Even as some UAW members are balking at the new Chrysler contract because it doesn't contain guarantees of jobs in the future, Walter P.'s namesake is looking at cutting out five models in the here and now. "A person familiar with the situation" told the Detroit Free Press as many as five models could be on the chopping block. The unnamed "company insider" indicated the Pacifica, Dakota, Durango, Commander, Compass and/or Sebring could be voted off the island by the end of the month. The Durango looks like a shoe-in, as the plant which builds it is slated for closure in 2009, and the Sebring may be given a complete makeover instead of facing the executioner's ax. At least Chrysler is facing a problem plaguing the auto industry– product overlap– head on. We can only hope Ford and GM are watching.
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Ok so why the Dakota? Wouldn’t that leave a void in the “small” truck market? I’m definately not a fan of the Dakota but my company buys many of them since they are small enough to be driven comfortably by everyone. Plus they get massive discounts. So I guess were getting rangers next. EWWWWWW
trtl5000, the Dakota is a big-ass truck. My dream is that they’ll come out with something to replace it that isn’t pretty much a direct Ram competitor; something compact and efficient and bing-bang reliable…
Cutting cars almost makes me kind of sad just because I love cars and even the terrible ones remind me of how good the good ones are. However, this would be a solid business decision and might allow them to start coming out with real competitive products rather than goofballs like the Compass or drop-dead failures like the Sebring. Here’s hoping!
The Commander getting cut is hardly news, it was reported by several sources back in January.
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/20/jeep-commander-going-down-by-2009
Kill the Dakota, build the Jeep JT (not just for overseas government use)
I’ll be impressed if they kill the Sebring. It is rare that a company will acknowledge a profound mistake and take a major financial bath. The phrase “escalation of committment” describes the usual approach, which is to pour more money into a failed venture in an attempt to justify the initial investment.
Please, please kill the Durango (and its Aspen twin). That thing is too ugly to exist. Likewise, shrink and restyle the Dakota.
I was passed by irrefutable evidence that the Compass must die, quickly, if Jeep is to be saved.
I was passed by a very metrosexual man driving a Jeep Compass “Rallye” edition. It is a Compass with ground effects (pieces of plastic that would be torn off under any offroad conditions), low profile tires, and flashy rims. It is the Kia version of a Cadillac Escalade.
If there is a god, it will strike this model from existence.
I agree that the dakota needs to go in favor of the Jeep Wrangler Truck (JT). Give us a diesel and a manual trans and I will be among the rest in line at my local Jeep Dealer.
Dodge needs a small truck. Don’t axe the Dakota. Just redesign it an make it a little smaller.
I like my Dakota and I don’t need a Ram. I agree with dmk1976 about one item. Give me a small diesel with a manual transmition and I will be happy.
Damn that JT is fugly. Can’t see many needing that. Fringe product at best.
I predict two camps within Chrysler breaking down roughly along the lines of:
Save the TWATS vs. Shave the TWATS
esthetically, I will go with shaved.