Chrysler 200 Was A Worse Seller Than First Expected

I would still argue getting out of the passenger car business is probably a good business model for them.  They have not been passionate about mainstream cars since the 1990's IMHO.

Specialty vehicles like the Charger and Challenger are another matter.

The real question is what do they do when the next round of fuel economy fleet standards hit, or when gas goes back up to $4 a gallon.

Do not myself see them getting back into the traditional passenger car business again soon.

That's what happens when you make bottom of the barrel products. They should probably stick to building literally anything else besides mainstream sedans.

11 minutes ago, Frisky Dingo said:

That's what happens when you make bottom of the barrel products. They should probably stick to building literally anything else besides mainstream sedans.

Given the competitive nature of the sedan market, yes. As a car maker, you have to come to grips with who you are.

There is a reason that Mazda does not build Luxury cars, Porsche does not build economy cars, and Toyota does not build high end performance cars.

I KNEW IT! I knew there was something off about their stretch of incredible sales when the 200 suddenly plummeted in the segment. Either they were absolutely selling their soul to rental agencies or the numbers were off. 20% sales inflation is pretty reprehensible.

They shouldn't have even attempted this in the first place. For two reasons-

1)This segment is so deep with competent offerings, that unless you are building something that near-flawless objectively, there's no point. Even a car that is slightly behind the pack is going to get left in the dust from a sales standpoint.

2)It's a declining segment anyway. Building the best of something that is going to become obsolete isn't the greatest business case. It'd be like trying to make the best VCR after DVD players had already gained a foothold in the market.

10 minutes ago, cp-the-nerd said:

I KNEW IT! I knew there was something off about their stretch of incredible sales when the 200 suddenly plummeted in the segment. Either they were absolutely selling their soul to rental agencies or the numbers were off. 20% sales inflation is pretty reprehensible.

Damn straight.

Offering money to dealers to fudge month end sale numbers is some shady business practice. Very unethical. Those are some big skeletons in FCA's closet. 

2 minutes ago, Frisky Dingo said:

They shouldn't have even attempted this in the first place. For two reasons-

1)This segment is so deep with competent offerings, that unless you are building something that near-flawless objectively, there's no point. Even a car that is slightly behind the pack is going to get left in the dust from a sales standpoint.

2)It's a declining segment anyway. Building the best of something that is going to become obsolete isn't the greatest business case. It'd be like trying to make the best VCR after DVD players had already gained a foothold in the market.

Your last sentence sums up the execution of the 200 ( and Dart ) perfectly. 

Agreed @Frisky Dingo. They entered the market of the two deepest rosters with the heaviest of heavy hitters in the Camry, Accord, and Malibu and just didn't execute it well. It would have ad to have been absolutely perfect but like you said the segment is shrinking anyway.

I'm sure all of the other mid size sedan companies are glad to see somebody leave the segment to get a few sales back. The segment was just too damn deep. They need somebody else to leave the segment as well but I don't see that happening right away.

@ccap41

This segment is definitely going to start drying up. Only the fittest are going to survive. The current players are going to have to start really doing something compelling to keep sales numbers up. As it stands, even 4 grand price differences, and 5-7mpg better EPA ratings aren't doing the trick. I think the answer may be to start making them more stylish and fun to drive, ironically. The Fusion Sport, harsh of a review as I gave it, may be a big step in the right direction. 

15 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Agreed @Frisky Dingo. They entered the market of the two deepest rosters with the heaviest of heavy hitters in the Camry, Accord, and Malibu and just didn't execute it well. It would have ad to have been absolutely perfect but like you said the segment is shrinking anyway.

I'm sure all of the other mid size sedan companies are glad to see somebody leave the segment to get a few sales back. The segment was just too damn deep. They need somebody else to leave the segment as well but I don't see that happening right away.

Maybe VW will leave the segment.  They can afford too.

9 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Maybe VW will leave the segment.  They can afford too.

Highly doubtful.  They are one of the worlds largest and most profitable car companies and they desperately want the US market for economies of scale.

Letting Toyota, GM or the like dominate the US market would mean that they would loose that advantage and thus put their prime markets such as South America, Africa, China and the like into Jeopardy.

Plus they are already federalizing their drive trains and building their platforms to US safety and emissions standards for Audi, Porsche, and the like. So they have no real cost advantage for doing this.

