Posted by admin on January 30, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Welcome to “Let’s Talk Cars”
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In this edition, we talk with VehicleVoice contributor Jim Hossack about the current state of fuel pricing, the impact it is having on American drivers, and the results of a recent VehicleVoice survey on fuel. We will also talk with noted automobile expert Jim Hall on the state of affairs at Chrysler. Is Chrysler on the way back with innovative new cars, following on the success of the Chrysler 300 and the new Dodge Charger – or, is Chrysler a one-trick Pony?
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on January 17, 2006 at 8:11 am
Imperial Takes Style Cues from the Past
The Chrysler Group has a history of presenting stunning concepts, particularly at the North American International Auto Show. Some of these reach production, though the 2006 Imperial concept is still just a concept. The Imperial may have a weaker business case than the Dodge Challenger it was introduced next too, but with it Chrysler explores how far up the luxury chain they may be able to reach. Vehicle Voice and AutoPacific correspondents were on hand for the unveiling, complete with star of Desperate_Housewives Eva Longoria flubbing her line. Expected to say she was desperate to have one, she turned out to be not that desperate to have one. No matter, in the end, as the concept won best in show from a 100-person Detroit News readers’ panel.
The Imperial is envisioned as a flagship sedan, and looks to a lengthened version of the Chrysler 300 (LX) platform, though it has an additional seventeen inches between the axles and another six inches in height. This allows for the long, narrow proportions the company was looking for as well as the room to pamper rear-seat passengers. While the Dodge Charger borrowed inspiration from the Charger of old and the Dodge
Challenger concept was a modern replica of the 1970 Challenger, Imperial looked to the 1930s and 1950s sedans that also bore the name.
Frankly, the styling of the Imperial has been very controversial no matter what the Detroit News poll says. Pundits have been ripping it apart. One design chief we talked to wondered what has happened to Chrysler’s vaunted styling team? Another senior designer thought it had interesting cues from the side view but that the front and rear designs were abominable. We know Chrysler can do a tasteful, very upscale Imperial. We’ll wait to see the next one.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on January 10, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Though the all-new SUV was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the blizzard was not provided by Mother Nature but brought in by the clowns. In a flurry of paper snow inspired by his Snowshow production , the internationally acclaimed clown show headed by Slava Polunin assisted Frank Klegan as he brought out the Chrysler Aspen. VehicleVoice and AutoPacific correspondents were part of the crowd that was covered nearly head to toe by the blast of paper snow, and it was fun!
This event confirmed that the rumors are true. Chrysler’s first full-size SUV, the Aspen, goes on sale in fall 2006, and Chrysler promises it is the 300 of SUVs. The Aspen is derived from the Dodge Durango, though offers a significantly changed look with much more chrome and style than the Dodge personality allows. Aspen will likely compete with Premium Luxury SUVs, a segment that includes large SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade,
Lincoln Navigator,
Infiniti QX56, two Land Rovers, and the Lexus LX, expect Chrysler may be able to undercut their base price and offer a value proposition along the lines of the 300 and other recent introductions.
Our take on the styling of the Chrysler Aspen is that Durango got hit with a boring stick. An SUV aspiring to luxury tastes can still be distinctive (
Escalade, Navigator, QX56, etc) and do not have to be dulled down to appeal to more upscale pocketbooks. At least an SUV is a more appropriate vehicle type to use the Aspen name with than the Dodge Aspen of old. Remember the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare? Wonder how many are still on the road?
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Posted by George Peterson on December 21, 2005 at 1:08 pm
VehicleVoice [(http://www.vehiclevoice.com) & (http:/.vehiclevoice.com)] is an admirer of the Chrysler 300 and 300C. Chrysler will debut its new Heritage Edition 300C at the Los Angeles Auto Show and we’ll be there to cover its unveiling. In the meantime, here is a teaser press release from Chrysler.
