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FCA Merger effect on Jeep?

ThirtyOne

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Yeah the bigger Vehicles are what Ram and Jeep excel at. There would be a rebellion if the Hemi was replaced by some 4.2 liter v8 from Europe...
Well the 5.7 won't be replaced by a V8. It will be replaced by a 3.0 liter or smaller turbo 6.
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bullfrog3459

bullfrog3459

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Well the 5.7 won't be replaced by a V8. It will be replaced by a 3.0 liter or smaller turbo 6.
Just what we need. Another turbo motor. :(
 

The Last Cowboy

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I would have rather seen Ford own Jeep than having it now passed to it’s forth Euro owner. Ford has a record, like them or not, of slow evolution in their trucks. EcoBoost engines have become pretty damn reliable. The 5.0 is too wide for a JL, but the new 7.3 pushrod engine will fit just fine, just need to reduce the bore and stroke a little. Ford is also much better at stamping and painting aluminum panels, having pioneered it in high mass production with the F150. Plus Ford is one of the major contributors to the original WWII MB/GPW. Ford is arguably responsible for the final standardized look beginning in 1942.

Let’s see if the Netherlands based new Stellantis can understand the US market. If they start replacing top US execs with their own PSA people, then we will see DaimlerBenz all over again.
 

Sean L

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Well the 5.7 won't be replaced by a V8. It will be replaced by a 3.0 liter or smaller turbo 6.
I'd say more likely supplemented. Ford sells the EcoBoost like hotcakes but they still have a V8 in the F-150.

The Hemi should get upgraded to hold its own part of the market if you ask me. Around 420-450 Hp to compete with the GM 6.2 liter trucks.
 

VNT

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Probably not touch current or future product in near term in US, probably stop wasting money pushing Fiat in US and not attempt to introduce Peugot nameplate here LOL

I think they will ax a lot of stuff in EU where it makes sense and introduce tech in US that is wanting.

How good are the PSA Equipment Designers who tool the factories, that is never discussed in these things but can make a big difference in how efficient the plants are and impact the fit and finish and quality of the product and the cost.

Also how is their supply chain for parts, I think most of Jeep/Dodge/ram problem are induced by the parts suppliers, they seem to have issues where a 10$ part costs the customer tons of cash to replace after warranty.

Dumbler regime was great at parts cost cutting, I have to put an evaporator in one my PT cruisers this summer to get the AC back, so get to take the dash out to replace a 30$ part!
 

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The Last Cowboy

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I believe that PSA had a hand in development of the current 6.7 and 3.0 PowerStroke diesels. Both have been excellent engines, with the 3.0 being used in Land Rovers, Range Rovers and the F150.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_AJD-V6/PSA_DT17

The ZF designed 8 speed auto currently in use is the best automatic I have driven. We have a Navigator with the Ford/GM 10 speed auto. I can’t really complain about it, I just don’t like it as much as the ZF 6 and 8 speeds. US companies like to build mushy feeling transmissions. I like to feel an automatic shift firmly.
 
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The Last Cowboy

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@VNT, I absolutely think that PSA wants back into the US and will use empty Fiat dealers to do so. If they have researched well, then they should know what to do to succeed here. In my opinion they should compete feature for feature, price for price with Toyota, Honda and Hyundai/Kia. There’s no more room here for “upscale” cars. If they want to be “near luxury” they could compete as a lower price “premium” Euro make. If they want to sell lots full of cars though, the $30k price range is where they need to be.
 

aldo98229

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Probably not touch current or future product in near term in US, probably stop wasting money pushing Fiat in US and not attempt to introduce Peugot nameplate here LOL

I think they will ax a lot of stuff in EU where it makes sense and introduce tech in US that is wanting.

How good are the PSA Equipment Designers who tool the factories, that is never discussed in these things but can make a big difference in how efficient the plants are and impact the fit and finish and quality of the product and the cost.

Also how is their supply chain for parts, I think most of Jeep/Dodge/ram problem are induced by the parts suppliers, they seem to have issues where a 10$ part costs the customer tons of cash to replace after warranty.

Dumbler regime was great at parts cost cutting, I have to put an evaporator in one my PT cruisers this summer to get the AC back, so get to take the dash out to replace a 30$ part!
That wasn’t Dumbler, that was Chrysler. PT Cruiser was developed under Chrysler, and what a great product it was.

IMO, the reason suppliers keep dropping the ball is because FCA keeps changing specs at the last moment and squeezing them on cost. At some point something has to give.

Also, by the late 1990s, Chrysler had transformed its manufacturing into one of the most efficient in the industry. Things got a little more complex under Daimler. But in 10 years Fiat has turned these Jeeps into a nightmare to fix.
 

