Chrysler Group announced they were going to stop selling two of the same for the sake of creating stronger brands and less market overlap. The move strikes us as strange, since European automakers try
to sell everything under every brand in order to get closer to what the end customers wants. Yet it might not be the wrong one, since too many bad products caused the whole bankruptcy thing in the first place.
The obvious first victim of Chrysler’s new strategies is the Dodge Grand Caravan, which overlaps with the Chrysler Town & Country, the best selling minivan in America. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he would only offer one such vehicle, and the next generation to arrive will only replace the Chrysler Town & Country, meaning the Grand Caravan will see the very sharp end of an axe.
Now, it seems that the change has been changed again, but only in Canada. According to The Detroit News, the Grand Caravan will live on, but only in name, as a rebadged version of its Chrysler sister that will not be sold there.
The reason for the move couldn’t be more simple: sales. While the Chrysler model outsells the Dodge in the US market, the story is the other way around in Canada.
"If we go to one minivan, it would certainly be the Dodge Grand Caravan in Canada, but the Town & Country resonates more strongly here in the U.S., so that's going to be the van in the U.S.," said Reid Biglund, head of the Dodge brand. "There's just so much equity in the Caravan name in Canada."
Now, it seems that the change has been changed again, but only in Canada. According to The Detroit News, the Grand Caravan will live on, but only in name, as a rebadged version of its Chrysler sister that will not be sold there.
The reason for the move couldn’t be more simple: sales. While the Chrysler model outsells the Dodge in the US market, the story is the other way around in Canada.
"If we go to one minivan, it would certainly be the Dodge Grand Caravan in Canada, but the Town & Country resonates more strongly here in the U.S., so that's going to be the van in the U.S.," said Reid Biglund, head of the Dodge brand. "There's just so much equity in the Caravan name in Canada."
Google News