Automotive News Canada - January 2024 - 6

6
* JANUARY 2024
Chrysler: A minivan
in search of a brand
Starting from
scratch, Brand
CEO Christine Feuell
realizes that new
products have to come
quickly, but will they
be luxury vehicles?
Will there be sedans?
By GREG LAYSON
DIGITAL AND MOBILE EDITOR
THE CHRYSLER BRAND IS
suffering from an identity crisis.
What is it, and what does it want to
be? Those are questions that Brand
CEO Christine Feuell has to answer,
and quickly.
Just one year shy of its 100th anniversary,
the longtime brand with
roots in Detroit - and a significant
manufacturing presence in Canada
- now offers just one product: a
minivan.
The Pacifica and Grand Caravan
are available in Canada, and the
Pacifica and Chrysler Voyager fleet
vehicle are available in the United
States. They're all built on the same
platform in Windsor, Ont.
After nearly 20 years of production,
the last Chrysler 300 rolled
off the line in Brampton, Ont., in
December. The midsize Chrysler
200 was dropped in 2017 and the retro-looking
PT Cruiser was discontinued
in 2010. Before that there was
the two-door Crossfire - a shared
platform with the Mercedes-Benz
SLK - and the Neon.
" Today, Chrysler is the minivan
brand, rather than a brand
that happens to make minivans, "
Feuell recently told Automotive News
Canada during a roundtable with
Canadian journalists. " And a big
part of that is the fact that over the
last 10 years, the former FCA did
not invest in new products for the
Chrysler brand. "
The brand went from 12 nameplates
as recently as 2012 to the one
it has today, Feuell said.
" That's why it's so critical for us
it has today, Feuell said.
" That's why it's so critical for us
Feuell: A big reason the only
Chrysler vehicle is a minivan
is that the former FCA did not
invest in new product for a
decade. PHOTOS: STELLANTIS
to not only invest in the new products
for Chrysler but bring them to
market as quickly as possible. "
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Feuell and her fellow Stellantis
brand CEOs have until 2031 to prove
their worth, according to an edict
announced by company CEO Carlos
Tavares in 2021.
Jeep and its owners identify with
freedom and adventure. Dodge -
even when electrified - is about
speed and muscle. And Ram is all
about work " and getting it done, "
Feuell said.
So, what is Chrysler all about?
" The question about whether it is
a luxury brand or not is a good one.
We do play in the upper quartile of
the segment, " Feuell said. " So we're
not really luxury but definitely a bit
more premium and aspirational. "
The brand is currently focusing
on the production version of the electric
crossover Airflow that debuted
in 2022.
" While not exactly representative
of the Airflow concept vehicle, I
think we'll see it take on more edgy,
contemporary design cues, " Feuell
said. " When we took it to customer
research, it tested No. 1 by far for
both interior and exterior design,
and customers chose it first over
Tesla, [the Kia] EV6 and other battery-electric
competitors. "
It makes sense for Chrysler to
explore a return to the car segment,
Feuell said.
" It would definitely be something
completely reimagined from what
we have in the market today, so
that we can be relevant and consistent
with how we're positioning the
brand for the future, " she said. " But
I definitely would not rule out the
possibility that Chrysler comes out
with a car sometime in the future. "
In the meantime, the end of production
of the Dodge Charger, Dodge
Challenger and the Chrysler 300
means the Brampton assembly plant
will be down for retooling for two
years. A shorter retooling is happening
at the Windsor Assembly
At this point, Chrysler is
withering on the vine. It
has been searching for
an image for a long time. "
Sam Fiorani
Vice-president of global vehicle forecasting,
AutoForecast Solutions
Plant, which will continue to build
the minivans and add production of
electrified muscle cars and likely the
production version of the Airflow.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AIRFLOW
Chrysler needs the Airflow to succeed,
said Sam Fiorani, vice-president
of global vehicle forecasting at
AutoForecast Solutions, a U.S. forecasting
firm.
" If it becomes a Chrysler product,
then that gives them a chance for an
extended life, " Fiorani said. " But at
this point, Chrysler is withering on
the vine. It has been searching for an
image for a long time. It was going
for entry luxury at one point. It was
going for family at one point. And
it's being squeezed out by everybody
else. "
Stellantis plans a " pretty significant "
update for the Pacifica, Feuell
said. " It will be more than just a
moderate refresh. "
Fiorani isn't sure that's enough to
save the brand.
" It's now a niche within a niche, "
he said of the Chrysler minivans.
