We’ve been critical of Chryslers over the years for their sheeny-shiny cabins, obviously plastic. But not here. The colors are Audi subtle, surfaces are gloss-free zones, and just when we thought we’d seen every grain pattern that man could hatch, Chrysler designers went abstract, forsaking imitation leather in favor of a simulated spatter effect. It really works. In fact, the quality of the interior materials easily tops the group.

It’s sad that DCX didn’t allow these cars to be built on the out-going w203 C-Class chassis and duplicate the success of the LX cars.

I can just hear the discussions– ” ACH! ZO? VAT? YOO VANT VAT? VE AH ZEE IMPOOOOTENT VUNS HIER!! AMERICANS VON’T NUELL ZEE DIFFERENCE!!”

A friend of mine got into an accident and ended up with a brand new dodge avenger, the 4 cylinder. It wasn’t really a bad car, not if you didn’t pay a lot for it, but it wasn’t really at all good at anything. I could think of one thing that would make it a hell of a lot better though, RWD. A rear-driver with a decent V6 and available stick shift would at least differentiate it in the market, especially with its mini-charger styling anyway.

Where *I* see the Sebring’s failures(as someone who urged his Mother to test one– only for her to buy the 2006 model that is heads-and-tails above what they’re building now) is here:

If you look at the w204 C-Class and the Sebring with eyes squinted– they’re the same automobile. It’d have made HUGE waves if Chrysler had been allowed to build the segment-topping new car and not Father Benz. Why would they allow that when it’d have hurt the ‘important’ part of the company?

They designed the car(all the cars, actually) to not compete with their MB counterparts, in any way.

Look at a pre-merge Chrysler sometime.

That loss, whatever it is, (assuming I am right) pays for untold amount of “free” marketing – both online and in the printed press.

I realize the Challenger is debuting next month, but the Challenger is more of Chrysler’s Camaro or Mustang, not it’s Corvette. I realize Corvette is a much higher volume seller, but Viper serves a similar purpose: Halo car that garners respect and graces magazine covers worldwide.

That being said, if they GIVE me a Viper, I will buy a Sebring.

Z06 Corvette
Ford GT
Viper

Now these are the type of management decisions that are killing the USA auto industry. One would believe that the big2.8 are being run by a bunch of teenage boys that have little to no business sense. For all the money Ford poured into the GT developement it is all but completely forgotten today. What was the the point? Was the GT made so Billy Ford could have a car actually made by his company that he would not be ashamed to drive?

The Viper was a good idea when Chysler first came to market with it. But today the Viper serves as the prime example of just how out of wack and upside-down Chysler is today. The car that Chysler will be lucky to sell a few hundred of keeps getting better while the products that Chysler needs to survive are the worst cars on the domestic market today. They are of poorer quality than the products they replace!

Very true. While the Supra and MR2 were great cars in their own way, real high market share was achieved by making ordinary cars for the masses better than anyone else. I predict the Supra and maybe even a hybrid sports car are in Toyota’s future once they completely own the market in the US.

Can someone explain why Toyota is still in racing when they don’t build a single model for the driving enthusiast?

Just replacing the cheap dashboard plastic in the Sebring (and Caliber whilyatit) with a better material would bring instant benefit with no retooling required! Could it really cost *that* much?

Is someone a Chrysler bigot if they would never consider a Chrysler?

In the mid 1990s Toyota decided to drop its sportscars because they were a major drain on R&D dollars yet were not very profitable.
Toyota could have did a GM and made a Super Supra that would have been a performance success but would have cost many of the necessary dollars that went into the R&D of the Prius.

Dropping the Viper would actually be a very smart move. The cost associated with this thing are waste for a company in danger of going under.

That comment (in a podcast) by AAA’s Jim MacPherson, is HERE.
Look for: “Car Review 1/6 – 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible”

The got a serious problem if their mid-size vehicles are not spinning enough cash, especially with the truck market all but dying.

When you are fighting for survival, this seems like a perfectly reasonable business decision. No matter how good the Viper is, it is not going to save the company.