Photo: Newspress
If you're looking to buy one of those gigantic Chrysler 300 sedans in right-hand drive, better do it fast because the American brand is pulling out of the UK car market. Citing stringent CO2 emissions, local bosses have declared that a complete pullout will happen by 2017.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Fiat Group UK’s deputy managing director Karl Howkins basically said Chrysler is dead right now. The 300C large saloon is not being sold, as is the case Grand Voyager minivan.
The 300 is affected by stringent CO2 emissions regulations, has not been marketed well enough and competes with far more popular German models like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. As for the Grand Voyager, well, who ever thought somebody in Britain would want one of those?
That only leaves one model, the Ypsilon premium supermini that rivals the Audi A1 and MINI hatch. But as we all know, even that will be discontinued together with the Lancia brand. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne is culling Lancia from all European markets, leaving it with just its home Italian market. A facelift for the Ypsilon is being prepared, but after that, Lancia is effectively dead.
The all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 could do much better, since it's much more technologically advanced and competitively priced, but it will probably never make it across the pond. In RHD markets, including Japan, the Lancia Delta was sold with a Chrysler grille from 2011 but was killed off in 2014.
However, it's not all bad news, as the latest Jeep SUVs have sold really well in many European markets, probably because they offer a real alternative to German luxury SUVs. The Grand Cherokee is a firm favorite with the autoevolution team, partly because of its charisma but also due to its serious offroad capabilities.
The 300 is affected by stringent CO2 emissions regulations, has not been marketed well enough and competes with far more popular German models like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. As for the Grand Voyager, well, who ever thought somebody in Britain would want one of those?
That only leaves one model, the Ypsilon premium supermini that rivals the Audi A1 and MINI hatch. But as we all know, even that will be discontinued together with the Lancia brand. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne is culling Lancia from all European markets, leaving it with just its home Italian market. A facelift for the Ypsilon is being prepared, but after that, Lancia is effectively dead.
Chrysler in the UK – what's the deal?
The ambitious introduction of American cars in Europe was announced in 2010, but the plan hasn't really worked. Even though Fiat Group invested heavily into rebadging the Chrysler 200 as the Lancia Flavia, not many were sold.The all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 could do much better, since it's much more technologically advanced and competitively priced, but it will probably never make it across the pond. In RHD markets, including Japan, the Lancia Delta was sold with a Chrysler grille from 2011 but was killed off in 2014.
However, it's not all bad news, as the latest Jeep SUVs have sold really well in many European markets, probably because they offer a real alternative to German luxury SUVs. The Grand Cherokee is a firm favorite with the autoevolution team, partly because of its charisma but also due to its serious offroad capabilities.
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