• Jun 20, 2007

When even deep discounts aren't getting the job done, sometimes you've got to bend the rules. Normally, a Chrysler dealer must use a car as a loaner for three months before designating it a used car. Still wondering what to do with a "glut" of 2006 vehicles in June of 2007, Chrysler has told dealers if they use a car as a loaner for just one day, they can consider it a used car and move it off the new car lot. Dealers also get an additional $2,000 discount as an incentive to use the program.

Instead of making fewer cars in 2006, Chrysler built more than dealers wanted and simply parked them around Detroit. Incentives helped move some, but the incentive program was to end May 31 of this year and dealers still had more 2006 cars sitting on lots than they wanted. Chrysler decided it wanted to finish strongly, so it eased the loaner requirements, a move dealers had been asking for. Chrysler still counts the cars as retail sales (even though they're just being moved to the used car lot), but the cars won't distract buyers who are looking at Chrysler's 2007 product. At one dealer in New Mexico, a 2006 Dodge Ram went from $33,000 to $26,000 in one day. An '06 Durango could be reduced by $11,500 after one day. Could be time to run a daily patrol around your local Chrysler dealership...

[Source: Detroit News]

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    • 1 Second Ago
      • 7 Years Ago
      I believe that all of the current offerings by Chrysler are respectable vehicles. Poor management has caused this divorce with Daimler to come so quickly. In fact, Chrysler is one of very few automakers to take risks with their platforms. If you look at GM, they do more platform sharing than any one in the market (esepecially with the trucks). There's a Caddy, GMC and Chevy version of everything they make. When you don't do this, and your products don't sell as expected (a la Crossfire), you're stuck with an enormous amount of parts....and cars in this case. When this happens at GM, they just stop making Escalade EXTs and start calling them Silverado's or Sierra's. Make sense? The Crossfire has no cousin or sibling to play with. I say Chrysler gets 10 points for originality and having the balls to build a product that retained the majority of its styling cues from concept to showroom.

      I own an SRT-6 Crossfire and I bought it because I like the car. I don't expect to sell it at all...so I could care less about what some book says its market value is!

      The realy problem is that todays American consumer doesn't make informed and rational purchases. If they go to a dealership to get a car they like and can't afford it, they wind up with something they really don't like and are never satisfied until they trade themselves into serious debt trying to get the car they wanted initially. But, then again, that's the American way!
      • 7 Years Ago
      #5 i do not know why but many car sector analysts still say that Chrysler is in better shape than GM or ford.
      • 7 Years Ago
      to bad they have no product i would consider buying at any price
        • 7 Years Ago
        I wouldn't want you to buy my products if you did not know how to spell either.
        • 7 Years Ago
        what a douschbag

        its comments on a blog dude. noone but you give a flyin fcuk about spelling.

        oh no, another typo.
      • 7 Years Ago
      ...I still wouldn't buy a chrysler.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Another reason why Chrysler should die.
      • 7 Years Ago
      If Daimler continues to lose money, they won't have Chrysler to kick around anymore.
      • 7 Years Ago
      I suppose it's great for those lookin to buy a new car, but I feel really bad for those who bought 07s at full price, then saw this news.

      The only car I'd consider would be the SRT Charger, but somehow I doubt that's languishing in the lots.
      • 7 Years Ago
      How about a petition to have chevy do this with the vette.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Let's remember where the blame lies: Daimler executives thought it was a good idea to completely over produce 2006 Chrysler models and flood the dealerships so that they could record profits for one quarter. What a surprise that Daimler sold Chrysler down the river afterwards.

      How much Daimler executives made in this little deal is anyone's guess.
        • 7 Years Ago
        That's odd...
        I thought it was becuase it cost them the same if they built the things versus paying the union workers for doing nothing while the market was in a downturn.

        Turns out they should have done the latter and just eaten the losses instead of causing the end of DC. I don't really see any good coming of this for unions, which is probably why they struck first with the concession proposal that AB posted a story on recently
      • 7 Years Ago
      Do you hear that? Listen...that's the sound of kamikaze suicide discounts hitting Chrysler. Duck!!! Here comes another!!!

      The travesty is that the faithful followers are now taking it in the pants. Smooth move Chrysler.
      • 7 Years Ago
      Even with these huge discounts how much will you lose off the car the second you drive it off the lot?

      I still wish they made the Razor and that M80 truck. Demon just isn't the same.
      • 7 Years Ago
      lmao according to the articleon detnews this affects 9600 cars - GOOD WORK!

      Special thanks to the german Joe Eberhardt who oversaw the overproduction before he was demoted from vp to manager of a mercedes dealer..


      They did this the last couple years for the crossifre too (the car daimler alotted money for to build a successor, yet felt no need to make room for a small car).

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