Chrysler off 25% in November... Again

[xcel]

Durango, Viper, PT Cruiser and Aspen make opening the factory doors every morning a tough call.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Dec. 1, 2009

Durango sees 29 new owners in November... What is the point

Chrysler reported total U.S. sales for November of 63,560 units, down 25 percent versus November 2008.

Highlights?

Dodge Journey sales increased 93 percent (5,434 units) versus the same time period last year, Dodge Avenger saw sales increase 51 percent (3,571 units) compared with November 2008, and Dodge Grand Caravan sales increased 35 percent (8,171 units) versus November 2008.

“The company showed some encouraging signs this month, providing a good foundation going forward and reinforcing our promising future which everyone in the company is excited about,” said Fred Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer–Ram Brand and Lead Executive for the Sales Organization, Chrysler Group LLC.

Lowlights

Crossfire sold 0 vehicles. Ok, so it’s not that big a seller anyway? The PT Cruiser saw 310 new owners, down 91% from a year ago. Aspen saw 58 vehicles sold, down 97%. Pacifica sold 0. Compass saw just 474 vehicles sold? 412 Caliber’s. 43 Viper’s, 0 Magnum’s, 29 Durango’s and just 663 Dakota’s round out the list.

Chrysler is not the only make that is losing massive sales but a SAAR rate of 16 Million 3-years ago to 10.5 to 11.0 Million today had to come from somewhere. Chrysler appears to be one of the bigger “somewhere”?

[ArizonaChris]

I can see the durango is a real looser all around, but the PT cruiser seemed to me to be one of the high points in mileage. Maybe people are getting real tired of the "retro look", or perhaps the quality is lacking so badly.

Chris

[Chuck]

This Nitro ad illustrates their sales and I don't know why they thought it was funny even in 2007

[JusBringIt]

Come on Wayne, is this news?

Durango sees 29 new owners in November... What is the point?

Crossfire sold 0 vehicles. Ok, so it’s not that big a seller anyway? The PT Cruiser saw 310 new owners, down 91% from a year ago. Aspen saw 58 vehicles sold, down 97%. Pacifica sold 0. Compass saw just 474 vehicles sold? 412 Caliber’s. 43 Viper’s, 0 Magnum’s, 29 Durango’s and just 663 Dakota’s round out the list.

What do they have like One dealership????

[Blackbelt]

The PT is actually a well made and versatile car. It's just OLD, thats the main problem. It's in it's ninth year. I would not hesitate to buy one, the 2 i owned in the past were stellar in terms of reliability.
As to the sebring/avenger, you couldn't give me one of those. The pevious generation was actually a pretty decent sedan with the 2.7V6, these new one are fugly.

[JusBringIt]

Originally Posted by Blackbelt

The PT is actually a well made and versatile car. It's just OLD, thats the main problem. It's in it's ninth year. I would not hesitate to buy one, the 2 i owned in the past were stellar in terms of reliability.
As to the sebring/avenger, you couldn't give me one of those. The pevious generation was actually a pretty decent sedan with the 2.7V6, these new one are fugly.

The 2.7 had some reliability issues in the intrepid, the 2.4L is much preferred. My mom is actually looking at trading in her suv for an '06 model. ( She really doesn't want a car pmt, so this is what's in her price range).

[roadrunner]

Chrysler has maybe a few more years of life, then?

[Blackbelt]

Originally Posted by JusBringIt

The 2.7 had some reliability issues in the intrepid, the 2.4L is much preferred. My mom is actually looking at trading in her suv for an '06 model. ( She really doesn't want a car pmt, so this is what's in her price range).

The early 2.7's had some sludging issues IF you did not change your oil, or keep an eye on it. The engine was modified and this isn't anywhere near the issue it was. Most of the problems occured in the LH platform cars.
I liked the 2.7 in my Stratus because it had plenty of power while i was able to get mid 30's economy out of it. I used synthetic oil and and never had any problems with it. I DID buy it with low miles(15K), and always made sure it was maintained.
I did have a conversation with my brother about the 2.7 sludging issues. He told me that at the dealer where he works, the only sludged engines he saw coming in had all been subject to extended oil change intervals, usually 10K miles or more.
I think Chrysler did do a poor PR job on this issue though. Toyota had a similer sludging problem with 2 of their engines. They attacked it head on and agreed to extend the engine warranties AS LONG AS the owners could provide proof that their engines were maintained as directed in the manual. Smart move, since most of the ones that were maintained properly were fine, and the few that did have problems even with proper oil change intervals were worth paying for to get the positive press. Chrysler should have done the same thing.

[xcel]

Hi All:

___What was really shocking about this months sales report was not just the low November sales numbers for the models listed but the number of vehicles of the same models sold in the past. To see a perennial 20 to 30,000 + vehicle pull less than 300 units in a given month speaks volumes about the American uptake. Chrysler does not stand a chance unless they can pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Car Company’s today are offering just about everything one could want other than PHEVs and BEVs and Chrysler has all but given up let alone ever really getting started on those.

___We can place the blame directly on MB and Cerberus; they are now out of the picture but I do not know where Chrysler is heading even with the RAM brand, separating it from the group?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[99LeCouch]

Fiat 500...they need it over here NOW! Especially the Abarth. A "hot hatch" to challenge the Mini, and the downmarket, mass-volume models.

Seeing Jeremy Clarkson barrel-roll a Renault Twingo on "Top Gear" illustrates how you don't have to have tons of power to have a fun-to-drive car.