Chrysler outlined a plan several months ago to sell a Chinese-made Chery small car in the U.S., but it appears as though those plans have fallen by the wayside. Chrysler’s plan to sell a Chery-made car in Mexico also appears to be off the table.
Sources familiar with the situation say the plan is on hold indefinitely, with the strong possibility that nothing will come of the earlier agreement.
“I wouldn’t place much hope on it,” a former Chery executive familiar with the Chrysler deal told Automotive News. “Both companies have their own problems to deal with, and both have run out of money.”
In addition to money problems, it’s been reported that Chery’s small car would have never made it here in the U.S. Chrysler’s Tom LaSorda openly admitted that Chery’s cars are “three years or more†away from being able to meet stringent U.S. safety and emissions regulations, and the build quality of Chery’s cars are far below that of what’s acceptable in the United States.
Despite the fallout, Chrysler still needs a competitive market for the U.S., so look for a Dodge-badged Nissan Versa to hit the streets early next decade.
