The current Chrysler 200 was the group CEO’s effort to try and keep the old Sebring (on which the 200 is based) on the showroom floor, before they gathered enough money and engineering momentum to be able to create a talented all-new replacement. It is set to be underpinned by the same CUSW platform that is found under the body panels of a Dodge Dart, or more recently the Jeep Cherokee crossover.
Bloomberg tells the story of Chrysler dealer David Kelleher, who was “struck with guilt when he stopped at a red light behind a Dodge Caliber,” one of the single worst efforts ever to try to create a viable alternative to the likes of the VW Golf. It failed on all accounts, and its poor sales figures stand testament to Chrysler’s failure.
I remember them even trying to sell it in Europe, advertising it as “anything but cute.” However, there is a word for that, and it is ugly, which the Caliber totally was, so at least they weren’t lying.
The old Sebring-based 200 is not best-in-class either, and despite getting an image boost after having been driven by Eminem in a 2011Super Bowl commercial, not even its latest facelift or a big rapper behind the wheel can save it from future anonymity – once this 200 is killed off, it will be easily forgotten.
Chrysler really needs to make its replacement, also expected to be called the 200, great, to be competitive with the likes of the new Ford Fusion or Toyota’s ever-popular Camry. There is hope, though, because the group has churned out some nice cars in the last year or so, and the know-how is there – they just need to tap into it properly, and not try to make the new 200 an exercise of excessive cost-cutting.
It would be nice if it looked like the Chrysler 200 Concept by Colin Bonathan, which is pictured above and below – it would rival the Fusion for road presence, if it looked like this, that’s for sure.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
