In a recent article published in Fortune, Frank B. Rhodes Jr., great-grandson of Chrysler founder Walter P. Chrysler, showed concern for the future of the Chrysler and Dodge brands. Rhodes, who has always been a great supporter of the family’s American brand, wanted to point out details that he thinks should be improved. In particular, Rhodes, seems to be concerned about the electric launch that Stellantis would have planned for these brands.
Rhodes fears electrification of U.S. brands.
Rhodes pointed out that one of his main concerns is precisely the issue of electric vehicles affecting Chrysler and Dodge. Stellantis working on the electric transition in a sustained way, in contrast Rhodes argues that it is still premature. Chrysler’s great-grandson argues that even though the brand has introduced a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Pacifica minivan, the auto group’s sustenance toward an electric-only future could jeopardize the brand’s future. He also referenced how other manufacturers are also proceeding in a much more gradual manner.
Rhodes argues that Chrysler’s main problem is not electric, its range has been stagnant for years now. In fact, the last model launched would be the Pacifica of the year 2017, thereafter nothing. In fact, although very interesting concepts have been presented, none of them have been brought forward. A clear example of this is the Chrysler Airflow. Rhodes argues that in recent decades, Chrysler, rather than being a market player, is simply following trends, which was not the case before. Despite the fact that the Dodge brand has been slightly more active than Chrysler, Rhodes argues that an acceleration to electric cars, could cause loyal customers to leave for years.
Dodge may not be in line with customer demands
Rhodes also criticized the corporate priorities imposed by Carlos Tavares, who has decided to focus corporate strategy on cost-cutting. According to Rhodes, this course of action has negative consequences, which would be stalled sales, factories in poor condition, and vehicles that no one asks for at dealerships. An example of this could be the American brand Dodge itself.
As we know, Dodge has been able to build strong enthusiasm around muscle cars, but even so, the reliance on electric cars moving forward may not be in line with what consumers would like to see from the brand. Rhodes in this regard has put forward several proposals. The first is to build the Hornet model in North America in order to lower costs and gain customers. In addition, it would be necessary to produce different types of vehicles even in smaller sizes.
American vehicles for U.S. customers
Rhodes argues that the famous U.S. brands need leadership that can care about the real performance of the two companies, characterized by the great passion for these cars of its customers. In this regard, he argues that the right person to take charge is the very person who recently retired from the position of CEO of the two brands, namely Tim Kuniskis.
Finally, Chrysler’s great-grandson argues that American consumers predominantly prefer to take advantage of products that are created within the United States. Rhodes argues that Stellantis is persistent in offering cars to the market with prices that are too high, compared to the quality they can really offer the consumer. This would increase speculation too much in an interest rate environment.