Chrysler Discounts, Adds Value to 12 Models, Starting Today

Chrysler has had a number of big-name new model introductions over the past few years, including redesigned versions of big sellers like the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Grand Caravan. There’s just one problem: They’re not setting the world on fire. In a stagnant car market, some of the company’s models are at the bottom of the barrel. To help spark some interest, Chysler announced added content to many models across Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep while using a new ad campaign called "New Day" which will debut during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

When we first heard about this story, we made a joke in the office of “Free MyGigs for everyone!” and that actually seems to have come true, along with other options like Stow N’ Go being added standard to base model minivans. Below are the changes you’ll be seeing, copied directly from Chrysler’s press release. We normally don’t copy press materials because the language can often be misleading to consumers. You’ll just have to judge if the “value” numbers add up for you. If these features would make you consider heading into a dealership, let us know in the comments below.

Comments

The MyGig comment might be more in response to Ford making Sync available on their models and trying to stay competitive. At least we are seen lots of changes quickly at Ford and Chyrsler to rapidly improve models and gain back market share.

All this stuff wouldn't make these cars more reliable, or made of better materials, or more efficient.
I would say, they are not going to gain much here.
It would be better if they would spend this money on technology under the hood.

or in the transmission department.

Tony nailed it with his post. This is actually Chrysler's way of saying, "We need to give away more free stuff since the products are not attractive to begin with."

Bob Nardelli is doing a great job. LOL

Offering value is something Hyundai do.
The problem for Chrysler is more fundamental. Their product that are not competing well are just simply sucks. Didn't they admit that the Sebring is a failure internally long ago sometime in 2007?

The fundamental problem of Crysler is that they are trying to find fast solution to their problems. They often rely on the old stuff wrapped into new shell, call it "brand new" and trying to find enough fools to buy it.
Well. The consumer is different then even 10 years ago. We are super-sophysticated consumers now.
I want to see one vehicle in the Crysler/ Dodge lineup that gives good driving experience, quality fit and finish (so you don't feel like you in the plastic box) and mileage over 30mpg. I don't even mention reliability.
Thats right! No car like that. Why are they still building those gas-thirsty cars, like HEMI-powered Crysler 300?
It is 15 yars and still no answer to Accord or Camry. What are this people do there. Toyota and Honda come out with some new engine/transmission/chassis trick almost every year to imrove drivability, fuel economy, power, etc. Chrysler is exactly where it was 10 years ago or more.
It is amazing to even look at Honda power line up: gas, natural gas, diesel, gas-electric hybryd, hydrogen -electric fuel cell, marine products, motorcycles, power equipment....
You can see that people are working hard to provide consumers with desirable products. Basically, they create desire in consumers hearts.
Until Crysler managers will realize that they need to invest heavily into new technology and change etics, they will be loosing year after year with no light at the end of the tunnel.

after reading the information provided, i realize that it did nothing for me...not even a tickle. now that's sad. hey...it made me sad.

Obviously you "super-sophysticated" car people have a clear bias against American made cars. Amidst your frequent misspellings and your weightless arguments, you ramble on and on that Chrysler does not offer a car with a good driving experience. The Dodge Charger, Dodge Durango, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Aspen, and Jeep Grand Cherokee (to mention only a few) have received rave reviews as far as driving experience. Low in car noise, smooth handling, etc are all qualities of the cars I mentioned. “…so you don't feel like you in the plastic box.” This statement truly points out one of two things: 1.) Lack of knowledge or 2.) A complete bias against Chrysler. A plastic box is precisely the feeling you get as you sit in a Honda Civic or Toyota Camry. Not only do they handle poorly but the noise caused by the road is absolutely terrible. Next argument: “Toyota and Honda come out with some new engine/transmission/chassis trick almost every year to imrove drivability, fuel economy, power, etc. Chrysler is exactly where it was 10 years ago or more.” Chrysler automobiles were the first in the industry to possess ESP on all their vehicles. ESP stands for Electronic Stability Program which slows the vehicle down to drive-ability when traction is lost by the tires. Chrysler also offers vehicles that run on E-85 ethanol. 1.85 million cars produced by Chrysler last year ran on ethanol. The Jeep Patriot, Compass and Liberty all get up to 30 mpg on the hwy, which is better than the Honda Element (talk about a plastic box), Honda CRV and Honda Pilot. The Honda Accord has identical MPG to the Dodge Avenger. The Dodge Charger also has a Multi-Displacement System (MDS) which shuts down and runs on 4 cylinders and cruising speeds to save on gas, something that is not offered on the a Honda. So not only do you save fuel but you also have some acceleration. “Why are they still building those gas-thirsty cars, like HEMI-powered Crysler 300?” There is not one vehicle in the Chrysler line that is a gas guzzler. The 300C which is powered by a Hemi gets almost 25 mpg on the HWY. For a vehicle with a performance engine, that is well above average.
So please take down the Japanese flag you have hanging outside your house. Buy an American car and do some research before you make up your opinions.

