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At Chrysler group, the sun is shining; COO says company isn't a one-hit wonder
AutoWeek/Automotive News ^ | 5/6/05 | Mary Connelly

Posted on 05/06/2005 4:52:45 PM PDT by B Knotts

The Chrysler group is sitting pretty compared with General Motors and Ford Motor Co.

Chrysler is gaining sales and share in a market that's depressed. The Chrysler 300 sedan has given the Chrysler group a hot aura - and shown that it can make cars that excite U.S. consumers.

While Ford Motor and GM struggle with turnaround efforts, the Chrysler group, says COO Tom LaSorda, is "just trying to maintain the momentum. That is what we are pushing with our employees."

...

Through March, the Chrysler group's sales are up 5.6 percent to 546,732 units. In contrast, U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 0.4 percent in the first quarter of 2005. At GM and Ford, sales tumbled 5.1 percent each in the period.

(Excerpt) Read more at autoweek.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: 300; automakers; chrysler; daimlerchrysler; successful
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To: sgtbono2002
And, frankly, Ford is nearly as bad. They've let the Crown Vic age and age, and are behind the curve on power from their V-8s (although the 3v 4.6 in the Mustang ain't too bad).

The lack of power will almost certainly result in police agencies migrating to Dodges.

The new Mustang is the only interesting car they make.

They toyed with selling a diesel Focus, which they would be selling tons of right now, but canceled it at the last minute. Doh.

21 posted on 05/06/2005 6:09:40 PM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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To: sgtbono2002
Visibility is terrible. Like driving inside a cave.
22 posted on 05/06/2005 6:11:31 PM PDT by golfisnr1 (Democrats are like roaches- hard to get rid of>)
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To: B Knotts

Hey, we're getting a Jeep Liberty too! I think out of all the mid-sized SUV's...that one is the best...however, I am going to test drive the Nissan Xterra. It's supposed to be more powerful.


23 posted on 05/06/2005 6:13:05 PM PDT by Hildy
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To: golfisnr1

The Chrysler 300 I drove had a lot of road noise. other than that it wasnt a bad car.


24 posted on 05/06/2005 6:13:43 PM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: Hildy

The Liberty is much more off-road capable, if that sort of thing is interesting to you. And, of course, Nissan has no diesel option. A shame, because their 80s diesels weren't bad, if a bit underpowered.


25 posted on 05/06/2005 6:15:17 PM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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To: neb52
BTW, there's an article today on a Canadian website (auto123.com) that says that they are thinking of selling that very engine (the 3.0 liter v-6 CRD) in the Grand Cherokee in the U.S. and Canada.

So, who knows?

26 posted on 05/06/2005 6:28:04 PM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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To: mhx

I bought my first Chrysler 2 years ago (a Sebring V-6). So far its been an outstanding car. I was a little leary of Chrysler products (I drove the old K-cars that the military purchased in bulk back in the 80s--boy, did those blow). What changed my mind is that they were the only (semi) domestic car company coming out with designs that I actually liked & the price was right ($5K less than a Pontiac Grand Prix). The Crossfire is an especially hot car. If the Sebring ages well, I will likely be a repeat buyer.


27 posted on 05/06/2005 6:46:46 PM PDT by rbg81
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To: mhx

I love my Dodge Ram Van conversion. Got it after my last one got too old to take round the country. Wish they weren't going to stop making conversion vans.


28 posted on 05/06/2005 6:48:34 PM PDT by uncitizen
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To: B Knotts

GM has ONE decent looking vehicle, and it's a roadster pick-up with retro styling.

Ford has nothing on the market that I would recognize without finding the corporate emblem.

Chrysler has several fairly good looking cars on the market, and if the body is ugly the performance and engineering will hardly matter.
So Chrysler is making sales while the others wonder why no one is looking at their bland little box on wheels.

The above is a shame, U.S. stylist used to have a clue.
To be fair, they are working against the handicap of Fed. Gov. regulations which force all cars to have similar height bumpers, similar height headlamps, etc.


29 posted on 05/06/2005 6:57:57 PM PDT by Richard-SIA ("The natural progress of things is for government to gain ground and for liberty to yield" JEFFERSON)
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To: B Knotts

Love my 2001 Chrysler 300M and the 1999 Chrysler Concord LXI (Candy Apple Red) before that .... damn the red light runner that totalled it.


