Automotive News’ Larry Vellequette recently noted a number of changes to Chrysler’s product plans, as told by CEO Sergio Marchionne in a speech last week and in an interview with Automobile magazine.
The plan for 2014 is to drop the Jeep Compass and replace the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with a crossover; the Dodge Caravan will be the company’s only minivan. While retail sales of the Town & Country are higher than those of Caravan, that might be a factor of the price points; the best selling minivans are in the Town & Country’s price range. Moving to a single minivan was part of the 2009 product plan.
The company might still field a vehicle under the Town & Country name, but it would be a crossover, rumored to be similar to the now-dead Mercedes R Class; some believed it would more closely resemble the Chrysler Pacifica, which was reportedly abandoned to allow contract manufacturing of the Volkswagen Routan.
In August 2014, according to Marchionne, the Compass will be replaced by an unspecified vehicle; he did not mention Patriot’s future after that point. Word from the plant had been that the Patriot would be dropped earlier. The same plant makes the Dodge Dart. Given the similarity of the forthcoming Jeep Liberty/Cherokee replacement, the company might not be doing another Compass/Patriot sized Jeep, but replacing them with a Dart hatchback or wagon, and a coupe. These would, in the context of Belvidereproduction, be replacements for Compass and Patriot.
A Dodge Dart-based SRT4 is definitely under way, with power (and possibly engine choice) still undecided, which implies that production is a good ways off.
Hybrid and CNG vehicles are planned for sale “by 2017,” in addition to the CNG-powered 2013 Ram for fleets. An electric Fiat 500 is planned for sale later this year, sold at a loss, to comply with some states’ requirements and provide experience in engineering electric cars. Ford is reportedly content to use Magna as an electric-car contractor.
