Have you ever imagined that day would come, that day when Chrysler badges will be glued on a Japanese sedan built in Thailand and sold in China? Don't worry, neither did we, but this questionable and uninspired move intends to boost Chrysler's presence in China.
The Chinese like their cars full o' bling, with plenty of legroom in the back, a little bit luxurious to say the least and preferably adorned with one of the most revered badges in the industry. Thus, a Chrysler would fit that mould with flying colors, but not the one reported by Japanese publication Nikkei.
It's not even a proper Chrysler, for crying out loud. The car Chrysler intends to rebadge and sell in China later this year is actually a Mitsubishi Attrage, also known as the Mirage G4. Does a front-wheel drive 1.2-liter three-cylinder subcompact built in Laem Chabang, Thailand seem Chrysler-ish to you? Not really, not by a long shot. According to Nikkei, the Mitsubishi-Chrysler partnership will be officially announced sometime next week.
Since Fiat bought the Chrysler shares held by the United States Treasury and created Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles NV, the holding started to expand its presence throughout Asia in order to sell more of its car production volumes. Being the world's biggest new vehicle market, it was only natural for FCA to have a go in China as well.
Out of all the manufacturers present in the Asian country, Fiat-Chrysler enjoys only 0.6 percent market share. Yes, locally producing Jeeps will definitely hike that market share percentage, but a rebadged Mitsubishi subcompact most probably won't cut the sales volume mustard even if FCA will price it close to the Jia Yue-badged Ford Focus Sedan's ¥90,000 ($14,500).
It's not even a proper Chrysler, for crying out loud. The car Chrysler intends to rebadge and sell in China later this year is actually a Mitsubishi Attrage, also known as the Mirage G4. Does a front-wheel drive 1.2-liter three-cylinder subcompact built in Laem Chabang, Thailand seem Chrysler-ish to you? Not really, not by a long shot. According to Nikkei, the Mitsubishi-Chrysler partnership will be officially announced sometime next week.
Since Fiat bought the Chrysler shares held by the United States Treasury and created Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles NV, the holding started to expand its presence throughout Asia in order to sell more of its car production volumes. Being the world's biggest new vehicle market, it was only natural for FCA to have a go in China as well.
Out of all the manufacturers present in the Asian country, Fiat-Chrysler enjoys only 0.6 percent market share. Yes, locally producing Jeeps will definitely hike that market share percentage, but a rebadged Mitsubishi subcompact most probably won't cut the sales volume mustard even if FCA will price it close to the Jia Yue-badged Ford Focus Sedan's ¥90,000 ($14,500).