Garrett,
you stated : "...The Jeep Patriot, Compass and Liberty all get up to 30 mpg on the hwy..."
According to Edmunds.com
Compass, Patriot with 2.4L/man trans :23 mpg / 28 mpg
Liberty: 16 mpg / 22 mpg
Where is your truth?

May be you work for Dodge or something... I work only for me, my family and people I know and love.
Just fresh from car show today I tell you that Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler are far, far behind just by sitting comparison. I checked them all. Even Ford and especially GM have more attractive accomodations in their cars then Chrysler group.

And hey, the American people themselves support what I've said. Just check the sales numbers.

And please, you can talk about ethanol to president Bush. Apperantly he did to listen somebody about this ethanol myth. I can only regret that somebody thinks that ethanol is good for us.

Making wrong statements long will not make them into facts.
My Civic still drives much quieter than the Caliber I test drove almost 1 year ago. And I've been owning the Civic for about 10 months. So, there should be more noise coming inside than a brand new car. But, nope, the Caliber was the louder one. And it has much more plastic than my Civic does. I don't even want to start posting again how much time I had devoted to my research in buying my vehicle, which includes test driving almost all of the offerings in its class.
If you want to talk about the E-85. That's just total bull for some automakers to make themselves sound green. What the hell is the point by driving up prices on food just because they can't -beep-ing make a more fuel efficient vehicle?
I haven't really compare the Avenger to the Accord in terms of MPG, but I can tell right off my head that the Accord is a bigger vehicle. So you can do the math. I am getting tired of people speaking from their guts not their brain.

Oh, BTW, just to shut that darn mouth up, the 300C with RWD (I didn't even need to go to the AWD or hemi) gets 23 MPG highway not 25!

I love Garrett's comment - good for you for sticking up for Chrysler!

How can anyone talk about more plastic in the interior? Every car on the face of the planet is covered in interior plastic! The entire dash is freaking plastic!

You people have got to give Chrysler some time, they are trying under their new management to turn things around for the company and improve their products. They have a great base with the minivans, now they are working on the rest of their lineup. American consumers are not super sophysticated, we are fickle as hell! Like I said before, just wait another 20 years and folks will be on here yapping about what garbage Toyota is and who knows, Kia could be the number one car company. :-)

A decade ago, Chrysler made a pretty good competitor to the Accord. It was a little rough around the edges and some had quality issues (mine didn't) and I was hoping the NEXT generation would be an even bigger improvement, I'd be right there ready to trade up.

But the powers that be thought that they could get a better car from their asian partner, since Japanese cars=better for most consumers.

The car was the 1st gen Stratus, the 2nd Gen and it's replacement the Avenger are engineered by MITSUBISHI. Those superrior Japanese, BTW.

Looking back, I'd say the JA was the last true Chrysler car. The LH's evolved from Renault (Eagle Premire/Dodge Monaco) and the PL's were replaced by yet another Mitsubishi design.

As for these "improvements"? It's just a re-aligning of the options list.

I still might give a good long look at the Challenger Coupe when it comes out.

L,

Thanks for the joke.

20 years? Do you seriously think that? Or shall I ask: Do you think the competitors will wait 20 years for it to catch up? Kia is kind of owner by Hyundai too, so what do you mean Kia will be number 1?
If Chrysler is working on its lineup, they wouldn't put the Avenger on the market after they have acknowledged that their Sebring is a failure.

Kudos to Chrysler for at least trying to make improvements. A damaged reputation is hard to overcome. BTW, why did Daimler separate from Chrysler? Chrysler seemed to be moving in the right direction with their products when that partnership was going strong. What happened?