If anything, they need a small crossover. the Honda HRV actually outsold the Camry last month, and building a desirable version of something like that is very much in VW's DNA.  It's actually far more plausible for VW to build and sell something like that than the Atlas concept we were shown.

Given that a lot of the VW market share is urban....and young and professional....

But the smartest people do the dumbest things and people in Stuttgart and Wolfsburg will wonder with angst and hand wringing why the Golf is down when they are doing very little to promote it or build the brand.

I am not sure even diesel gate was enough of an existential wake-up call for them.  Sitting here in Columbus eating popcorn and watching....

I could actually see them bringing Skoda over from Europe or something to re launch themselves before I could see them abandoning the segment.

21 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Maybe VW will leave the segment.  They can afford too.

They just need to sell the Euro Passat here.

2 hours ago, Frisky Dingo said:

 

They just need to sell the Euro Passat here.

A lot more than that....!

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

A lot more than that....!

I meant in terms of this segment in particular.

28 minutes ago, Frisky Dingo said:

I meant in terms of this segment in particular.

Thanks for clarifying!

I took abuse by many for saying the 200 and Dart were doomed to failure. 

Here is the problem. You can not just revamp a Fiat product with a nicer looking body and expect it to be right. Fiat and Sergio has raped Chrysler and doomed their car lines. They are taking the profits from their Jeep and Ram trucks and putting it into the other Fiat brands which is like flushing money down the toilet. They should have funded Chrysler to do their own cars and funded a new RWD platform that should have been out 3 years ago.

As it is now they are still looking for a partner that I suspect at some point may be a Chinese automaker just because they will want the Jeep and Ram trucks. They will pick the bones and not much more will be left in the end.

The fact is FCA can not abandon the small car segment. It will be needed in the future even if it is just for CUV models. A partner could offer this but there are so few takers. In the end I feel this whole deal is going to be a much bigger mess in the future. The new regulations will kill them before it is all said and done.

Even VW now with the money trouble is not interested in Jeep and Ram.

shady tactics =  Bad Karma

3 hours ago, hyperv6 said:

I took abuse by many for saying the 200 and Dart were doomed to failure. 

Here is the problem. You can not just revamp a Fiat product with a nicer looking body and expect it to be right. Fiat and Sergio has raped Chrysler and doomed their car lines. They are taking the profits from their Jeep and Ram trucks and putting it into the other Fiat brands which is like flushing money down the toilet. They should have funded Chrysler to do their own cars and funded a new RWD platform that should have been out 3 years ago.

As it is now they are still looking for a partner that I suspect at some point may be a Chinese automaker just because they will want the Jeep and Ram trucks. They will pick the bones and not much more will be left in the end.

The fact is FCA can not abandon the small car segment. It will be needed in the future even if it is just for CUV models. A partner could offer this but there are so few takers. In the end I feel this whole deal is going to be a much bigger mess in the future. The new regulations will kill them before it is all said and done.

Even VW now with the money trouble is not interested in Jeep and Ram.

This, times one hundred.

20 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Highly doubtful They are one of the worlds largest and most profitable car companies and they desperately want the US market for economies of scale.(...)

(,,,) If anything, they need a small crossover. the Honda HRV actually outsold the Camry last month, and building a desirable version of something like that is very much in VW's DNA.  It's actually far more plausible for VW to build and sell something like that than the Atlas concept we were shown.(...)

(...) I could actually see them bringing Skoda over from Europe or something to re launch themselves before I could see them abandoning the segment. (...)

I think you mean the CR-V. The smaller HR-V sells 4 times less. VW is one of the largest (actually the largest so far this year) but not one of the most profitable. Partly because of diesal-gate fees but mainly because of the cost of brands acquisitions needed to become the largest. I sure agree about the Atlas, their poor target marketing and soulless cheaper offering in US. Sounds like old GM...

They do a better job with their Skoda's versions (VW itself spreads rumors about bringing them to US) and new platform. So there is hope, but time is running.

15 hours ago, hyperv6 said:

(,,,) You can not just revamp a Fiat product with a nicer looking body and expect it to be right. Fiat and Sergio has raped Chrysler and doomed their car lines. They are taking the profits from their Jeep and Ram trucks and putting it into the other Fiat brands which is like flushing money down the toilet

(...) As it is now they are still looking for a partner that I suspect at some point may be a Chinese automaker just because they will want the Jeep and Ram trucks. They will pick the bones and not much more will be left in the end.

