Chrysler to pick sub-compact partner by year end
DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler unit says it will name it’s sub-compact car partner by the end of the 2006. Chrysler is in talks with a few partners right now, but nothing is concrete yet. Chrysler CEO Eric Ridenour says to think of them as “semi-finalists”, but refused to reveal who it is talking to.
Chrysler wants to make a new sub-compact car to market globally, including in the United States. It needs a partner because it has not much expertise in making small cars, and there is a huge investment involved in designing, manufacturing and marketing a new car. Chrysler’s new sub-compact car could take on the styling cues of the 2006 Dodge Hornet Concept (picture above), shown at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show.
Previously, there were rumours that this partner would be Chery Automobile, a Chinese automotive manufacturer. Subcompacts account for 1% of the overall US market currently, but it is expected to double in amount in the year 2007, as gas prices continue to rise. Sub-compacts are known to have frugal fuel consumption.
June 10, 2006 @ 12:59 am
i’m surprised that they want to choose chery over a japanese make… prcing concerns? ;p
June 10, 2006 @ 1:10 am
Good choose Chery, Datok Camn Soh from Alado can import this model and let P1 assemble it as CKD, flooded our Bolehland with another low end budget car from Dragonland. “Cheap car, cheap life” for rakyat! Just like Sutera.
June 10, 2006 @ 9:07 am
Choose Poton la.. Hornet mcm best je… suicide doors r cool….
June 10, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
This look like a Myvi on steroid.
June 10, 2006 @ 1:44 pm
by da looks of it , it won’t land in dis soil !
June 10, 2006 @ 5:07 pm
nice cool design there… but not for Malaysian marktet I think… it’ll took 10 yrs for Malaysian to accept that kinda design… but it looks nice for me.. masculine…
June 10, 2006 @ 9:49 pm
Malaysian alwayz has high taste…Of course most of them like that design..The only problem is the high price…So they will settle with a “downgrade” model from P1,P2 or NAZA..
September 25, 2006 @ 5:15 pm
[...] We all know Dodge doesn’t really have a small car in it’s stables, which explains the Dodge Hornet concept and Chrysler’s on-going search for a partner to build small cars with. But somewhere south of the USA, in Mexico there are small Dodge cars going around the streets – the Dodge Attitude. [...]
December 5, 2006 @ 9:34 am
[...] Related Posts: Chrey to build Dodge subcompacts for DCX Chrysler to pick sub-compact partner by year end Chery to build small car for Chrysler [...]