I took one look at this headline, and the first thing that came to my mind was, “No $#¡†, Sherlock!”

Chrysler is missing out b/c they don’t make any small CARS. They’re all “crossovers” or SUVs. I knew they would regret the day they let the Neon die.

lol the neon what a piece of **** but that piece of **** could be saving them right now….

I actually don’t mind the Patriot, it’d be something I’d get for the wife, the Caliber (R/T and lower are boring and fugly) the SRT4 is a nice machine for the price and has just enough styling differences where it looks good. The Compass is just a lump of ****, no matter how you slice it.

They need a new compact from the ground up, improve the interior in the Patriot and axe the Compass.

Caliber was a replacement for Neon. I don’t believe it is any worse then Neon, it is lagging comparable to other cars in the segment. If Chrysler still has any engineers left, they should address mileage for 2010 model year via engine management and transmission adjustments. GM & Ford did not do much more to Cobalt & Focus and it worked for them. The real problem Chrysler facing is a loss of following in car market. Chrysler products have always competed on price and although their cars are still cheap they are not as competitive as Hyundai/Kia.

Even Chrysler’s 4-cylinder models drink way too much. It better keep that $2.99 deal if it knows what’s good for itself.

Yes Xyunia the Caliber was the Neon’s replacement… but it is trying to compete in a totally different segment. Calibur is up against the likes of small wagons like Fit & Matrix/Vibe… which is a hard place to be in. If they had made a Calibur coupe and sedan it would compete better with Civic, Corolla, Focus, & Cobalt. If I’m shopping for a compact car… Calibur is not on my list.

It’s pretty apparent that Chrysler needs more vehicles… Their product portfolio is very limited and even their smallest car in their line-up, the Dodge Caliber, is actually pretty big compared to the cars in the compact market… and just like RaineMan said, it’s more a small wagon, than a sub-compact.

What they need to do is just bring the Neon back. Same platform as the Caliber, but give it a sedan and coupe variant like they did in the past, and the Caliber can be the small wagon like car.

And with only having the Avenger, and Sebring… that need to be updated, especially with those interiors… A couple more small cars wouldn’t hurt.

Dodge should also get that (I can’t believe I’m saying it) FWD Demon on the market ASAP…

Back in the day Chrysler could count on Mitsubishi for adequate small car support. Even the base Eclipse/Laser/Talon models would be very acceptable now.
As Need4SSpeed says, The Caliber/Compass/Patriot are not small cars. The only hope Crysler has now is if gas drops back into the $2/gallon range.

Chrysler needs to simply re-label Mitsubishi proucts like they did in the late 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s. Its time for a new Conquest TSi/Starion anyway. They are really missing the boat on that one.

Chrysler is facing the repurcussions of having an inferior product line. Guess that “HEMI” isnt working out to well with the current economic crisis. I dont think they have one suv that gets over 20 mpg. I know for sure that jeep and dodge arent holding there own wait. RIP chrysler. Were you ever even a contender

The Caliber/Compass replaced the Neon. Chrysler needs the hornet and any small vehicles yesterday. They will remedy this very soon with deals with Nissan. Isn’t the Caliber platform also shared with the Mitsu Lancer? if so why not make a sedan version of the Caliber or are the Avenger/Sebring also replacement of the neon as well?

Yes, Chrysler has bargain basement interiors but what about GM? I’ve really wanted to buy certain GM products but couldn’t because the seat fabric looked so cheap.

I agree with the general sentiment that Chrysler’s goof up was that the Caliber is more than it should be. Some colleagues I know didn’t even realize that the Caliber was a compact car.

The four-door hatch is a popular variant, and can be executed quite well (Fit, Versa, Mazda 3), so the Caliber on paper was alright, but it should have been pared down. It even looks pretty substantial on the road.

Take one look at the panel gaps on a Caliber and you laugh. Take one look at the interior and you cry….

How could they abandon small, efficient vehicles completely? They canned the Neon, brought out about 8 variations on the Aspen/Commander/Durango/whatever, and now have no respectable CARS smaller than the 300 and no Plan B. Disaster.

Who in their right mind would be seen dead in a Caliber?

Well GM Ford and Chrysler all have bargain basement interiors I think Chrysler is the worst of the three I got into a Dodge Journey and I thought I had stepped into a time machine that took me back to the 80’s
The 2010 GM models seem to have new interiors that are almost on par with the foreign competition has out now Still years behind but better than before. The newer Ford models appear to be better than before as well

There is no worse automotive experience than driving a Caliber with a CVT. A friend of mine was unlucky enough to get this combination as a rental and we rode all over town in this crap-wagon fearing for our lives. I prefer his other car, a ‘63 Beetle with rusted-out footwells (you can see the road as you drive) and Porsche wheels.