Can't agree more ! When the boss of the company himself says some of their products aren't great, you have to wonder. Honesty is a good politic but so is being able to learn from mistakes and correct a situation.

Yes, CRV. Sorry about that.

It is sad because it is actually a very nice car.  I thoroughly enjoyed the rental we had as they had apparently even sorted out the transmission issues on that one.  I would still love to see them partner with Mazda as a version of the 6 with the latest pentastar PUG would be a gem IMHO.  

As for crossovers and SUVs, this isn't only happening at FCA as everyone from Ford to Toyota, to Cadillac are pumping out and have plans for more CUVs while their cars don't see much in the way of upgrades.  We are at a point where CUVs are nearly as fuel efficient as their sedan counterparts.  Even if fuel prices go up, the jump towards CUVs and SUVS will not change as we are not talking about a 98 Blazer that can barely touch 20 MPG on the highway, but rather super fuel efficient CUVs such as the new CRV which i would be surprised to see rated in the mid 30s on the highwa with the new 1.5T.  You have to make what the public wants as much as those of us that love cars may hate it. 

On 11/3/2016 at 4:20 PM, hyperv6 said:

I took abuse by many for saying the 200 and Dart were doomed to failure. 

Here is the problem. You can not just revamp a Fiat product with a nicer looking body and expect it to be right. Fiat and Sergio has raped Chrysler and doomed their car lines. They are taking the profits from their Jeep and Ram trucks and putting it into the other Fiat brands which is like flushing money down the toilet. They should have funded Chrysler to do their own cars and funded a new RWD platform that should have been out 3 years ago.

As it is now they are still looking for a partner that I suspect at some point may be a Chinese automaker just because they will want the Jeep and Ram trucks. They will pick the bones and not much more will be left in the end.

The fact is FCA can not abandon the small car segment. It will be needed in the future even if it is just for CUV models. A partner could offer this but there are so few takers. In the end I feel this whole deal is going to be a much bigger mess in the future. The new regulations will kill them before it is all said and done.

Even VW now with the money trouble is not interested in Jeep and Ram.

Yep...though I agreed with ya....

Also not sure how Jeep's luck is going to hold out either, starting with these new smaller CUVs....

Jeep is providing a good design in the Renegade. This again goes to corporate culture though as they have major quality control issues they are unwilling to deal with.

i actually don't think the 200 is so bad.  But here is part of why it hasn't lit up the sales charts, apart from it's competitiveness issues.

1- it's a classic tweener.  it's a bit small to really be a true midsize.  

2-chrysler's own 300 in the showroom selling at huge discounts.

I actually looked at some used 200's before leasing the Malibu this year, but the more i read into the teething pains with the 9 speed automatic across Chrysler's product line, i didn't want anything to do with it.

The v6 AWD 200 to me is a nice option.

It doesn't even really matter how many of the 200 Chrysler sells.  They can fleet whatever they don't sell retail.  If they drop it they do run risk of what do they sell when gas hits 5 dollars.  The issue is to size it correctly and not put Fiat guts in it IMO.

Next Chrysler 300 is to be spun off the minivan.  That's a good move for the 300 but honestly unless Chrysler comes out with its own Equinox and Edge they'll need something downmarket in the showroom from the 300.  Not everyone wants a Jeep.

I wonder if Chrysler itself will also go away at some point.

...and the whole fleet what does not sell is a huge part of the reason that Honda products hold this value so much better.

TLX is down 20 percent, and last I checked they were not even offering zero percent to move metal.

Honda seems smart with production.  GM send by far and away the best of the bunch but currently they have lots of money on the hood of the Camaro and a ton of unsold Camaros.

Methinks my next ride may well be Asian at this point.

14 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Jeep is providing a good design in the Renegade. This again goes to corporate culture though as they have major quality control issues they are unwilling to deal with.

  Yep, don't buy the turbo ones!

Kinda sucks because my wife really likes these. Though, I could always grab a base model if we really wanted.....seems to avoid most of those issues.....

5 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I wonder if Chrysler itself will also go away at some point.

...and the whole fleet what does not sell is a huge part of the reason that Honda products hold this value so much better.

TLX is down 20 percent, and last I checked they were not even offering zero percent to move metal.

Honda seems smart with production.  GM send by far and away the best of the bunch but currently they have lots of money on the hood of the Camaro and a ton of unsold Camaros.

