Chrysler Shutting Down...

[Urthman]

...for two weeks... in July.

http://www.nbc4.com/automotive/15585538/detail.html

[stovt001]

Man I'm pulling for them. It will be a real tragedy if they go under. I hope this two week break is financially sound and puts inventory at the perfect level. At least this is better than the massive overstock they had last year.

[SSMUFF]

Kawasaki used to do a 2 week shut down over the summer.

[Jeff]

Man I hate PT Cruisers lol. I feel for Chrysler though, hopefully this break gives them a chance to regain composer.

[DGthe3]

They need to have a hit, high volume little car. Something that people generally accept as something that isn't bad, unlike the PT cruiser. A few thousand Challengers won't save them, neither will the new Ram. Offer it as a hybrid, and undercut the price of Civics by 10%. Keep the styling mild, well, mild for Dodge. It would get them through troubled waters

[stovt001]

Yeah, what they need is one small, totally inoffensive, totally practical, totally efficient totally competitive small car. No excuses. Even if they take a loss on it, it will provide a much needed image change. Cerberus will never allow that, of course, but that's what they need.

[Mr. Wyndham]

All Cerebus wants is to raise the Value of Chrysler, and then sell it. That's all there is to it. That's the business Cerebus is in. They care nothing for the company, nor the Auto industry. They bought it for cheap - and they want to sell it for more to make a profit.

Unless it gets put into the hands of some real doggon car folks when they sell...Chrysler doesn't stand a chance.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

They need to have a hit, high volume little car. Something that people generally accept as something that isn't bad, unlike the PT cruiser. A few thousand Challengers won't save them, neither will the new Ram. Offer it as a hybrid, and undercut the price of Civics by 10%. Keep the styling mild, well, mild for Dodge. It would get them through troubled waters

Thats not going to happen because they are so broke they don't have the money to develop any new models. The Challenger isn't new, its just an ugly body slapped on a 300C chassis. Bye bye Chrysler.

[OverAnxious]

GM has had a 2 week shutdown in July for 15 years or so... I think Ford and Chrysler have had it about as long as well.

It used to include salaried workers as the intent (for GM at least) was to actually 'shut down' the offices, saving $$ on electricity, etc. It slowly evolved to most people being off but some departments continue to work thus negating the real costs savings.

Of couse the UAW will never give it up however...

[GTAHVIT]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

They need to have a hit, high volume little car. Something that people generally accept as something that isn't bad, unlike the PT cruiser. A few thousand Challengers won't save them, neither will the new Ram. Offer it as a hybrid, and undercut the price of Civics by 10%. Keep the styling mild, well, mild for Dodge. It would get them through troubled waters

Maybe they underestimated the Neon. With your thought in mind, seems like repalceing it with the caliber isn't working so well.

[SilverTurtle]

Originally Posted by gtahvit

Maybe they underestimated the Neon. With your thought in mind, seems like repalceing it with the caliber isn't working so well.

its not... I used to see Neons on every street corner... even rented one in Boston once... can count on one hand how many Calibers I've seen... the company is being kept afloat by the minivans and Jeep products, IMO.

[OverAnxious]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

They need to have a hit, high volume little car. Something that people generally accept as something that isn't bad, unlike the PT cruiser. A few thousand Challengers won't save them, neither will the new Ram. Offer it as a hybrid, and undercut the price of Civics by 10%. Keep the styling mild, well, mild for Dodge. It would get them through troubled waters

Unlike the PT Cruise? Chrysler sold tons of those things for many years running. They were a very popular car based on the Neon platform. All of those buyers don't see them as 'bad'.

Actually light duty truck sales have helped keep the big three doing as well as they have for quite a few years now. Having MDS and Hybrid options may help that trend to continue. Businesses and gov't work still needs to buy trucks even if a small segment of civilian buyers shy away from trucks due to the price of fuel.

[Sir Charles]

Originally Posted by stovt001

Man I'm pulling for them. It will be a real tragedy if they go under. I hope this two week break is financially sound and puts inventory at the perfect level. At least this is better than the massive overstock they had last year.

I hope for the same and for GM too after losing all of that money.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

All Cerebus wants is to raise the Value of Chrysler, and then sell it. That's all there is to it. That's the business Cerebus is in. They care nothing for the company, nor the Auto industry. They bought it for cheap - and they want to sell it for more to make a profit.

Unless it gets put into the hands of some real doggon car folks when they sell...Chrysler doesn't stand a chance.

He's right. This is just business. For us, this is car culture, but people like Cerebus don't care what they drive as long as it has all the amenities, regardless of history. Chrysler is in a tough place now. I'd hate to see a good company go under, but the people in charge don't care anymore about the MOPAR legacy. It's just money in the bank.

When one of us enthusiasts takes over a company, it's be a different ball game. Unfortunately, that won't happen before Chrysler goes under. We just need to hope for the best.