LaSorda: Chrysler wants small cars ‘as fast as we can’
Automotive News | May 9, 2008 - 11:32 am EST
LaSorda: Chrysler wants small cars ‘as fast as we can’
DETROIT — Chrysler LLC, with a lineup dominated by gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs, is moving as quickly as possible to transform itself into a maker of small and mid-sized vehicles, says co-President Tom LaSorda.
“The bottom line is to shift the portfolio into mid- and small cars as fast as we can and balance the portfolio and the technology,” said LaSorda, who is in charge of Chrysler’s engineering, manufacturing and product development.
At the center of the drive is Project D, a program launched in late 2007 to develop a new global mid-sized vehicle. Project D is being conceived as a more flexible platform than Chrysler’s current mid-sized program, which created the Chrysler Sebring and Avenger cars and Dodge Journey crossover.
Chrysler already has contracted with Nissan Motor Co. to build a new small car for North America starting in 2009 for the 2010 model year. Chrysler also has signed a long-term agreement with Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co. for small-car development, but those vehicles aren’t ready for North America or Europe.
Chrysler is not discussing a mid-sized car with Nissan because it regards the mid-sized program as the core of its future product portfolio, LaSorda said. The platform will be flexible enough to support larger and smaller vehicles than the current mid-sized program.
“You need to have it where it can grow a little bit or shrink a little bit — similar to what others are doing,” he said.
As gasoline prices have soared, Chrysler sales have been hit especially hard because its lineup is dominated by light trucks. For the first four months of 2008, 65.8 percent of Chrysler’s sales were trucks. Earlier this week, the automaker offered consumers a new incentive, guaranteeing gasoline prices at $2.99 a gallon for three years.