Methinks my next ride may well be Asian at this point.

Already figuring that is what is going to happen anyways....they will be lucky to hold on to dodge at this point....

While Honda is pretty smart with production, I still think at some points even they are going to run into some issues with glut...

Glad to see GM making some money, but I find getting what I want is a struggle.

Looks like Ford will give me what I want though....

Cool if Ford will give you what you want. I am waiting to see if my son stays in school in the Pacific Northwest or comes back to Columbus. Fiesta ST on Focus ST I both love, but need a bigger back seat than if he is only home a couple of times a year.

17 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Cool if Ford will give you what you want. I am waiting to see if my son stays in school in the Pacific Northwest or comes back to Columbus. Fiesta ST on Focus ST I both love, but need a bigger back seat than if he is only home a couple of times a year.

Check out the Buick Envision. I love that compact CUV. My sister is 6' tall and with her in the drivers seat, all 6'6" of me can sit behind here totally comfy with plenty of room between my knees and the back of the seat. 

This CUV even in FWD only config is just awesome. So quiet and comfy. I cannot say enough good things about it.

6 hours ago, dfelt said:

Check out the Buick Envision. I love that compact CUV. My sister is 6' tall and with her in the drivers seat, all 6'6" of me can sit behind here totally comfy with plenty of room between my knees and the back of the seat. 

This CUV even in FWD only config is just awesome. So quiet and comfy. I cannot say enough good things about it.

I had not even thought of that, THANKS!

Loved the Verano I  test drove before we bought the Jetta. Envision may work well!

The 200 was a nice car but it was a average to below average car in the most competitive class. They styled it nice but it was on old FCA bones. The best reviews were a nice car and a better car than the Sebring but not a great car. This was a good solid single when they needed nothing less than a t

The other issue was hit with many recalls as have other FCA models of this time period and it did not help change peoples minds. Too many just defaulted to the Honda or Toyota, Many also went to the Ford and even now Malibu. 

As for Jeep they have been given more funding to do more. Also Jeep is seen as a international brand so they can sell globally much easier than any Dodge/Chrysler product.  Chrysler established the Jeep brand that was already known globally in the 80's and it has been accepted well. 

Now if vehicles like the Renegade turn out to be a modern day version of the Chevy Tracker that sold good the first time only to give owners many issues like rust and warranty issues it could change their future. Jeep for the most has always had quality issues be it rust of the CJ5 or just bad engines and other bits. Many are willing to put up with it because of the type of vehicle. But the new ones can not afford that and will pay the price in repeat sales. 

Chrysler is second to last in repeat sales. Many have given them one chance and moved on with their next purchase. Only Mitsubishi is worse. 

I really suspect FCA will have to merge with someone soon or this whole thing will fail in the auto market slow down. They have too many models and they have many issues with controlling cost and improving quality. Many models and brand will die in this I am afraid. 

Don't like being doom and gloom here as I have seen too many brands die and want no more American brands to be lost. But it is coming like it or not. 

You and I are thinking quite a bit alike here.  Don't like seeing it myself, as IIRC we are both from Ohio and a lot of jobs will be lost in Toledo if the Jeep thi9ng goes away.

But Chryco is, as I have said, not acting rationally on its own behalf.

I think they 200 could have done better, but they frankly gave up on it.  There were no real ads for it.  i mean hell, if I was them I would have been putting out the fact that it is a TSP+ and the only domestic TSP+ as well.  I would have also been pushing the Limited Platinum package which gives you leathers, the uconnect 8.4, power seat and heated seats for the price of a basic limited or under 26g and you could add the V6 and still be under 28k (which also gave it paddle shifters and nicer door panels).  .  C&D tested this configuration and pretty well loved it.  I would have also put better tires on there from the factory because that was the major thing holding back the ride and handling and the ones they used were even noisy.    IMHO, Chrysler will be gone in a few years and the minivan and cars will move to Dodge.  The market simply does not support have as many car brands under an umbrella as it used to.  IMHO, kill Chrysler and Fiat.  Have 1.  JEEP:  SUVs with an upscale vibe and/or off-road capability  2.  Ram:  Trucks, commercial vans, commercial trucks.  3.  Dodge:  Mainstream car and performance.  CUVs with a more sporting flare than Jeep.  4.  Alfa:  use this to take on the likes of BMW, Mercedes, etc higher colume cars and CUVs, 5.  Maserati:  op tier luxury, highest prices with a target for low volume.  6:  Ferrari.  well, it is Ferrari.......  

