Chrysler town and country

By Doron Levin, Bloomberg News Don’t be fooled by the auto industry’s obsession with cars powered by hydrogen, batteries, ethanol, sunlight or heaven knows what alternative fuel. Detroit car designers never stop dreaming of new muscle cars to sell to baby boomers. For boomers, the smell of gasoline fumes and screeching rubber will always rekindle the joys of youth. For them, Chrysler’s new Dodge Challenger, which reaches dealers this spring, might well be the next nostalgia toy they can’t resist.

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The No. 3 American automaker has long stamped out similar models bearing its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep nameplates. Although Chrysler didn’t say which models would drive off into the sunset, the list of copycat vehicles includes the popular Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans. The redundancy was largely to keep its dealers happy, ensuring that both Dodge and Chrysler dealers, for example, had minivans on their lots.

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The stick is that “if a dealer doesn’t have all three brands, he won’t have a full-product portfolio,” Press said at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in San Francisco. For decades, Chrysler has offered the same model at Chrysler and Dodge, often with only minor styling and interior differences. Dodge now sells the Nitro, a version of the Jeep Liberty, and the Jeep Compass and Patriot are versions of the Dodge Caliber.

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Chrysler dealers in San Luis Obispo County said President Jim Press comments did not set off any alarm bells. Scott Reneau, an owner of Reneau Chrysler Dodge in Paso Robles, attended the automotive roundtable in San Francisco on Thursday. He called the automaker s plan to eliminate competing vehicles a proactive approach to making the company more efficient.

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Dodge Caravan for example, would spur dealer consolidation, Press said. “We do know that if all three brands are not under one roof, the dealer will not have the opportunity to sell the full array of products and profit from it,” Press said. Press said the process could take three to five years and would be much harder for dealers if the consolidation doesn’t occur before the products begin to go away. The new product portfolio could roll out over four to six years.

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Reuters Published:”Friday, February 08, 2008 CHICAGO/DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC plans to shrink its dealer network and cut some vehicles that compete with its each other for customers to become a smaller, profitable company, an executive said on Friday. The dealer consolidation is part of a plan to sell all three of its brands under one roof.

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US: Chrysler foreign sales up again This article is locked. You need to be a Registered User of just-auto to view this article. Summary: Chrysler’s January sales outside North America rose increased 12% year on year to 16,784 units, making it the second-best January in Chrysler International history.

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over tools used to make parts for nearly all Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. Chrysler, which says it idled plants in four cities and 10,500 workers on Monday, canceled its contracts with the Dearborn, Mich.-based supplier on Friday and has sued the supplier for thousands of molds and dies used to make some 500 parts for its vehicles.

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Wednesday February 06 2008 CHRYSLER’S new Sebring saloon certainly makes a statement. With its dramatic bonnet streaks, it doesn’t lack design confidence against perceived key rivals such as the Honda Accord and Audi A4. It was unveiled here this week. There is a 2-litre petrol (156bhp, 5-speed manual gearbox) and a 2-litre diesel (140bhp, 6-speed manual) and both are priced the same — 35,595 ex-works. This is Chrysler’s first diesel in a segment which accounted for 30,000 sales last year.

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Full production at two Chrysler Canada assembly plants resumed yesterday after temporary settlement of a dispute with a U.S. parts supplier under court protection. The company had cut each shift by about four hours at the Brampton and Windsor plants. The U.S. parent cut four similar operations in the United States on Monday because of a halt in parts shipments from Plastech Engineered Products Inc.

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