According to insiders talking to Autonews, the main reason behind the change of heart seems to be the fact that proper Fiat replacements for the two sedans are still some two years away. With that in mind, Chrysler may consider keeping the two models in production until 2012.
In other words, the Sterling Heights facility, also scheduled for shutdown by late 2010, may live for another two years. Nothing but good news, if they turn out to be true, for the Sterling workers, who rallied over the weekend to protest over the closure.
The two models will remain however the black sheeps of Chrysler's line-up, with disappointing sales. Compared with the segment leader, the Toyota Camry, which sold in August 238,612 units, the Sebring and Avenger together totaled 40,452 units sold.
The poor performance of the two vehicles is obvious for quite some time and, as a result, Chrysler's former owner, Cerberus Capital Management planned to replace them sometimes in the future. With this year's bankruptcy, their plans went down the drain.
"We were surprised by how little had been done in the past 24 months," Chrysler's new CEO, Sergio Marchionne said in Frankfurt.
As said, Chrysler's board met on friday to discuss the five-year business plan. Although details will not be released until November, the plan reportedly states an all-out revival of the Chrysler line-up, with the launch of five new models and newer generations of the existing ones.
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