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@VNT, I absolutely think that PSA wants back into the US and will use empty Fiat dealers to do so. If they have researched well, then they should know what to do to succeed here. In my opinion they should compete feature for feature, price for price with Toyota, Honda and Hyundai/Kia. There’s no more room here for “upscale” cars. If they want to be “near luxury” they could compete as a lower price “premium” Euro make. If they want to sell lots full of cars though, the $30k price range is where they need to be.
PSA has been studying the N.A. market and planning a return for the last 5 years. That is about 5 years longer than Fiat spent planning its return to these shores.

Peugeot even has had a representative here, by the name of Larry Dominique.

Nevertheless, if Carlos Tavares is as smart as he is supposed to be, he will leverage the established recognition of the Chrysler and Dodge names here, instead of reintroducing Peugeot.

Most likely, as soon as he knew he was coming back to N.A., Tavares set up a team to work in parallel to Mr. Dominique’s, tasked with finding out what it will take to revive all these half-dead brands he is going to inherit from FCA.
 

The Last Cowboy

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That wasn’t Dumbler, that was Chrysler. PT Cruiser was developed under Chrysler, and what a great product it was.

IMO, the reason suppliers keep dropping the ball is because FCA keeps changing specs at the last moment and squeezing them on cost. At some point something has to give.

Also, by the late 1990s, Chrysler had transformed its manufacturing into one of the most efficient in the industry. Things got a little more complex under Daimler. But in 10 years Fiat has turned these Jeeps into a nightmare to fix.
The PT Cruiser, hard to believe the GM hired the designer so they could copy it and build the HHR.

Chrysler was saved more by buying out AMC. Chrysler would have dying an agonizing death without that purchase. AMCs efficiencies and pioneering in CAD design kept Chrysler from dying. It was Chryslers last bit of capital, combined with AMC’s management structure and manufacturing efficiencies that allowed bith to survive. Plus Chrysler ended Renaults involvement. If Chysler didn’t recognize the value they got from the AMC team and the Jeep brand, who knows where Jeep would be now.
 

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Sean L

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The PT Cruiser, hard to believe the GM hired the designer so they could copy it and build the HHR.

Chrysler was saved more buy buying out AMC. AMCs efficiencies and pioneering in CAD design kept Chrysler from dying. It was Chryslers last bit of capital, combined with AMC’s management structure and manufacturing efficiencies that allowed bith to survive. Plus Chrysler ended Renaults involvement.
And interestingly enough the K cars that were replaced after the AMC merger were what saved Chrysler after the oil crisis...
 

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The PT Cruiser, hard to believe the GM hired the designer so they could copy it and build the HHR.

Chrysler was saved more buy buying out AMC. AMCs efficiencies and pioneering in CAD design kept Chrysler from dying. It was Chryslers last bit of capital, combined with AMC’s management structure and manufacturing efficiencies that allowed bith to survive. Plus Chrysler ended Renaults involvement.
Iacocca and Bob Lutz introduced the “Platform Teams” in the early 1990s that integrated design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and even accounting, into product oriented teams. The result was cutting development times from 5 to 2.5 years, and shaving costs in half. This was one of Chrysler’s most prolific periods, too, with Grand Cherokee, 1994 Dodge Ram, Neon, cab-forward sedans and PT Cruiser coming to market.

Chrysler had so much cash in hand, that it became the target of a couple of takeover attempts.

Iacocca’s biggest blunder was hiring Bob Eaton as CEO to spite Bob Lutz. But Eaton was no CEO material; he way over his head. As a result he arranged the sale of Chrysler to Daimler.
 

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Ah, but it’s platform lived on for a long time in Chrysler's new invention, the front wheel drive minivan and in Dodge Diplomats and Chrysler 5th Avenues through the mid 90s, then in LeBaron convertible through the early 2000s.

The original K car was the right car at the right time. Introduced during a time of nearly hyper inflation, it was the reincanation of no nonsense cars of the early 60s, like the Ford Falcon and the Chevy II.
 

The Last Cowboy

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Interesting to note, Chysler’s wildly, and I mean wildly as everyone wanted one, succesful Jeep Grand Cherokee was originally conceived and design began by Dick Teague at AMC. They were so pleased with reception, critic reviews and sales of the XJ, that they immediately went to work on it’s replacement. Iacoca valued the XJ so much that it was kept in production.
 

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Ah, but it’s platform lived on for a long time in Chrysler's new invention, the front wheel drive minivan and in Dodge Diplomats and Chrysler 5th Avenues through the mid 90s, then in LeBaron convertible through the early 2000s.

The original K car was the right car at the right time. Introduced during a time of nearly hyper inflation, it was the reincanation of no nonsense cars of the early 60s, like the Ford Falcon and the Chevy II.
The K cars were what pulled my family back to domestic cars. Almost all of our VWs had a K car replacement, lol. Buses for Caravans and Beetles for Plymouth Reliants.
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