"Where is your truth?"
http://www.mpgomatic.com/2007/11/20/jeep-compass-gas-mileage/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/Jeep%20Compass/
http://www.jeep.com/en/performance/2007/index.html#mpg_compass
Please peruse at your convenience.
None of the Japanese Automakers make a car that is heads and shoulders above an American car. Plain and simple. Performance, driving experience, durability, safety. My next question would be where did you do your research? Most of the publications are so biased towards imports. If you did your research online and read articles in the major automobile publications than I am afraid you were looking in wrong spots. You mentioned sales #'s and you were dead on. But I wonder what would happen if the publications started giving American Companies a break and started writing good articles about their products. Pay attention next time you pick up the major publications how much time they spend talking about import cars and how negative they are towards domestics. Are you really going to tell me that every car Toyota makes is flawless and every car made by GM, Ford, and Chrysler is loaded with imperfections. I am not buying. I have driven them all, worked on them all, and seen people's reactions to comparing them (favorable toward US cars). The import superiority is a huge myth.
You can say what you want, that I am talking "from their guts not their brain". But I believe in buying American when I have a choice, ESPECIALLY when the choices are comparable. The specifications on Honda's website for gas mileage on the Civic (34 hwy) only gives it to you for a manual transmission. Doing the normal minus 1 or 2 for automatic you arrive at the same gas mileage as you would for a Dodge Caliber. Say what you want, I have driven them, quieter and smoother.
Now your comment about the Chrysler 300. "Oh, BTW, just to shut that darn mouth up, the 300C with RWD (I didn't even need to go to the AWD or hemi)" The 300C comes stock with a Hemi you mope! Also it gets 24 mpg. Which is "almost 25 mpg". Which, again, is excellent for a performance engine.
As for E-85 being bull. The idea behind ethanol was that it would a way to decrease dependence on foreign oil and also would help our domestic farmers buy developing a greater demand for corn giving a benefit to our farmers. You people baffle me. You say you want alternative fuel sources ohhh wait but not ethanol? Why? See this is what I do not get. People that buy foreign cars will trumpet their foreign made cars and then cry about our economy. Well what about the money you just dumped into Japan's? The Japanese pay no import taxes to sell their product on the American market, yet the American Companies are taxed abroad. The Japanese do pay pensions to the few American workers which they employ and most of the parts and steel they use come from Japanese Companies. Yet American companies employ Americans and pay their pensions when they retire and support American Families! By buying foreign cars you are not only helping a foreign economy, but more importantly, you are NOT helping ours.

Also I encourage you all to read this attached article.
http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/bamw/bamw-060211-autos.shtml

Dave,

For some reason, there is some issue when posting comments. It had been happening for q few times already.
It says An error occured.
We're sorry, your comment has not been published because TypePad's antispam filter has flagged it as potential comment spam. It has been held for review by the blog's author.

Garrett,

Oh please, I am not going to spending that much of my time educating another ignorant and lazy person that did not CHECKING ANY INFORMATION that's available at just a few easy clicks on their mouse.

Garrett's myth: 34MPG for Civic 5MT, and minus 1-2 on the AT, and you will arrive where the Caliber gets.
Fact: 34MPG for Civic 5MT on highway, the 5AT actually gets 36MPG on highway. And yet, my one gets an average 34 on 100% City. The Caliber, on the other hand, gets 29MPG highway.

Garrett's myth: The 300C gets 24MPG highway, which is almost 25 MPG.
Fact: The 300C gets 23MPG highway, not 24MPG, not 25MPG.
And just a side note, for 340hp, they need a 5.7L. Toyota can get 342hp from a 4.6L. You do the math, which one has better performance?
Yet, the 4.6L gets a 24MPG highway rating, not 23.
Garrett's Myth: Partiot, Compass, Liberty all get up to 30MPG on highway.
Fact: Patriot/28MPG Highway, Compass/28MPG Highway, Liberty/(Drumroll please!)22MPG highway. None of them get UP TO 30MPG.
In fact, the 30MPG number that Garrett had used was the 2007 standard, which we all know is lowered in the 2008 standard.

Thanks, Garrett. I haven't had such an easy debate for so long.

So I need to cut the sources' link to make the comment work?