====>>wonder how i knew they would regret the very day they canned the Neon? P.S. tripleonefive there is no way u can bash the Journey’s interior, i applaud how they ergonomically designed that interior with family in mind. NEway, most cars usually grow on me overtime but as a previous SRT-4 owner, i HATE the caliber and still [don't like] the Caliber SRT-4. Never grew on me. The Neon SRT-4 was muscular and “speedy” looking, but the Caliber SRT-4? looks plain cheap. I wasn’t in no way looking for a “navigational-esque” interior when i bought my old SRT-4 but i got what i paid for. But chrysler does need to bring the 2700lb 2.0 neon back. The first thing people think of when they hear HEMI is FUEL.

When Caliber was introduced in Europe it had 3 months waiting list for the 1.8L model in France. I reckon styling for a small car was OK (France is not known to be a truck country). Don’t forget, Chrysler become “American” company less then a year; it takes more then one year to unscrew years of neglect by “parent” company.

They should never have killed the Neon.

They need to built the ZEO, which obviously will not be called ZEO. NEON 2.0 would be cool.

A bit attention on their midsized cars would be helpful too.

Don’t worry, Chrysler will come out with a small car… 10 years from now with a design that’s equally as dated, just like everything else they make.

They should make the Slingshot….”Sling Shot features a rear-mounted, 3-cylinder, gasoline engine that is tuned to deliver 100 bhp and 0-60 mph time of about 10 seconds due to power to weight ratio of 17.4 lbs/bhp. A five-speed gearbox, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes complete the driver-oriented characteristics contributing to the Sling Shot’s efficient, responsive and fun-to-drive personality at the same time delivering up to 45 mpg.”

Geeez, they should have made the damn thing!

What they should do is make a smaller and cheaper version of the firepower. I don’t know of a company other than Chrysler that has come out with nice concepts and ugly as hell production cars

Slingshot? Heck yeah. It looks good, too. It almost looks like the Smart Roadster, of which I’m guessing it was based.

jonnycat: agreed 100%! Very well said.

I don’t get why everyone hates on the Neon so much. The caliber is nothing like the neon & i don’t understand how they could replace the neon with THAT. They could have just as easily made the Caliber in addition to the Neon. I own a 2006 Neon R/T and i love it. Its the best car i’ve ever had (meaning its never been in the shop for ANYTHING) and gets 27MPG and i drive a mix of city/HWY and i drive it hard. Its a d@mn good car. A Friend of mine has a 2002 Neon that he’s been driving cuz gas it high, he gets 30MPG and its paid off. It also has 265K miles on it & he’s only replaced the normal stuff. Something we both have in common is that we take care of our cars, neither have been wrecked. Take care of your car & it’ll take care of you. but yes, some brands have their weaknesses.

If your friend has 265k on a Neon he should call the Smithsonian. They will want to display the Magic Neon on a column right by the Apollo spacecraft.

very funny… so how do you explain the 1st gen neons that are ALL OVER is hues such as the fuschia and highlighter greens with the same mileage?

well…their small car like compass is a crap…who wants to buy crap??

What, all you guys can think of is rebadge a Mitsubishi, to be dropped in five years time and this **** happen again?

How about we just agree that CHRYSLER needs to begin making good cars. Nobody else can do it for them. Mitsu could supply them with the Colt, but Chrysler still has another 75% of it’s lineup to deal with.

======>>JoshyLofty, about people hating on the Neon, i’m right on with you 110%. They steadily bash the interior of it when as i noted above, I wasn’t in no way looking for a “navigational-esque” interior when i bought my old SRT-4 Stage2 but i got what i paid for in performance. It’s one little question that’s in my head for you though. How do you have an ‘06 Neon R/T when the last model year for all Neon SXT/SRT-4’s was 2005?

Joshy, are you sure he doesn’t have 256K RAM in that Neon?

small and ugly?

the Neon had some charisma, whisch is more than dcx has now.

dcx needs a subcompact.

Chrysler is the worst of the big 3 the Journey interioew looks just lije an 85 spirit or somthing. liken thety never herd of any nu ideas.

and I thought I had stepped into a time machine that took me back to the 80’s
The 2010 GM models R on par with the foreign competition
The newer Ford models R hit and miss.

dck’s midsized cars need a lot of a10ion. a

I don’t hate the Neon

Ktulu, are you high when you write your posts? Or are you just using a Blackberry or an iPhone or something? I find it difficult to read your posts, but I like them because they are short and to the point. Mine are usually very long winded. I’m not making fun of you. I’d just like to know what gives.

triplefaggot is obviously a) a car porter for a multi line “auto mall” or b) a valet parking attendant for a hotel chain. How else could he possibly be inside all these cars he claims to have been inside of?