Chrysler Prepares Itself for a Strong Future

As the 2012's continue to arrive at the dealerships, we hear lots of speculation and hinting from Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne regarding the future direction of Chrysler. For those who have been following for years, Chrysler and Fiat's partnering led to a complete revamp of all models for 2011. This lead to approximately 26% increase in sales in 2011 over 2010. The 2010's that did not change have been put on the chopping block.

What can we expect in the next few years?

The first new major product announcement made by Chrysler is the Dodge Dart. This vehicle was named "Most Significant Vehicle" at the 2012 North American International Autoshow in Detroit. This replaces the Caliber in the compact market and will be released in 2012 as a midseason 2013. It brings a lot of new technology to the market and borrows its underpinnings from the relatively new Alfa Romeo Giulietta that is currently being produced by Fiat in Italy. Expect to see a Chrysler hatchback version of the Dart in the following year (2014) called the 100 to fit Chryslers new branding of its compact, mid, and full size models.

The Alfa Romeo DNA that finds itself in the new Dodge Dart has been slated to replace the previous Caliber underpinnings in its Jeep counterparts. Marchionne has hinted that the Compass, the 200, the Dodge Avenger and the Liberty will all be redesigned in the next couple of years with similar Chassis' to the new Dodge Dart.

Fiat and Chrysler have had a huge success with the Chrysler developed Pentastar Engine and hope to have similar success in the compact market with the revamped I4 to power all these new vehicles. The I4 World Engine that was used to power the compact and midsize models has been reengineered to be lighter, more powerful, more economical to run, and most of all quieter. This new engine has been dubbed the Tigershark and will be debuting in 3 sizes and matched to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission.

In other Chrysler news, Marchionne states that Pentastar engine production will need to grow to 1.2 million engines per year. In two years Chrysler has produced 1 million engines. With a new production facility opening in Mexico, Chrysler was originally planning on about 1 million units per year. Watch to see Pentastar options in the rest of the models including Ram trucks and the remaining Jeep models in the upcoming years.

And the most important news, Chrysler has repaid their U.S. and Canadian government loans and has posted a $2 Billion operating profit for 2011. This is great news for both Chrysler associates and enthusiasts.