Sources:
http://www.chrysler.com/en/2008/300/
http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/specifications.aspx?group=epa
http://www.dodge.com/en/2008/caliber/
http://www.lexus.com/models/GS/detailed_specifications.html

More Sources:
http://www.jeep.com/en/2008/patriot/
http://www.jeep.com/en/2008/compass/
http://www.jeep.com/en/2008/liberty/

J - honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Kia was number one in 20 years. I know Hyundai makes them and while everyone is arguing Toyota/Honda/GM/Ford/Chrysler, Hyundai has been gaining on all of them. Everything is actually right about their cars - quality car, good price, and thier reliability ratings have been inmproving. I would buy one and in fact the only thing that stopped me was they didn't offer navigation - something they do on purpose because the technology changes so rapidly but I don't like the little ones that sit on the dashboard, I like the built in ones.

I'm just saying that things change, perceptions change and technology is advancing so fast. Something better and more reliable than Toyota will come out - it could be from any of the car companies or a whole new company - maybe we'll get Chinese cars and they'll blow all of them out of the water - you just never know.

As for the Avenger, it stinks and I'm a Chysler fan. But I think it stinks because it doesn't have the right engine in it. If they gave the darn thing something with a little power I'd love it!

L

Thanks for some comment that has put some thought into it.
I wouldn't argue the Hyundai part, it is in fact gaining on the competitors. But their styling need some original work.
The Chinese car part though, I am still in doubt that they will come over to the States anytime soon. They have a market as big as ours within a decade or so. I just don't see they would want to sell them here while they got a big chunk to be chow down at their own backyard.

we have spam filters so if you do a post of just links it might not go through. Sorry.

L- I think the original plan was to offer the Avenger with a Hemi option. But too many people were complaining about fuel economy and it scrapped the idea. I think the timing of the release really did not allow the car to take off!

J- Man you certainly love to defend the Japanese! I have a question for you, do you pay for your milk and bread in Yen?

"And yet, my one (Civic) gets an average 34 on 100% City."
But wait J...doesn't Honda's website tell you that the average for the city should be 26 mpg on a Civic??? Does this mean that the EPA's mpg rating is imperfect and the number they give is an ESTIMATE #? Which means that it could be lower or HIGHER depending on driver, location, conditions etc? How could this be? Does this mean that my statements may actually hold water then? Which is why I use statements like "up to" or "almost". See this is what you learn in Car 101! All performance estimates are subject to change and will vary from car to car from driver to driver! I just sold a Patriot to a friend of mine. You can check what the MPG you are currently getting on it and his says 30.1. Enough said?
"And just a side note, for 340hp, they need a 5.7L. Toyota can get 342hp from a 4.6L. You do the math, which one has better performance?" I was not comparing performance among the two lines. I do not have a negative thing to say about their engine. For whatever reason you did compare them. But I am glad you brought that up. What you would also like check out to is that the 4.6L engine is offered in a Lexus Model. The BASE price in a model in which that particular engine is offered is $52,650. The 300C FULLY LOADED was priced out at $42,865! You can go to Chrysler's website and price one out yourself. You can put as many options on it as your little Japanese loving heart desires. Are you going to tell me that the leather is that much nicer, or that it handles that much better, or that 2 HP is worth an additional $10 grand? I am not buying that!
Apologies to all for the wrong info on the Liberty. When it was sent to production I received a newsletter stating that the fuel economy would be comparable to the Patriot and Compass. Hats off to J and Tony for pointing that out. Sorry guys!

J,

Forget 'bou it. Garret just doesn't understand. Butt kicking his own words - and he doesn't even realize it.

In 1 way, he's saying that the Japanese gov't is performaning unfair practice via "protectionism," and that's wrong. Then he said that Americans should just buy american-companies' products. So what Garret is saying is that US should also FOLLOW the way the Japanese gov't has done - the WRONG WAY!!! Guess he's more of a foreign lover than you are, J :)

U c, many so-call patriots do NOT understand these 2 words - WORLD ECONOMY. In their mind, they are still living in the 80's, that US is the ONLY country that does everything in the whole world. They refused to accept the fact that many American companies have their products made in developing countries nowadays, and the so-call "profit" only benefits the shareholders, not the US workers (my "US" company just made a ton of $$$ in 2007; yet not a dime on wage increase to the workers at all!). As for shareholder, many US companies' shareholders are actually Chinese from Communist China. Same thing in Japan - many Japanese banks are the shareholders of Japanese auto manufacturers, but the root level of the shareholders are actually American companies and Chinese companies...which means Chinese people again :) Anyhow, unless thes patriots have decided to go back to college and learn 'bou the real way economy works, this is NOT the right time or place to "educate" them.

