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Miradart

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Everything posted by Miradart

  1. Miradart
    Call me a pessimist, but I think this is bad. This will give the combined company an excuse to kill the Dodge and Chrysler brand. Both of these brands have been living on a near-starvation diet for a decade. And they wonder why they have a shrinking list of buyers...... SMH. It has been a disgraceful way to treat the brands that wear the names of the founders, and of the PROFITABLE end of the company. It's all a hot mess with poo sauce.
  2. Miradart
    You could be right. But think back to 10 or maybe 15 years ago. What did our mobile phones look like, and what could we do with them? Granted, the buy-in is substantially different. But between a 6 minute recharge on the horizon, and EV charging stations now popping up all over, I could expect the transition to come quite quickly, once it really gets going. Even in Canada, PetroCanada is just now advertising that they have a coast-to-coast EV charging now available along the Trans Canada Highway. That's 4800 miles. So, It's safe to say that things are picking up speed. At the end of the day, there are many of the old barriers to EV ownership that are falling to the wayside. I guess time will tell when the 'real' jump comes. 'Granny, and uncle Ned' may never change, but I don't think that is a surprise to anyone. Older folks often aren't willing to jump on new things, no matter how much better it might be. But I don't think that that is where the market shift will happen anyways. It will be to middle age, and younger buyers. Once a useful EV truck, or SUV comes along, I could see things changing very quickly. We may have ICE for the 'foreseeable' future, but that largely depends on how far down the road 'foreseeable' describes. All I know is that I can see its end from where I stand. But as the old car ads used to say, "Mileage may vary"
  3. Miradart
    This isn't as shocking as some may think. For anyone who follows the recent advancement in EV's, batteries, and solar PV power, the writing is on the wall for the death of the ICE. About half a decade ago, I'd have balked at that statement, but things can change in 5 years. Especially the past 5 years. Sure, there will still be ICE engines sold 5 or 10 years from now. But those will be holdout projects, sold to people where the infrastructure, OR corporate interference in has made a changeover implausible.
  4. Miradart
    Unless they extend it, which they've done before. Who knows? The recession might hit, and a low cost van might be the only thing that does sell! haha!
  5. Miradart
    I guess if they can have a new Pacifica (nee Town and Country) and still sell the old Caravan, I guess anything is possible. Milk that last drop out of old development costs!
  6. Miradart
    Not wanting to nitpick, but: "Also going away will be the standard cab variants of the Titan and Titan XD, leaving just the standard cab and quad cab in the lineup." Is the standard cab in or out? Did you mean Single cab? And what is their 'standard' cab configuration? I'm so confoozed! Sad to see their Cummins engine go though. I thought that was the one thing that could help them break out in the market. Now, they're just another truck company with an oversized payload capacity for what people actually use, and a thirsty gas engine to move it. As FCA already has their own in-house diesel for the Ram and Jeep, I can't see them doing anything with this Cummins.
  7. Miradart
    If the Durango is retired and replaced with a "Jeep" vehicle, it is more proof that FCA's plan all along was to take Dodge out behind the woodshed, and kill it dead. Given their completely nonexistent attempts at broadening Chryslers's model range, that has surely been the plan for Chrysler brand too. Just like Daimler Chrysler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is pronounced with the "Chrysler" part silent.
  8. Miradart
    2018 Chrysler 300S 8.jpg
    The difference isn't much, but even that bit more trunk length helps the proportions IMHO. I had no measurement to go by, but I guess the middle pic, the trunk is about 5" longer. The bottom pic might be 8' or 9" extra.
  9. Miradart
    2018 Chrysler 300S 8.jpg
    Overall, I like the look of these, but I only wish the LX Mopar sedans had about 6" more length to the trunk. I think the back end looks too chopped off, and frankly, that trunk opening is pretty narrow for me. Given the actual volume of the trunk, the opening is virtually a mail slot. Another 6" behind the rear bumper wouldn't have made it arse heavy. It just would have made it usable, and I'd argue, better balanced. But that's just me. Tilting at windmills again. Haha!
  10. Miradart
    Arrogance leads to lessons hard learned. I mean, it's not like efficient car assembly is a 'new' thing. We've only been at it for 110 years
  11. Miradart
    Wait...... You mean that Tesla isn't fond of the 'right' way to do things? Go figger!! I mean, who would have ever seen this coming! Haha!!
