I REALLY hope this isn’t true, and if it is, I hope it’s not as bad as I fear. Either way, once my wife’s car is paid for, I’m getting my Challenger while I still have the opportunity!!!

https://moparinsiders.com/stellantis...-srt-division/

While I’m guessing the profit margin is pretty slim on the SRT program, I’m betting the publicity more than makes up for it. I’m kinda worried this French meager is going to turn what’s left of Chrysler into a weinie car company.

What is it with auto executives refusing to stick with what works?! Chrysler OWNED the minivan market for decades, they gave it away by ending that product. How can anyone think that was a good idea? I remember when the Dodge Viper, Prowler, and PT cruiser was released. How many people walked into a dealership to look at one (knowing they would probably never buy one) and instead drive away in a Neon or mini van?

I really wonder how Alfred Sloan would do in today’s auto industry.

For those of you who have no idea who Alfred Sloan is, look him up. He shaped the auto industry from its infancy into the golden years of the 50-60s. It’s been slowly torn down little by little ever since.

 

Chrysler has been owned by Daimler-Benz, Fiat. Both of them did Chrysler no favors. GM was turned into the #2 world automaker from #1 by the illustrious Roger Smith who cheapened up everything to make greater profits....to increase the stock price and make himself a bonus.
In the following decades, Oldsmobile was renamed and shut down. Pontiac was shut down and they kept Buick. Olds and Pontiac outsold Buick every year.
I hope Chrysler survives with toys to buy.

 

I do like the challengers SRT even better. Maybe w all the recent bad publicity about street racing they will just rename and soldier on?

if not Ford FTW.

 

Ahem, GM ain't the #1 world automaker.

I do like how Mopar wasn't on the eco-weinie bandwagon like Ford, GM, Toyota, and others are. Hell, I was a little tempted to hellcat power a 69 Charger and go around being an obnoxious Duke boy wannabe.

Chrysler did well with minivans, they were the first, and the rest of the brands were just there. Toyota has sucked up market share on them since other companies quit doing them, but I'm not sure how awesome them being 100% hybrid is like the new Sienna is. They make some percentage of the US Highlander production on the same line, so the percentage Sienna can be dialed way down if they flop.

I think a lot of people liked looking at Prowlers and Vipers. No one liked the PT Cruiser.

 

Reread, I italicized and underlined what I said. GM might be #3 or #4 by now.

 

I remember when either the Prowler or PT cruiser (I don’t remember which one it was) came out each dealer was allowed one car. Dealers started to accept bids for their one allotted car. It absolutely floored me when I heard about it. I will never understand the “limited availability” bullshit that manufacturers create. Every one of those dealers who accepted bids made money over and beyond their normal profit margin. How does that help the automaker??? Why create more competition for yourself?! If you have a car that the buying public wants, build as many as you can!!!

While I didn’t much care for the PT cruiser, there was nothing else like it on the road. It obviously sold well enough, and made enough of a impact for GM to answer with the HHR.

Roger Smith and Bob Eaton (Chrysler CEO during the Mercedes/Chrysler “meager of equals” &#128580 are guilty of the same things, just went about it differently. Roger thought “hey, were number 1!! Why are spending all this money when we are on top?” It’s much harder to reclaim the top spot once you loose it, than it is to hang onto it.

Bob basically took the money and ran, and didn’t much care about the mess he left behind. The Germans always had a arrogant attitude when it came to dealing with Chrysler. There were a few benefits, but it seems to me Diamler benefited far more.

If Stellantis decides to exist the Jeep and truck market in favor of green “weinie mobiles, I think I’m going to seriously look into retiring from here. I hired in 98 working for Chrysler, then the Mercedes meager, then the bankruptcy, Cerberus, Fiat, and now the French merger.

BTW, does anyone else think the name Stellantis sounds like a medicine name?

“Ask your doctor if Stellantis is right for you”.

 

Uh... FCA still makes the Pacifica (and budget Pacifica the Voyager) in Windsor, so they didn't end that product.

 

I don't think that man had anything to do with GM's performance, as they have been #1 since his tenure, but haven't been in the past 15 years other than once. I suppose I misunderstood your prose the first time around, my bad.

 

Roger Smith was an idiot and responsible for the beginning of he decline of GM.

 

I’m referring to retiring the Caravan and Town and Country names. When I hear the name Pacifica, I instantly think of the suv style van.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/dodg...-details-info/

 

I agree with the idiot part. But I feel the beginning of the decline was in the early 1970s when executive positions began to be filled with business school graduates instead of people who had worked their way up in the company.

The height of the business school stupidity did take place under Smith--cutting development budgets so they could invest the money in high-paying U.S. Government bonds.

 

Hi,

Yeah the whole SRT being broke up has been all over the Challenger Forums. Will see how it plays out, hopefully they allow Dodge/Ram/Jeep and Chrysler keep selling big cubic inch engines, but guessing the writing is on the wall with the current green administration.

I got a new Scat Pack Challenger last fall, fun car, drove it down to FL and got 23mpg doing 80-90 the whole way, and is capable of 12 second quarter mile times, unreal, fun cars but still no replacement for the old cars in my collection.

Good luck with the new Challenger, hopefully MOPAR stays on the fringe as far as HP

Regards,
Jim

 

Big companies are possessed by the woke agenda so they promote on anything but merit, which kills them.