" Refreshing the minivan, and we'll
just keep it from losing more ground
to three-row crossovers, "
he said.
Chrysler brand
sales in Canada
were down 21.3
per cent to 10,529
vehicles in 2023,
according to the
Automotive News
Research & Data
Center in Detroit.
It was the biggest
drop among
the seven brands
Stellantis sells in
Canada.
Shahin
Alizadeh:
Chrysler is
" a nameplate
in search of
identity. Yet
most people,
including us
as retailers,
we refer to
our stores as
'the Chrysler
store.' "
PHOTO:
LINKEDIN
Alizadeh, president
of the 10-store
Downtown
AutoGroup in
Toronto, has been
a Chrysler dealer
for five years, and he's not sure what
the brand is, other than nostalgic.
" It is a nameplate in search of
identity, " he said. " Yet most people,
including us as retailers, we refer
to our stores as 'the Chrysler store.'
Nobody says, 'It's my Ram store,'
'It's my Jeep store.' "
The only reason the Chrysler
nameplate remains " is to make
sure that there's some type of
a connection to the past and to
those who relate to the entire
brand as Chrysler, " Alizadeh said.
" Realistically, there is very little
activity or traction when it comes to
the pure Chrysler brand. " - ANC
Kotagiri
FILE PHOTO
TRENDING
STORIES
automotivenews.ca
ONGOING WEB COVERAGE
HONDA'S NORTH AMERICA EV PLAN
After a report from Japan suggested Honda might spend more than $18
billion on an EV plant and battery factory in Ontario, the automaker met
with the federal government. Nothing has been decided, but it appears
Canada is definitely in the running.
AUTO SHOW SEASON APPROACHES
The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow will be held at the Metro
Toronto Convention Centre beginning Feb. 16. At least seven brands that
skipped last year's event plan to return.
SUSTAINABLE TIRE DESIGNED FOR EVS
GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO.
said it has developed a tire compound
that will last longer on electric vehicles
than traditional tread. The ElectricDrive
2 is made from materials such as soybean
oil and sustainably sourced natural
rubber and high-quality rice husk
ash silica, which is a byproduct of processing
rice. Goodyear expects the
tires, available in 17 sizes, to be commercially
available in North America starting in May.
PHOTO: GOODYEAR
MAGNA EXEC IS 3RD HIGHEST PAID CEO: $36.4M
ACCORDING TO THE CANADIAN CENTRE
for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Magna
International CEO Seetarama (Swamy) Kotagiri
is third on the list of Canada's 100 highest-paid
CEOs. His yearly income of $36.4 million is
through a combination of salary, share-based
and option-based awards, and nonequity incentive
plan compensation. CCPA found CEOs were
paid an average of $14.9 million annually, or 246
times more than the average Canadian.
E-BIKE FIRE ABOARD TRAIN RAISES ALARM
LITHIUM ION BATTERIES POSE A " SIGNIFICANT RISK, "
Toronto's fire chief said after a blaze aboard a subway train on New
Year's Eve demonstrated how quickly flames can spread. The fire was
caused by a lithium ion battery powering an e-bike. " When lithium ion
batteries fail and ignite, the response is an intense, rapidly developing
fire that poses an immediate risk to anyone in the area, " Fire Chief
Matthew Pegg said.
NACTOY WINNERS ANNOUNCED
THE FORD SUPER DUTY WAS NAMED TRUCK OF THE YEAR
in the 30th annual North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of
the Year (NACTOY) awards. The Kia EV9 was named utility vehicle
of the year and the Toyota
Prius/Prius Prime hatchback
took home honours for car of the
year. The winners, " judged by a
jury of 50 professional automotive
journalists from the United
States and Canada, " according
the NACTOY website, were
announced Jan. 4.
Ford Super Duty
PHOTO: FORD
LITTLE DEGRADATION IN NEW VW BATTERIES
VOLKSWAGEN AG SAID ITS BATTERY SUBSIDIARY POWERCO
has seen promising results with solid-state cells for electric vehicles, as
a prototype " significantly exceeded "
industry targets in recent tests. The
cell suffered only five per cent storage
capacity loss after more than
1,000 charging cycles, the equivalent
of 310,685 miles - or 500,000
kilometres - of driving. Solid-state
batteries could make EV batteries
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
safer, smaller and faster charging.
- ANC
FOR FULL TEXT OF THESE STORIES AND MORE
automotivenews.ca
http://www.automotivenews.ca http://www.automotivenews.ca
Automotive News Canada - January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - January 2024