  12. Miradart
    It seems odd that they'd be going after Winterkorn on this. I get that they have these powerpoint presentations that they claim he was shown, but he was late to the party. I would think the guy that was at the helm when it was first conceived would be the guy they'd go after. I wonder where the inditement of Ferdinand Piech is.
  13. Miradart
    Given who is running the EPA right now, and his most recent announcement, I expect the 2018 EcoDiesels will be approved once FCA adds the ability for it to burn coal. Haha!!
  14. Miradart
    I haven't heard about it, but does anyone know if the bonuses that went out to those who were in charge when the fraud was being developed, is being asked for back? You'd think they would at least ask.
  15. Miradart
    I do kind of snicker when I read the BMW 7 series is on this list. I've heard from many sources that the last thing you want in life, is a higher end BMW, that is out of warranty! This appears to be especially true of the 7 series. Quirky is a kind word for it.
  16. Miradart
    From a practical standpoint, the more I think the loyalty of the Town and Country buyer may just 'force' Chrysler to continue with the 'beak, butt and padding' rebadge of the Caravan. The demographic is probably older, richer, and looking for familiarity. This combination of things can be hard to resist. That said, I still think that if a 'Pacifica' type people-mover, with outstanding styling is introduced, it could be a good move. That way, if sales of the T&C start to drop in any significant way, then it could get bounced easily.
  17. Miradart
    I'm less pessimistic about Mullaly's abilities for Microsoft. One thing that Mullaly has done is make a company focus on product that people actually WANT, and also focus on what they are good at. Microsoft has been all over the map with some of their product releases. To my way of thinking, a navigator doesn't need to know exactly how the engine works. He just needs to know where he wants to go. The rest will take care of itself. The only irony of it all is that if Mullaly goes to Microsoft, he would be working for the company that has lead the one area that while he was at Ford, was not able to make right. The MyFordTouch/Sync system - by Microsoft. As for Krafcik going to Chrysler. I think the dynamic would be enticing for Krafcik. A company that is rising from the ashes, despite the nay sayers, but still has many challenges ahead. If quality men rise to the challenge, this one has some upside. The only question with Chrysler is, is there is enough room to fit Krafcik into the mix, while still giving him the idea that there is room to move up. After all, nobody wants to take a dead end job, right? Heck, who knows? If the money is right, and the OE opportunities don't show, he may end up at a supplier who wants more OE business!
  18. Miradart
    Diluting a "Chrysler" level vehicle to compete at a "Dodge" level pricing is a mistake. Some overlap is inevitable, but a Chrysler should always stand for something better, if the premium price is going to be justifiable. At the other end, Dodge needs a minivan. Pure and simple. You need a people mover that is easy on the wallet, and long on features. Abandoning that market for a de-contented version of the 'upscale' model, is a guaranteed fail. The lower price people will like the move, but they will alienate their upper end buyers, which is where the margin is. I think that Chrysler has done a great job of wringing the last dollar out of every buyer, when it comes to the Town and Country. They are loyal as heck, but seriously, they were buying a Caravan with a new grille. This bit of badge engineering should stop. It has been a bit of a snickering shell game to me. Going forward, the Town and Country should be as different from the Caravan as the Pacifica was from everything else. It was completely unique in styling, but used the same running gear, and it fit on the same assembly line as other minivans. This is the way they should do it going forward. (Just don't make it look like a Pacifica - PLEASE!)
  19. Miradart
    The timing of all this is interesting. There was no real warning, that I heard. So the next question is where will he go? With GM locking down it's top spots, I think GM is out of the question. Also, the speculation around Ford is that their top spot is all but done once Mullaly moves on to (no comment) Microsoft. That leaves, well, everyone else. That said, who do I think he could fit best with? IMO, I'd speculate either Nissan, or very possibly Chrysler/Fiat for the North American market. He has experience working with an 'asian' style of management, which would work for a Nissan gig, but also is known as being pretty outspoken, and casual, which may play into a resurgent Chrysler/Fiat. We haven't seen the last of Mr K.
  20. Miradart
    Nice job! I know I'm one of probably only 15 people in North America that think like this, but I sure wish this was available in a wagon. Oh, and with a hemi and the 8 speed, while I'm dreaming.
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