30 posted on 05/06/2005 7:31:57 PM PDT by Swordmaker (tagline now open, please ring bell.)
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To: B Knotts
I'm happy with my new wheels:


31 posted on 05/06/2005 8:12:08 PM PDT by QuiMundus (Learn, Act, Educate, Repeat - http://www.smithism.com)
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To: B Knotts

My engine is the 3.7L V6 215HP. It seems a little underpowered for the 1/4 ton pickup. It is smooth, but I have to speed up about 10 miles more just to make it up a hill on the highway while maintaining the speed limit. Otherwise I would fall under the speed limit and have to down shift to fourth gear at 3,000+ RPMs which can't be good all the time. I normally own Hondas, but wanted a truck this time. My last vehicle was a Civic EX and it zoomed up and down hills and all with out a problem. So the truck makes me feel like I'm an old man driving with the blinker on. :P


32 posted on 05/06/2005 8:22:26 PM PDT by neb52
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
"I wonder how they can come out with products like the Pontiac Aztec."

I had the misfortune to be assigned for a while to the 1994 Ford Taurus program as they engineered that disaster. That was the model that had all the ovals--back window, tail lamps, headlamps, even the radio/ac controls on the instrument panel. I watched people's careers get put on hold or stopped for daring to question the designers and engineering management about taking that direction. A lot of people were pushing for something a little edgier. In the end, of course, Ford's stodgy conservative styling "gurus" won out and the car did not do as well as they thought it would. All the heros got promoted though so I guess that's all that counts. You're right, engineering a car takes a long period of time from concept to customer, you'd think they'd think their styling out a little better. Ford and GM are surely lacking something that Chrysler understands given the Montana, the 300, the PT Cruiser, and anything with a Jeep nameplate. Ford comes out with the 500 which is another name for Taurus. I'm not sure about the GM structure, but I do know that the Ford family just will not fire upper level losers.

33 posted on 05/06/2005 8:33:57 PM PDT by RushLake (Permission from the UN...we don't need no stinking permission slip from the UN.)
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To: sgtbono2002
I expect to see a few Magnums show up with Bubble gum machines on their roofs soon.

I took my car in to be serviced the other day, and was reading the auto mags while I waited. One of them mentioned Dodge's plans to offer a police package for the Magnum, and said they were also thinking about giving the upcoming Charger the same treatment.

34 posted on 05/06/2005 8:34:25 PM PDT by NovemberCharlie
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To: B Knotts

Yeah, but that aged Crown Vic continus to sell well to the poor AARP members who can't afford the Town Cars. St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Ontario builds them and works all the time--keeps Ford happy because the taxpayers in Canada pay for their health care. When you stand at the end of the assembly line at St. Thomas you can hear the cash register ringing.


35 posted on 05/06/2005 8:36:47 PM PDT by RushLake (Permission from the UN...we don't need no stinking permission slip from the UN.)
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To: RushLake

There's no doubt the Crown Vic is highly profitable, and whatever its faults, is a solid car. But the volume is probably going to taper off if they don't offer more power, interesting styling and better driveability.


36 posted on 05/06/2005 8:43:33 PM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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To: B Knotts

There is some misinformation here. Ford is not GM and has not nearly the problems that GM has. GM is terminal and will have no alternative but to go Chapter 11 but only after it gets much, much worse.

Anyone not able to recognize the Mustang but for its Ford emblem needs to have his eyes checked. And to declare the Ford 500 as a Taurus is pure nonsense. They are nothing alike. The Ford 500 is based on the S-80 Volvo chassis. I drove one yesterday and it is a very fine automobile. Even has a six speed automatic. That's no Taurus.


37 posted on 05/06/2005 9:41:12 PM PDT by RichardW
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To: RichardW
I didn't say the Five Hundred was a Taurus; that was someone else.

It's probably a fine car, although they did have some early initial-quality problems.

However, it is completely boring and underpowered by today's standards.

It should have been more aggressively styled, with rear wheel drive and a bigger engine.

Ford is good at coming out with really neat concept cars, and then never implementing any of the ideas from the concepts. The 427 concept was brilliant, but they have completely ignored it in developing their new models.

38 posted on 05/07/2005 10:58:33 AM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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To: B Knotts
"As soon as I can afford it, I'm buying a Jeep Liberty CRD."

From a stand point of reliability and resale you would be far better off with either a Nissan or Toyota SUV. Chrysler has always made vehicles that were eye catching but have historically had the worst resale values. This is because their reliability record is abysmal.

39 posted on 05/07/2005 11:02:46 AM PDT by JoeV1 (Democrat Party-The unlawful and corrupt leading the blind and uneducated)
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To: JoeV1

Neither Toyota or Nissan offer a diesel. I'm not interested in buying a gasoline-powered vehicle.


40 posted on 05/07/2005 11:09:22 AM PDT by B Knotts (Viva il Papa!)
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