Chrysler Product Revolution Turns On Itself
The leader Chrysler's "Project D" effort to develop a Camccord fighter has resigned after "clashes with senior management. The Wall Street Journal calls Mike Donoughe "a star engineer," and there's no doubt that the project he was heading was a top priority. The Sebring/Avenger combo is dead in the water for Chrysler, and Donoughe had some of the best product development credentials in the company, having headed truck and SUV development. So how does a 24-year Chrysler veteran in charge of a premier development project find himself on the outside of Auburn Hills looking in? The WSJ won't quote anyone, but over at Autoextremist there's a rumor On The Table that "Acting Chief Innovation Officer" Peter Arnell was behind the drama. As long as everyone has plenty of room to swing their egos around, maybe Chrysler could get back to building competitive vehicles?
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“It’s much better than the Yugo!” is hardly a resounding endorsement for a 2008 vehicle. True, but that's not what I said. I said the Yugo was a sh**box. That's all. Have you driven a Sebring or Avenger? Have you driven a Yugo? Or do you make proclamations based on what others have posted?
"Limmin is right, calling it [Sebring/Avenger] a sh**box is completely unfair. The Yugo was a sh**box. This is just an uncompetitive car in it’s class,..." I think that speaks for itself.
I can't imagine how anyone could defend these vehicles. I rented an Avenger when they first came out. (Actually, I didn't, but they didn't reserve the vehicle I wanted then tried to 'upsell' me on a 'larger, more comfortable vehicle' that also happened to be the only car in the lot. I said 'the Avenger? You better give me a discount'). Anyway, I expected it to suck, and still I was disappointed. Everything I asked it to do, everything I looked at, everything I touched, was disappointing and frustrating. Not one thing was up to 2007 standards for any segment, let alone an intended Camcord fighter. And it is horribly ugly to boot. I will say that the auto shifter was kinda nice. Not the shift action, not the movement of the lever, nothing else, just the actual shifter. That's all. I just remember trying to come up with something positive about the car and that was the best I could do. Then a guy with an identical car parked behind us on the ferry, but it wasn't a rental. I laughed at him silently for quite a while. P.S. I see almost none of the Sebring/Avenger in BC that aren't rentals.