Rumors are flying that Chrysler is in talks with a second Chinese manufacturer. They already have an agreement with Chery to rebadge subcompacts for Mexico and South American markets markets and develop a subcompact for the U.S. (all under the Dodge brand). Now Reuters says they're looking into an alliance with Great Wall. Great Wall builds small SUVs, a small CUV and pickup trucks with some of the coolest model names going: the Wingle (say "Great Wall Wingle" fast three times) and the Socool. Obviously, Chrysler doesn't need more SUVs or CUVs. However, Chrysler hasn't had a small pickup since the rebadged Mitsubishi pickup they sold in the previous century. With sales of the Dakota "midsized" pickup in the cesspool, and big truck sales circling the toilet, they could be looking at Great Wall to provide a small truck– a vehicle Chery can't supply. So if the rumors turn out to be true (and inside sources say they are), the next small Dodge truck could come from the People's Republic of China. And pave the way for… the end of domestic car production.
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“And pave the way for… the end of domestic car production.”
How do you know? Seriously. What would it take to ship all the tooling over to China, and give up some of the most modern factories in the business? Hell, they can’t even get their tooling from Plastech, for God’s sake and they own it! It makes sense for them to build a small pickup there instead of risking the capital here where it’s a lot more expensive and you have to provide union guarantees. They can always bring it stateside if it’s a success with the next generation.
I bet Cerberus has an ace up their sleeve and they know and have known since the beginning exactly what they plan on doing with Chrysler. They knew that before they bought them!
Would they really make a large purchase like that without having a plan?
I will be looking forward to this.
That’ll get the kids to soccer practice.
While the styling is a stolen mashup, this truck by far has the coolest name ever.
http://www.chinacartimes.com/2007/05/22/the-coolest-chinese-pick-up-truck/
I don’t know how this is surprising?
Ceberus is outsourcing nothing new. GM in a way is outsourcing with re-badged Opels and Holdens.
Ford with re-badged Mazdas and Volvos.
Soon they will be selling Chryslers at Walmart.
I’ve been saying from the start that Cerberus’ plan has got to be straight from the Modern MBA Gospel: Outsource manufacturing to China, et. al. and be a “design, marketing and service leader”.
Well – if the cars look like this, and cost 1/4 of what the Bentley costs:
http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/geelygt.jpg
http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/geelygt-front.jpg
Imagine your son coming home with all clothes ripped in pieces, with blood pouring in streams from his forehead and mother grabbing her skull in hands and shrieking in awe, Oh my God, Oh my god!As if this didn`t break her heart enough, you finish the scene with declaring…mom,, I am gay. well, chrysler`s coming out to WallStreet, wait a minute… to GreatWall is worse than that. We have a history repeating here itself in slow-motion. As if electronics industry didn`t teach us a lesson, now we are destined to repeat it. Here we go again..Magnavox of car industry, RCA of horsepower and Prology of manufacturing. Frank, you can call me the fucked flamer, but imagine me as this mother..whose heart is being ripped out, in slow motion, by announcements like this, one by one, the last colours of the love for American banner, or what it meant to me …are being washed out by the bleacher of imports . America, you are breaking my heart, and not because of love, but because of lack of it..to your own manufacturing.
That truck looks like an Isuzu D-Max/Chevy Colorado ripoff from the front fender to the back…
Things will get ugly if launched in US
25% Chicken tax tariff removes a lot of the low-cost production savings. This tells me if they actually did import this truck, it would be in a knock-down kit that they would then reassemble quickly here in the US. The end result would be made in the USA!!!
I am a licensed US customs broker and am looking up the tariffs on this now just for kicks…if they imported a “chassis fitted with an engine” (i.e. knock-down kit) rather than a complete vehicle, the tariff is only 4%. Or, if they have the knock-down kit put back together in Mexico, then there is absolutely no tariff at all for a completed vehicle.
Chrysler is dropping the ball on a small pickup by not building the Jeep JT. Basically just a Wrangler Unlimited reconfigured with a regular cab and a bed.
Jeep has a proud heritage of small pickups, from the old Willy’s pickups to the Comanche. Here they have a new platform that only needs very minimal investment to turn into a small pickup. They could probably sell a base 4X2 model for 15K, and sell the dog out of them.
Instead they want to go through the hoops and investment to import a vehicle from China? I am a Mopar fan and I say STOOOO-PID.