GTCz-Roger

The last two Dodge Nitro and Dodge Calibers rolled off their respective assembly lines this month, a pair of crossovers that will likely be little remembered in automotive history.

Neither every found their place in the market, says Automotive News' Chrysler reporter, Larry P. Vellequette. He refers to the Nitro and Caliber as among the "the most heavily Daimler-ized vehicles in Chrysler Group's product portfolio," a reference to how they were developed when Chrysler was owned by Mercedes-Benz Daimler of Germany.

No was was a big fan of either vehicle. Writes Vellequette:

Both seemed to be a compendium of spare plastic parts, never really finding a sales niche compared with their respective linemates and derided as uncompetitive by reviewers and executives alike.

He says both fulfilled their roles of boosting volume at the Illinois and Ohio plants where they were produced, and were aimed mostly at women buyers. Nitro, made in Toledo, was underpowered and had an uncompetitive four-wheel-drive system.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communit...tro-caliber-/1

jamesjohn359

Has Chrysler Killed Jeep?
Is it just me or is Jeep dead? To me it started with dumping the Cherokee in 2001 in favor of the Liberty. (Side note the new 2008 Liberty is a reworked/refaced Dodge Nitro.) Now there is a Compas(Dodge Caliber), the Patriot (front wheel drive) And the bigger soccer mom friendly mini van V6 powered Jeep Wrangler.
A Jeep (I'm talking orig open air type vehicle) is a vehicle that when you take it off road one can hose it off inside and out. It is a vehicle that the owner can work on and modify him/herself w/out an advance degree in enginering from Brown.
I'm not saying that the won't Wrangler be a good off vehicle. I just think that none off roaders shouldn't have such a big influence on how the JEEP should ride or if it should have all the creature feature as the H2 or H3( over priced Tahoe and Cayan).

Then there is Chryslers stupid "Trailrated" badge. Marketers suck! Is your Jeep better than my
jeep because it has a badge? No! Its just a sticker!


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