A month ago, Chrysler executives assured us that the company has a bright future, one that will be punctuated with a "product renaissance" consisting of seven to nine new vehicles in 2010. While they've been anticipated for a while, Chrysler has finally confirmed that those new vehicles will include a new Chrysler 300, a new Dodge Charger, a new Jeep, a Nissan-made small car, and at least one of the electric vehicles the company recently premiered.
"In the pipeline for 2010: A brand-new 300, a brand-new Charger ... a brand-new Jeep, the pipeline is full, plus we have these smaller vehicles coming through partnerships and alliances," Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said on CNBC's "Conversations with Michael Eisner." "I think the product cadence at Chrysler is coming back strong."While some have questioned the struggling automakers ability to roll out up to nine new vehicles in two years, fears are being assuaged with new details. Creating new versions of the 300 and Charger is different than creating two all new cars, as is borrowing a sub-compact car from Nissan. All three of Chrysler's recently unveiled electric cars are also based on existing vehicles, so four of the nine vehicles have already proven to be reworked platforms, not clean-sheet designs. This is not a bad thing, though, as all four are expected to be significant updates of the existing cars, not simple refreshes. A fifth vehicle will likely be the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which will feature a new unibody frame, but it's unclear at the moment if this is the Jeep that Nardelli was referencing or not. Chrysler has also confirmed that it will begin selling a hybrid version of the new Dodge Ram in 2010, though we don't know if that will be counted as one of the nine new vehicles. Also rumored is another borrowed Nissan, possibly a mid-size replacement for the Sebring based on the Altima. We also don't know yet if the just-announced global microcar borrowed from Chinese automaker Great Wall will come to the U.S. or not, but it's possible. If this all proves correct, then the likelyhood of Chrysler pulling off nine new vehicles for 2010 greatly increases.The biggest news is the redesign of the 300 and the Charger. Both have been on the market relatively unchanged for several years now, and sales are beginning to slip. Sales of the 300 are down 43% so far this year, while Charger sales are down 10%. Earlier this year, newly-crowned Chrysler vice president for design Ralph Gilles told the Detroit Free Press that the new 300 would be "a quantum leap in quality." Given the outstanding work Gilles and his team did on the 2009 Dodge Ram and Gilles recently announced commitment to move Chrysler away from "edge" styling, we have high hopes for the new 300 and Charger.
