[King T]

[Chrysler]



Chrysler To Go Mainstream, Launch New Compact And Plug-In Hybrids

Out of the announcements made during yesterday’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles five-year strategy presentation, probably the most significant were those affecting Chrysler. With Dodge to be the performance brand of the American arm of FCA, Chrysler will serve the mainstream audience and compete with the likes of Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota—worldwide. If all goes to plan, Chrysler sales will reach 800,000 units by 2018 (a level reached in 2005), up from 350,000 last year.

Core attributes of Chrysler going forward will be substance and style, innovation and craftsmanship, value, and production in North America. Importantly, Chrysler will be the only FCA brand to offer a minivan, and it will also be the first to offer plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Below is a rough outline for Chrysler’s future over the five-year period starting 2014:

2014: 200 sedan launched and will be joined by a facelifted 300.

2015: No major introductions.

By 2016 we can expect an all-new Chrysler Town & Country minivan, including a plug-in electric hybrid variant that will return a claimed 75 mpg. That would make Chrysler the first to offer a hybrid powertrain in a minivan, assuming another automaker doesn’t beat it to the punch. Also arriving in 2016 will be a Chrysler 100 sedan, which will slot below the midsize 2015 200, paving Chrysler’s entrance into the C-segment. Expect a refreshed Chrysler 200 to arrive in 2017.

Also slated for 2017 will be a new full-sized crossover. No word if it’ll mark the return of the Aspen nameplate, though it should ride on the same platform as the Dodge Durango and the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer that’s scheduled to hit dealerships in 2018.

For 2018, Chrysler’s product portfolio will grow again with the addition of a midsize crossover, so look for details on that model to start trickling in soon. Chrysler will launch an all-new 300 sedan in 2018, which makes sense considering the current model arrived in showrooms in 2011. Chrysler sold 350,000 vehicles globally last year so we're eager to see if its preliminary five-year plan will be enough to help it reach 800,000 sales by 2018.

Source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles