- Jan 7, 2002
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DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler brand is about to gamble there is room for yet another large, upscale SUV.
Next summer, Chrysler plans to introduce its first sport utility vehicle as part of a major rollout of new models in 2006 aimed at building on the automaker's recent turnaround.
The SUV will be based on the current, seven-seat Dodge Durango but will be more upscale and is expected to debut at the Detroit auto show in January, said a Chrysler official familiar with the plan.
The project signals Chrysler remains bullish on the large SUV market despite a recent thaw in demand for big, truck-based SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition and Toyota Sequoia.
Chrysler could face challenges in putting its middle-market Chrysler brand up against established luxury marques such as Cadillac, Volvo and Lincoln. But the automaker's recent success in pitching its new 300 sedan as upscale yet affordable suggests the automaker may have cracked the code for entering richer segments, said Jeremy Anwyl, president of Edmunds.com, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based Web site that offers car-buying advice.
"If they took that formula into the luxury SUV category ... they would probably have a good story for the marketplace," Anwyl said.
Chrysler plans to resurrect a vehicle name from DaimlerChrysler's past for the new SUV and is planning to build the model at a plant in Newark, Del., where the Durango is assembled, the Chrysler source said.
Because the Durango was just redesigned and the costs of launching a totally new vehicle are high, it is unlikely that the Chrysler-badged SUV will look much different from Durango. Analysts expect to see a different front grille and headlights, a more refined interior and possibly a different tailgate. http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/06/A01-205249.htm
Next summer, Chrysler plans to introduce its first sport utility vehicle as part of a major rollout of new models in 2006 aimed at building on the automaker's recent turnaround.
The SUV will be based on the current, seven-seat Dodge Durango but will be more upscale and is expected to debut at the Detroit auto show in January, said a Chrysler official familiar with the plan.
The project signals Chrysler remains bullish on the large SUV market despite a recent thaw in demand for big, truck-based SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition and Toyota Sequoia.
Chrysler could face challenges in putting its middle-market Chrysler brand up against established luxury marques such as Cadillac, Volvo and Lincoln. But the automaker's recent success in pitching its new 300 sedan as upscale yet affordable suggests the automaker may have cracked the code for entering richer segments, said Jeremy Anwyl, president of Edmunds.com, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based Web site that offers car-buying advice.
"If they took that formula into the luxury SUV category ... they would probably have a good story for the marketplace," Anwyl said.
Chrysler plans to resurrect a vehicle name from DaimlerChrysler's past for the new SUV and is planning to build the model at a plant in Newark, Del., where the Durango is assembled, the Chrysler source said.
Because the Durango was just redesigned and the costs of launching a totally new vehicle are high, it is unlikely that the Chrysler-badged SUV will look much different from Durango. Analysts expect to see a different front grille and headlights, a more refined interior and possibly a different tailgate. http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/06/A01-205249.htm