DaimlerChrysler to Produce Crossfire
Hoping to perk up showroom traffic with an image car that will generate for its Chrysler brand the interest the new Thunderbird is bringing Ford, DaimlerChrysler said Sunday it will produce a version of the two-seat, bobtailed Crossfire Coupe concept car it showed at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
Company officials, who made the announcement just before the start of the 51st annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, declined to provide details or to comment on how close the production car will stick to the concept’s muscular, wide-fendered, split-windshield design.
The Crossfire reportedly is one of the most popular concepts Chrysler has shown in recent years, and company officials are betting that though it will not be a high-volume vehicle, it will bring consumers into dealer showrooms and generate talk about Chrysler, which had a hit in its PT Cruiser introduced last year.
Chrysler officials said a production version of the Crossfire would be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January.
Meanwhile, this weekend at Pebble Beach:
* Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Jacques Nasser said the company, which last week announced a 10% reduction of its white-collar work force, expects to make more adjustments in coming months to regain its financial footing in the wake of declining sales. The auto maker has suffered setbacks over the Firestone tire debacle and a series of recalls affecting its newest products--the 2002 Explorer and Escape SUVs.
* Ford design chief J Mays said the company hopes to reignite sales with several unspecified new products and will introduce a new trim level or styling package for the Thunderbird each year of the model’s six- or seven-year life span.
* General Motors Corp. followed up Friday’s introduction of the Cadillac CTS entry-level sedan with the unveiling of a trio of concept models that included a V-12 powered two-seat, mid-engine Cadillac super car; a four-seat roadster for the Saturn brand; and a five-passenger GMC pickup with a hideaway aluminum tonneau cover over a short, high-sided cargo bed and a hybrid powertrain that combines a V-8 engine with an electric motor to boost fuel economy by 15%. The vehicle would retain the power and towing capabilities of the internal-combustion engine.
“We don’t want to compromise” with hybrid vehicles, said GM parallel hybrid truck program chief Gary Ostby. Reduced performance as a trade-off for fuel economy is not acceptable to most motorists--especially truck buyers--he said.
GM officials hinted strongly that all three concepts were developed with production in mind.
DaimlerChrsyler flew new Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard to Pebble Beach from Michigan to say that the company needs to score a hit with the Crossfire to bring customers back to the Chrysler brand.
“You have to have an icon for the brand,” Bernhard said.
The Crossfire show car was an attempt to reintroduce the concept of high-performance to a Chrysler car. It was powered by a supercharged, 275-horsepower, V-6 engine, and Chrysler claimed it could hit a top speed of nearly 150 miles an hour.
Bernhard wouldn’t say if the production version would use the same engine, or even if it would be called the Crossfire. But it will be a new model and won’t replace any existing Chrysler car, he said. He added that despite a corporate decision to slash new-product development funding by up to 25% to help the struggling car maker return to profitability, Chrysler intends to boost its product lineup in coming years.
