Fiat Chrysler's Product Pipeline Drier Than California for 2016

by Aaron Cole

Updated: December 31st, 2020 Published: July 30th, 2015

fiat chrysler s product pipeline drier than california for 2016

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles may have only one new model built in North America over the next 18 months after executives pushed back development of others due to brisk sales of current models, Reuters is reporting.

The redesigned Chrysler Town and Country minivan may be the only new car built stateside that FCA plans to launch in the next 18 months, sources told Reuters. The company is planning to bring to the United States three Italian cars — the Fiat Spider, Maserati’s crossover and the Alfa Romeo Giulia — in the same timeframe.

This is the part where we would like to mention that a new Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler are seriously overdue.

The reason for the delay in U.S.-built cars also could be the application of the time-tested Georgia farmer theory: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Wrangler sales are booming this year, Grand Cherokee’s numbers don’t suck either and Jeep is doing pretty well with just the Renegade as its new product this year. According to the story, the Wrangler redesign is now slated for 2017 and the Grand Cherokee overhaul should arrive in 2019.

Earlier this year, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said he was hesitant to shut down the Toledo Wrangler factory for retooling when the company needed the plant to produce so many cars.

“If I shut it down for 60 days, I’d lose more money than I’d make in a year,” Marchionne said.

Comparatively, General Motors will launch six new North American vehicles in the next 18 months, according to the report.

#Chrysler #Fca #Fiat.Chrysler #GeneralMotors #GrandCherokee #Jeep #TownAndCountry #Wrangler

Aaron Cole

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20 of 46 comments

Clivesl on Jul 30, 2015

So, FCA is releasing 4 new models over the next 18 months in the US and GM is introducing 6 in the same time frame. They are entering two new segments where they don't play right now with the Giulia and the Spider. They are bringing a pure profit luxed out crossover in the Maserati. And they are bringing a brand new vehicle to the minivan market, which we know they can compete in. This equates to a product drought how exactly?

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- Derekson on Jul 30, 2015
  
  It's a product drought for the Chrysler side of the company, not the company overall. They've siphoned money away from Jeep/Ram/Dodge to pay for developing new Maserati and Alfa models. Meanwhile the actual engines of their market share growth are being left to rot on the vine.
  
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- Heavy handle on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @derekson That's hardly accurate, given that the JGC and Charger replacements will be derived from the same platforms as the new Maserati and Alfa. They will probably be better-off than if they had been based on US-only platforms (mostly because of higher combined budgets).
  
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- Moff90 on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @derekson Yeah, it's not like they introduced the Cherokee, Renegade, Ecodiesel GC and Ram, 8-speed, new 200, Hellcat twins and other stuff i may have forgotten.
  
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- MrGreenMan on Jul 30, 2015
  
  Everyone wants to know if/when they will abandon the Mercedes platform under the Charger/Challenger. I'm sure this is one of Chrysler's questions, too. What would they switch to? Make their own? It's definitely a "don't mess with success" moment, which makes the big car or the sport coupe for Dodge or the Chrysler barge a difficult proposition. The current one is good - 1990s platform who cares?
  
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- Bball40dtw on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @MrGreenMan Well it's not a Mercedes platform. The LX was developed to replace LH. Mercedes components were incorporated after development was well underway.
  
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- Kyree on Jul 31, 2015
  
  @MrGreenMan The next Charger, 300 and Challenger will use a version of the RWD architecture that currently underpins the Ghibli and Quattroporte.
  
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- Th009 on Jul 31, 2015
  
  @Kyree And the Ghibli/Quattroporte platform in turn was derived from the LX platform.
  
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Bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube on Jul 30, 2015

If you won't return the Magnum (which is stupid if you don't), bring back the Pacifica with RWD/AWD and offer a 3.6-L AWD Pentastar with 8-speed and a 392/ HELLCAT Pacifica.

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- Dal20402 on Jul 30, 2015
  
  BTSR: Trying to save FCA 100 sales at a time.
  
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- Matador on Jul 30, 2015
  
  But, the Buy Here Pay Here dealers filled all of their leftover spaces with the last Dodge Magnum. In two years, when the new ones have body damage, suspicious odors, and 4 mismatched Wang Chung brand tires, where do you expect them to put these?
  
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- Corey Lewis on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @matador LOL, Wang Chung. Those Magnums certainly did go downhill fast.
  
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- NoGoYo on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis But will Wang Chung tires help me have fun tonight?
  
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- Kyree on Jul 31, 2015
  
  @matador Not to mention all of those ex-fleet Dodge Journeys. What are they supposed to do with those? Seriously, save for the Grand Cherokee or some SRT model, I wouldn't dare buy a new mainstream Fiat Chrysler product. They sell too many vehicles to fleets and then dump them into the used market, lowering everyone's resale values. I swear, for every ten examples of the new Chrysler 200 I see, nine are active rental cars. Does anyone buy these things?
  
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- Matador on Jul 31, 2015
  
  @matador They were alright. I had a pair back in my dance hall days. I wouldn't buy a mainstream Dodge car today, either. Just like the Tauruses of 10 years ago, you know that in a few years, these will be a dime a dozen.
  
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Zip89123 on Jul 30, 2015

California wouldn't be dry if the 11,000,000 illegals went home.

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- Dan on Jul 30, 2015
  
  Au contraire. The dry back index would increase by over 9,000 basis points.
  
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- Inside Looking Out on Jul 30, 2015
  
  Their home is California which is presently is under US occupation.
  
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- Bd2 on Aug 02, 2015
  
  True - there wouldn't be anyone to work the agricultural fields so they would lay barren and not take so much of the Cali water supply.
  
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S2k Chris on Jul 30, 2015

"Retooling, that's a great excuse. Retooling, I'LL RETOOL YOU!" All I can think of when I see that word.

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