Since Chrysler launched the current generation of the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, the company has been pondering how to replace the slow-selling sedans. Now that Fiat has taken the reigns, Chrysler may finally have found the solution: Place the two models onto two differentiated platforms.
Today's models ride on a front-wheel-drive platform designed by Mitsubishi and Chrysler. Both the Chrysler and Dodge models have sold poorly, and received criticism for their interior plastics. That may change, however, as Automotive News is reporting that the next Avenger may be built from the Challenger's platform.
"An emotional, sporty, rear-wheel-drive sedan would attract different customers," a source says, "even if offered in the same dealership with a similar-sized front-wheel drive sedan."
The Challenger platform is a shortened version of the LX architecture used for the Dodge Charger, Magnum, and Chrysler 300. Previously, rumors had surfaced that Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne was considering moving both the Avenger and its Chrysler sibling to a shortened version of the LX platform.
Meanwhile, sources suggest the Sebring would remain a front-wheel-drive sedan, but would be built upon Fiat's D-Evo platform. D-Evo will make its debut next spring, in the guise of the Alfa Romeo Milano.
Automotive News says Chrysler will decide what to do with its midsize sedans by August. The automaker is currently undergoing a three-month-long strategic review of its entire business.
Source: Automotive News