's how analysts expect Cerberus to cull the herd: The Compass, a "girly Jeep," according to Peterson, bites the dust. The Nitro gives way to the similarly sized and priced Caliber, which sells better. The Patriot stays in the lineup, but perhaps at the expense of the older Jeep Liberty, which is also similarly sized, but pricier.
CONTINUED
Full Article LINK:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20743583/site/newsweek/