Specialty cars, be they a refreshed...300 or an interesting Fiat product...just so long as they can meet the margin.

Otherwise, trucks and SUV's.

5 hours ago, Stew said:

I think they 200 could have done better, but they frankly gave up on it.  There were no real ads for it.  i mean hell, if I was them I would have been putting out the fact that it is a TSP+ and the only domestic TSP+ as well.  I would have also been pushing the Limited Platinum package which gives you leathers, the uconnect 8.4, power seat and heated seats for the price of a basic limited or under 26g and you could add the V6 and still be under 28k (which also gave it paddle shifters and nicer door panels).  .  C&D tested this configuration and pretty well loved it.  I would have also put better tires on there from the factory because that was the major thing holding back the ride and handling and the ones they used were even noisy.    IMHO, Chrysler will be gone in a few years and the minivan and cars will move to Dodge.  The market simply does not support have as many car brands under an umbrella as it used to.  IMHO, kill Chrysler and Fiat.  Have 1.  JEEP:  SUVs with an upscale vibe and/or off-road capability  2.  Ram:  Trucks, commercial vans, commercial trucks.  3.  Dodge:  Mainstream car and performance.  CUVs with a more sporting flare than Jeep.  4.  Alfa:  use this to take on the likes of BMW, Mercedes, etc higher colume cars and CUVs, 5.  Maserati:  op tier luxury, highest prices with a target for low volume.  6:  Ferrari.  well, it is Ferrari.......  

If FCA  " kiil Chrysler and Fiat ", all that is left is " Automobiles ".

Automobiles Dodge Challenger, Automobiles Dodge Charger, Automobiles Ram, Automobiles Alfa Guilia...

It can still be Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as that would still be the parent company.  Hell, what cars are badged General Motors?  or Fuji Heavy industries?  

2 minutes ago, FordCosworth said:

If FCA  " kiil Chrysler and Fiat ", all that is left is " Automobiles ".

Automobiles Dodge Challenger, Automobiles Dodge Charger, Automobiles Ram, Automobiles Alfa Guilia...

4 minutes ago, FordCosworth said:

If FCA  " kiil Chrysler and Fiat ", all that is left is " Automobiles ".

Automobiles Dodge Challenger, Automobiles Dodge Charger, Automobiles Ram, Automobiles Alfa Guilia...

Just what mainstream America seems to want to buy...a Hemi Charger....

11 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

You and I are thinking quite a bit alike here.  Don't like seeing it myself, as IIRC we are both from Ohio and a lot of jobs will be lost in Toledo if the Jeep thi9ng goes away.

But Chryco is, as I have said, not acting rationally on its own behalf.

The Jeep is like a cockroach you can damage it you can abuse it and you can poison it but it always falls back to the regular Jeep model and survives. 

No matter what happens Jeep will survive with the basic model. Renegades may come and go just as Patriots and Compass but the Jeep itself will always remain and someone will want it. 

The Jeep Wrangler  is the one and only true American global model that everyone considers one of their own. It is not seen as just an American model. WWII I think saw to this. 

I think Toledo is safe as where would you move it where it would be a better deal?  Fiat got a hell of a deal from the state and they will remain there for a good while as long as the union does not get too pushy. 

As for the Charger people buy it because it is cheap. I have two kinds of co workers who own Chargers, Those who are die hard Mopar fans. The others are someone looking for a heavy discounted RWD sedan. 

My Inlaws bought a 300 new because with all the discounts it was cheaper than a loaded Malibu. But they are finding like I did on my T Bird that the quality issues are making owning it a Challenge. Recalls and false engine lights and electrical issues have dampened their spirit to the point they will not repeat buy again. They are far from alone. 

Sergio has robbed Chrysler of the profits from Jeep and plowed them into Alfa and Lancia. This was a major error. Even with the new Alfa being interesting it was late to market and had many issues we have yet to see if they have been solved yet. There is no way they will challenge BMW and make back the money. There is talk of this platform going under the new RWD Dodge and Chrysler but with out the V8. That is a death sentence as it will be an expensive car and people expect a V8 option. 