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• New “Heritage Edition” model pays homage to the 1957 Chrysler 300C which was described as the “Beautiful Brute”
• 2006 Chrysler 300C Heritage Edition offers luxurious performance, exclusive features and unique heritage badging
• New model is the first Chrysler brand vehicle with SmartBeamTM headlamp technology
Auburn Hills, Mich. – Paying homage to the great Chrysler 300s of the late 1950s, the Chrysler Group announced today the new 2006 Chrysler 300C “Heritage Edition,” debuting January 4 at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Available in dealerships this spring, the limited-production Heritage Edition is a performance specialty vehicle offering the power of the award-winning 5.7-liter HEMI® engine with the fuel-saving Multiple Displacement System (MDS), high-performance styling cues of the popular SRT line-up and exclusive features, including the first-time use of SmartBeamTM headlamp technology in a Chrysler vehicle. And, to contemporize its illustrious past, the Heritage Edition has a chromed bodyside molding with a distinctive tri-color 300C badge that is modeled after the badge on the 1957 Chrysler 300C, a vehicle described in its day as the “Beautiful Brute.”
“The Chrysler 300C Heritage Edition honors the long line of beautiful Chrysler 300 vehicles by combining power and fuel-economy in a sporty, stylish package,” said Jeff Bell, Vice President — Chrysler.
Production of the 2006 Chrysler 300C Heritage Edition will begin this spring at the Brampton (Ontario) Assembly Plant.
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Posted by George Peterson on December 15, 2005 at 8:38 am
Every year, Car & Driver, one of the high circulation car enthusiast magazines in the United States, publishes the results of its 10Best awards. The 2006 10Best Cars awards were released in the January 2006 issue of Car & Driver and you can find them on the C&D website at (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=33&article_id=10354)
Not having looked at the winners prior to writing this blog, VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.com) staff conjectured about what types of cars Car & Driver would select.
We knew that, being a buff book, they’d select cars that appealed to the enthusiast, maybe throw one or two mundane winners into the mix, be heavy on import marques and generally favor smaller cars. Lets see how accurate we were?
BEST SPORTS SEDAN – Acura TSX
BEST SPORT COMPACT- Audi A3
BEST LUXURY SPORTS SEDAN – BMW 3-Series
BEST PERFORMANCE CAR – Chevrolet Corvette
BEST FULL SIZE SEDAN – Chrysler 300
BEST MUSCLE CAR – Ford Mustang GT
BEST FAMILY SEDAN – Honda Accord
BEST ROADSTER – Mazda MX-5 (Miata)
BEST SPORTS COUPE – Mazda RX-8
BEST LUXURY SPORTS CAR – Porsche Boxster
So, lets see, seven are import brands, 3 of the imports are from Germany and four are from Japan. Mazda picks up two wins with its sports cars.
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Posted by admin on November 20, 2005 at 6:46 pm
By the middle of 2007, Chrysler-Jeep showrooms will be populated by a befuddling number of quite traditional and Post-Modern SUVs (The Scribe refuses to use that vile “crosso___” term). While currently Chrysler-Jeep dealers have only the Wrangler, Liberty, Grand Cherokee and recently added Commander to worry about, their portfolio of SUVs will nearly double over the next eighteen months or so.
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Posted by George Peterson on November 4, 2005 at 12:00 pm
Riding with the spousette the other day, we were cruising in the blindspot of a Chrysler Pacifica. Even though the Pacifica has been on the road for a few years now, and AutoPacific has had a Pacifica in several research projects, it had never really registered with her.
She asked, “What’s that?” I said, “Well, that’s a Chrysler Pacifica.” “Poor thing,” she responded, “It doesn’t know what it wants to be. It looks like a station wagon, a minivan and maybe a little like an SUV.” “Well, Chrysler used to call it a
Sports Tourer, but now they are trying to call it an SUV,” I observed. Showing her ability to cut to the chase, “Nice try, but it doesn’t appear to be anything special.”
These observations are not too much different from reactions to the Pacifica in research clinics, focus groups and individual interviews with consumers. Even Pacifica owners seem confused about what it is. That Chrysler has been able to sell a respectable number of them (many at a deep discount from its initial pricing) is a testament to Chrysler’s marketing and incentive programs.
Over the years, we have found that American consumers really want a product that they can quickly put into a category. Either it is a minivan or not. Either it is an SUV or not. Begs the question of what folks will think the Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Grand Sports Tourer is?
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