Was Chrysler Almost Whacked by Marchionne?

Sergio Marchionne, the late CEO of FCA, might have considered ridding the company of the Chrysler brand before his death, which might have made sense.

Even with the excellence of the Chrysler Pacifica and the smooth quality of the Chrysler 300, the brand seemed to be limping along and might have been considered to be done and buried in much the same way the brands of Maxwell, DeSoto, and Plymouth. Thankfully, this didn’t take place and the brand seems to be poised to make a positive movement in the market.

The Storied History Will be Reborn

It seems to be a bit of an irony that the FCA family of vehicles is named for two of the weakest brands in the organization. The only way to make the name worse would be to add Lancia to the mix and make it the FCLA company. While Fiat has had a hard time gaining a foothold in the US and may leave the North American market in the future, the brand has a strong and storied history that dates back to the founder Walter P. Chrysler with several followers who are loyal to the brand.

Growth on the Horizon

Since the end of the Chrysler 200, the lineup from Chrysler has only given us two names to know and enjoy. The Chrysler Pacifica has become the new foundation for the brand with strong sales and a build that fits into family-hauling for most of the drivers in North America. The Chrysler 300 continues to be one of the most elegant and sophisticated large sedans on the market, but that’s all we have for this brand. Thankfully new models are on the way to give this brand a boost.

FCA has What’s Needed

As the company that offers us the brands of Jeep, Dodge, and Ram, there are many SUV platforms that could easily be used for a Chrysler SUV, or maybe a couple of them. The Jeep lineup is made of entirely SUVs which allows it to be where we see the Chrysler brand turning to for some of the new SUVs that are on the horizon. Yes, we will see Chrysler add SUVs in the near future to give the brand a boost and add higher-quality vehicles that reach nearly luxury levels for the future of the drive we want to make.

Chrysler Could Regain its Premium Place

For several generations, the Chrysler name spelled premium quality in the automotive market to give us vehicles that offer more driving features and better materials than mainstream brands. While this is a difficult place to be, it’s where FCA is missing the mark right now, and new SUVs that would wear the Chryslerbadge could make this brand a strong competitor that would go up against Buick and Lincoln in this area of the market. Chrysler isn’t dead, and even if Marchionne considered it, he was one person who helped make this a successful brand for the future.