I think there is some real issues between Chrysler and Sergio now. The engineers and designers can't be happy. They are starved for funds and are forced to make due with such old models. The Hellcat as cool as it is was just an old program they resurrected to buy time for the new car. They are now adding AWD just so they can use the power they have now as the RWD alone can not handle it. Yet even the AWD will not be on the Hellcat. as it will only get bigger tires and wheels. 

We already know why the name Ram is on the trucks vs. Dodge. It gives them their own identity so they can be sold off if the need arrives to anyone with no baggage of the Dodge name to deal with. 

The Germans abused Chrysler and the Italians are now raping them of their cash. I just do not see a good outcome unless they get a new leader at FCA that cares. The cars would die fast and only the trucks and Jeep hold any interest to any buyers. No one wants Fiat and Alfa and Lancia are not high on any list of buyers in this slow market. Iconic names but damages badly.

I think they sprung Ferrari not just for the money but also to make sure they did not die or get sold off from the Family.  

On 11/7/2016 at 8:14 PM, hyperv6 said:

As for the Charger people buy it because it is cheap. I have two kinds of co workers who own Chargers, Those who are die hard Mopar fans. The others are someone looking for a heavy discounted RWD sedan. 

My Inlaws bought a 300 new because with all the discounts it was cheaper than a loaded Malibu. But they are finding like I did on my T Bird that the quality issues are making owning it a Challenge. Recalls and false engine lights and electrical issues have dampened their spirit to the point they will not repeat buy again. They are far from alone.

I find these statements pretty interesting.  I leased a 2012 Charger R/T and it was literally the first new car I never had to take back to the dealership for anything other than maintenance.  I have never been a Mopar guy and grew up in a GM family but I leased it because I really liked what it had to offer.  I had always really wanted a Pontiac G8 (and would still love to have a Chevy SS) so I guess you could say I'm a fan of that type of car.  The fact it was a good lease deal certainly didn't hurt.

Because we had such a good experience with that, we replaced it with a 300S lease.  Also a really good deal.  That car wasn't flawless as it did throw a check engine light that turned out to be caused by the oil pump which had to be replaced.  The explanation IIRC was that a contaminant affected a valve in the pump and was causing the pressure to go too high.  Other than that, no other issues, though.

On 11/11/2016 at 2:35 PM, 2QuickZ's said:

I find these statements pretty interesting.  I leased a 2012 Charger R/T and it was literally the first new car I never had to take back to the dealership for anything other than maintenance.  I have never been a Mopar guy and grew up in a GM family but I leased it because I really liked what it had to offer.  I had always really wanted a Pontiac G8 (and would still love to have a Chevy SS) so I guess you could say I'm a fan of that type of car.  The fact it was a good lease deal certainly didn't hurt.

Because we had such a good experience with that, we replaced it with a 300S lease.  Also a really good deal.  That car wasn't flawless as it did throw a check engine light that turned out to be caused by the oil pump which had to be replaced.  The explanation IIRC was that a contaminant affected a valve in the pump and was causing the pressure to go too high.  Other than that, no other issues, though.

They too had a light due to oil but so far it was a sensor issue and not a pump. 

There has been the recall on the shifter and some other issues. 

They like the car but with so many issues in the first 5,000 miles it can be discouraging. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the time plays out. I had a T bird I liked but we had many issues with the brake, The Sway Bar started to come lose and come off the car, MASS Air flow sensor failure, The door hitting the trim and knocking the paint off, Etc. That was the first 30K miles. It was good till about 70K then the seats started to take a tilt inward with the floor sagging [we are not over weight]. The doors began to sag and hit the roof, Then the head gaskets were starting to take on water so we bailed. 

Chrysler has some people with few issues or ones willing to deal with it but of all the Chrysler buyers up to last year it was reported only 25% were repeat buyers. That is not good. 

I have driven their 300 and it is a nice car. The only thing that gave me pause was the shifter as I could see some older people including them putting it in the wrong gear very easily. I was not supervised when they recalled it. 

My fear is future electrical issues like we have seen with others. I tend to think since FCA took over they may have cheaped out on the parts they buy or they are from a troubles electrical MFG like their own division that is up for sale. VW was going to buy them but now with the Diesel issues it is up in the air. 

Well the car is here and we will just have to see how it fairs. Right now the RWD platform needed replaced about 4 years ago and I will be shocked if it ever happens. I would not be surprised if FCA is broken up and Dodge may fade away with Chrysler. Few companies have the time or the money to invest in a brand with only North American markets only.