Oh, btw, he also doesn't know why u r using ur Civic as an example. YOU OWNED ONE!!! YOU HAVE THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE ON THE MILEAGE OF THE CIVIC. However, no where have I seen in his post that he owned any of the vehicles he quoted for great gas mileage. That's why, logically, the only info he could rely on was from publication, yet for you, J, you can use your Civic as an example.

Anyhow, there's really no point in "defending" Chrylser right now. It had some good products back in early 2000's, but it totally messes it up themselves. Unless it has sthg that the public really likes - which translates to actual sales - Chrylser is on board of the 21st C Titanic, only this time, no one is around to rescue it!

Topic # 1 Education:
"Anyhow, unless thes patriots have decided to go back to college and learn 'bou the real way economy works, this is NOT the right time or place to "educate" them."

Count them...11 misspellings or grammar mistakes. So who needs to go back to college?

"Same thing in Japan - many Japanese banks are the shareholders of Japanese auto manufacturers".

Did you proofread this? Japanese Banks are shareholders you said it yourself. Your money when you buy a Japanese car goes back to Japanese people! So when you hear that our economy is slowing and that unemployment is up, be advised that you are sending your dollars across the Pacific. You could be buying an American Car and keeping US plants open and allowing Americans to keep their jobs and allow American Auto Companies whose stockholders are mostly Americans to profit.

"the so-call "profit" only benefits the shareholders, not the US workers (my "US" company just made a ton of $$$ in 2007; yet not a dime on wage increase to the workers at all!)"

You kept your job right? That is better than can be said for hundreds of thousands of people employed by Ford and GM! Did your company make "huge" profits and cut jobs? Like the US manufacturers who are forced to cut jobs and lay off AMERICAN workers due to people like you who purchase imports! Get a clue! The unemployment numbers that come out are AMERICAN workers not GLOBAL WORKERS! The slowing economy you hear about is our economy not your GLOBAL ECONOMY! You mean to tell me that if every American decided to buy an American made car next year that it would not help our Economy! Watch your mouth when you begin to give out Economic lessons and suggest some of us need further education son! If you are going to do that you had better get your ducks in a row!
Topic #2 Owning the cars:
I guess owning a dealership does not count. Given the fact that I have driven every car on my lot and my immediate family and relatives all drive the products I sell, I would say I have information that would rival that of J's. But if you want to get technical, I own every car you can read about if it is made by Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep!

I have two words for you pal, Fair Trade. What good is a World Economy or Free Trade when there a regulations that give one country a competitive advantage over another? And why, as a citizen of a country who is getting screwed would you ever support that? I am suggesting that the playing field should be level. If you want to call that the "wrong way" which I never said that's fair in my eyes. However, it needs to be said that the purpose of a global economy is to promote fair trade as well. Why is it so hard to understand for you? If a Japanese company can sell a product in America import tax free, why is it not fair to sell our product tax free in Japan (which does not happen)? And yes I do propose that until China and Japan remove import taxes on our products that we should tax theirs as well.

I just don't see the point to educate another ignorant person. Last post he said something and backed it up with his "proof". When it got totally run over, he says that's depended on actual driving condition. Which means he just shot himself in his own foot.
Blah blah blah.

I didn't even read Garrett latest post to the end because it is all so wrong!!
For example, "...US manufacturers who are forced to cut jobs and lay off AMERICAN workers due to people like you who purchase imports! ..."
Garrett is not getting that American workers will go to work to the Toyota factory instead of Ford or GM.
Does Garrett actually knows how many facilities Toyota has in the US, and how many AMERICAN workers it employs?
The economy is a GLOBAL thing. Don't be surprized that Ford makes better sales outside US then here.
If Garrett is so worry about our dollars go over Pacific... I know what he had in mind. But I would pay more attention to our money go over the Pacific and over the Japan and China and streight into Iraq.
Also, no single power has held to its... power, military or economical. I believe that there will be day when Americans will go abroad to search for work. This is normal and we should be ready for it.
But for now, there is nothiong wrong to buy foreign cars. Let Fords know that they must compete and let them compete.