Will Chrysler be the Next Brand to Disappear?

Let’s give the most accurate answer right up front: We don’t know. But if the Chrysler display at the New York International Auto Show is any indication, Chrysler is teetering on its last legs.

The 2017 NYIAS is taking place right now, and certainly a part of the weakness in Chrysler’s New York presentation is location. The North Hall of New York City’s massive Jacob Javits Convention Center, when utilized as part of a large show such as the NYIAS, is overlooked by a large percentage of show visitors because a conscious effort is required to find it and walk to it. It is not immediately adjacent to the rest of the show and it very much has the look and feel of an afterthought.

In the North Hall Chrysler is sharing the space with Jalopnik, the NY5TH Gen Camaro Club, and Tiny Houses. We are sure that there are fine people at each of these organizations but these groups aren’t exactly a major auto show draw. We don’t even “get” the reason that Tiny Houses are at the Auto Show, other than the fact that each tiny house is mounted on a trailer, but on the day of our visit the Tiny Houses arguably were generating the biggest buzz in the room. The only other car brands there are Fiat and Mitsubishi, and like Chrysler they appear to have put no more than the absolute minimum amount of time and money into their displays.

The main floor of the show contains the splashy multi-media displays mounted by Acura – Honda – Audi – Bentley – BMW – Bugatti – Cadillac – Chevrolet – Ford – Hyundai – Infiniti – Jaguar – Land Rover – Kia – Koenigsegg – Lamborghini – Lexus – Lincoln – Lotus – Maserati – Mazda – Mercedes – Mini – Nissan – Porsche – Rolls Royce – Spyker – Subaru – Toyota – Volkswagen – and Volvo. Chrysler’s parent, FCA, has nice displays for Dodge and for Alfa Romeo on the main floor, and Jeep is making a splash by having an area in front of the building where show-goers can enjoy a ride-along in Jeep vehicles traversing improbable and challenging man-made terrain.

But poor Chrysler. The display is so lame it even includes a Chrysler 200 sedan, a handsome car thanks to its most recent re-design but a car discontinued from production in December. The balance of the exhibit consists of three Chrysler 300 sedans and a gaggle of Pacifica minivans. The layout of the display could make most dealer showrooms look exciting by comparison. It is just a bunch of cars on carpet in an array no more engaging than a parking lot.

No bright lights, no “concept car,” no news, no excitement.

The Pacifica minivan is Chrysler’s newest vehicle and by all accounts it is the equal if not the better of its marketplace rivals.  But the minivan arena is a small pond these days and while the Pacifica may be a big fish in that pond, it is Chrysler’s only fish.  There is a Pacifica hybrid available, and it is at the center of the New York display, but you’ll scarcely notice it.  The Chrysler 300 is a very good car but now quite long in the tooth, and Chrysler has nothing – literally nothing – in the hot SUV and crossover market.

Worse yet, there appears to be little or nothing in the future product pipeline for Chrysler. Future product information available today is no better than unsubstantiated speculation, and most of the rumors concerning future FCA products focus on Dodge and Jeep, not Chrysler.  If Chrysler is to survive it needs a forthcoming replacement for the 300 and it needs desperately to have a selection of SUV/crossovers.

But to judge by what Chrysler is offering at NYIAS, Chrysler is doomed.  We hate to say this, as we have owned everything from the Chrysler minivan now in our driveway to the 1936 Chrysler Airflow that was our first collector car years ago, and we can think of a whole host of Chrysler products that have been interesting and compelling throughout the brand’s long history.  Nothing at the 2017 New York International Auto Show indicates that Chrysler has a future.

Images selected from FCA Media.