robertlane Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Article Link They are storing the LX cars on West Jefferson, across from Sibley Gardens in Trenton. They are packing them on the lot like sardines - it's not a good site to see Will this affect Ford's plans (if they really have any) for a RWD Panther replacement? Also, how will it affect the Hurricane program? Is Ford right to go with the MKS' twin turbo over a larger V8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waymondospiff Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 "This is a reflection of vehicle production," Lacy said. "This is not a reflection of them specifically having less demand for Hemi engines." Many Chrysler dealers agree, saying the engine still wins over some customers. "Consumers aren't really shying away from the Hemi," said Gordon Farhat, a general sales manager at Westborn Chrysler Jeep in Dearborn. "You say Hemi and a consumer's eyes get a little bigger. The Hemi sticks out in people's mind." From the article, I think these are the most important lines. The Hemi's only being cut by about 20K units, that's not a whole lot considering how far down Ram & Durango sales are this year. As far as affecting LX-competitors from GM or Ford, I don't think it's that important. The 300/Charger are very limited in appeal. Yes, they've been trumpeted by the media and it's been the "must have" in rap videos and such, but it's not the be-all, end-all car. It's a love-or-hate styling, and I, like many others, don't love it. The interior is cheap with tons of shiny Chrysler plastic. You can't see out of the thing, giving taller drivers (those over 5'5") neck cramps at every stoplight. And Chrysler hasn't had competitive vehicles to "off-sell" to in their showroom...meaning, if someone goes to Ford looking at the 500 but it's too big or too pricey, they can drive home in a Fusion or a Focus. At Chrysler, what are you gonna buy instead? A Sebring? A PT Cruiser? Plus, Chrysler hasn't done a good job advertising the safety aspects of the vehicle, stability control (which should be standard, anyway) and available AWD. Many people think the 300 is RWD and that it is inherently unsafe compared to a FWD car. And, one more thing hurting the LX, is the lack of a decent V6 powertrain. The 2.7L is a joke in a car this heavy, and the 3.5L is alright, but it is saddled by the horrid "ultradrive" FOUR-speed automatic. If Chrysler had a better "base" powertrain, like the GM 3.6L or Ford's new 3.5L with the JV 6-speed auto, then the "non-C" 300s would be more attractive to consumers. So, the net-net of my argument is ignore slowing LX sales. A good RWD flagship car would do wonders for Ford. Focus on making the car the best it can be and ignore the desire to make it faddish. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 Pony Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Chrysler's problems are only temporary. Granted they overproduced the 300 based on all the hype of the last 2 years. But the bottom line is it's sales are still up something like 13% over last year and continues to outsell the Crown Vic and 500 combined. And while Ram sales are down 15% so far so is Ford's F Series. So I can totally see why they are backing off a little on the Hemi. Unlike the previous poster Ford should look at the 300's success to get a clue as to what to do about the Crown Vic. I'm from the love it department - it is far and away superior to the Crown Vic and the 500 as well in both in interior appointments and styling. Of course the only reason the Crown Vic is still even around is because of fleet sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 300 sales went way down in the past few months. the hype is over, and the Charger is not going to sell as well. Whats Mopar-wagen got coming? Sebring based on a Mitsu? Durango with chrome? The LY cars [next gen 300, etc] are years away. the final years of the current LX 300 will be 'buy a car get a check' again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 300 sales went way down in the past few months. the hype is over, and the Charger is not going to sell as well. Whats Mopar-wagen got coming? Sebring based on a Mitsu? Durango with chrome? The LY cars [next gen 300, etc] are years away. the final years of the current LX 300 will be 'buy a car get a check' again. 300 sales have increased well over a thousand units each month for the past 3 months. Since the release of the car in April of 2004, it has averaged approximately 11,900 sales per month. Which is almost exactly what it sold last month. :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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