One of the things that all companies aim to do is to stay competitive. They put in the long hours and extensive research in order to understand their given industry and the given markets for their products. They work hard in order to make sure that they are giving their customers, and prospective customers, what they are looking for. One of the industries where this can be the most difficult and requires the most work is the automotive industry.
Companies, such as Chrysler, aim for success in everything that they do. They input a ton of research and information in order to design cars that they believe are going to be successful within their given class. In the automotive industry, Chrysler spends so much time and money in shooting for that success.
Many times, in the pursuit of success, chances are taken. Pushing innovation, design, technology, and style may be needed in order to achieve success. When these chances are taken, it can only go one of 2 ways- incredibly good or incredibly bad. The ultimate end is that the company will learn something from this situation that they can apply to later models and future designs. In the automotive industry, these chances can lead to regrettable discontinued cars or cars that they regret having to discontinue.
This list is a compilation of 27 vehicles that Chrysler (and the Dodge, Plymouth, and Pontiac brands) had to discontinue over the course of their illustrious history. Here are 27 models that ultimately led to regret by Chrysler for one reason or another (good or bad).
27 The Chrysler TEVan
This van was a great idea and a good idea by Chrysler. It was their first fully electric vehicle and it was made for the 1993 model year. According to AutoTrader.com, as far as price is concerned, it cost in the range of $100,000. There are disputing reports on how many of them were sold. Some reports say 56 and others say 80, but either way, it wasn't very many.
It was well before its time as there was not a wide range of companies who were working on these types of vehicles.
Either way, it is a model that most people don't know existed and Chrysler likely regrets the amount of money they spent to produce such a sales failure.
26 The Chrysler Crossfire
In the early 200s, Chrysler had partnered with Daimler-Benz to give the U.S market a badged German sports car. As reported by CarBuzz.com, cars like the Charger and Challenger were results of this partnership and they have gone on to do quite well, but the Crossfire was not one of those successful models.
The Crossfire was said to be out of date when it debuted as it was based on the R170 SLK that came out in 1996. The Crossfire was sold from 2004 until 2008 and it never sold the way that they hoped that it would. It is a car that Chrysler probably regrets not doing the right way.
25 The Dodge Daytona
Chrysler produced the Dodge for the 1984 model year until 1993. They were a car that came out of the gate with high praise and was competitive amongst cars like the Camaro Z28 and the Datsun 280 ZX. They were a desirable car in the beginning, but that slowly declined.
AllPar.com reports that 1989 was the sales peak for the car and it was in slow decline from there. They quote less than 20,000 sold in 1991, less than 11,000 in 1992, and 9,062 in 1993.
Chrysler probably regrets the money that it cost them to make these cars in the end without any real returns on their investment.
24 The Chrysler E-Class
This car was only made for the 1983 and 1984 model years and was then done away with.
AutoTrader.com discusses how this car was meant to be roomy and luxurious and they tried hard, but this car just didn't perform in the sales.
AutoTrader.com is quoted as saying that the most interesting and luxurious thing about this car was the 2 different badges that were put on the back, Chrysler and E-Class. The Chrysler New Yorker, which was sold at a more expensive price point, sold double what the E-Class did in 1984. Chrysler likely regrets not just sticking with their popular New Yorker.
23 The Dodge Neon
The Dodge Neon started out as a promising vehicle that sold well within its given class. But here is another example of Chrysler not spending the right amount of money and attention on cars that could have been great. It was in production from 1995 until 2005 and then was replaced by the Caliber in the 2006 model year.
It did great in the beginning and it even etched out its own place with sport compacts with the SRT-4 model. But, Chrysler, according to AutoBlog.com, didn't give it the attention and investment that it needed, regrettably so. My best friend owned a regular Dodge Neon and she had it in the shop every other month it seemed like.
22 The Chrysler Prowler
Did you know that there was the Plymouth Prowler and the Chrysler Prowler? The Plymouth Prowler debuted in 1997 and became Chrysler in 2001. During the late 1990s and early 2000s when Chrysler was going through difficult financial times, they decided to do away with their Plymouth brand in 2001 (AutoTrader.com). When that happened, they decided to keep the Prowler and change the branding over to Chrysler.
So does Chrysler regret that the Prowler was far less successful as a Chrysler or that they had to drop the Plymouth brand altogether? Either way, it is a car that is recognizable but regrettable as a Chrysler model.
21 The Dodge Dart
The Dart debuted in 2012 and was quickly done away with by 2016. It was a car that, according to Freep.com, ushered in a new time with Chrysler after it partnered with Fiat. And they were likely hoping that it could ride the coattails the Darts' 60s era reputation.
It was supposed to be a sporty compact that would compete with cars like the Civic and Corolla that sell upwards of 200 to 300 thousand units a year.
Regrettably, the Dodge Dart only sold just over 87,000 units in its best year. I guess Chrysler will be heading back to the drawing board for a new compact sedan.
20 The Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 was sold from 2011 until 2017 as a replacement for the previous Sebring sedan. Throughout the first decade of the 2000s, there were a lot of shifts throughout Chrysler as they worked to get partners and save their brand. The 200 was a car that was going to end up being a victim of that time. "...Without a production partner to continue building the struggling sedan, FCA decided it was best Chrysler move on from midsize sedans." (AutoWeek.com).
This was a car that was already struggling and instead of trying to spend the money to save it they just moved on. It was a regrettable time at Chrysler.
19 The Dodge Avenger
The Dodge Avenger had 2 different production stretches for Dodge (Chrysler). It was made from the 1995 model year until 2000 and then again from the 2008 model year until 2014. It was reintroduced in 2008 in order to allow Dodge to be competitive in that particular class.
As discussed by AutoGuide.com, the Avenger is being discontinued again because Chrysler doesn't want to have two cars in their given brands having to compete with one another. This is a regrettable action for a company that is trying to maintain profits after a difficult time in the early 2000s economic recession.
18 The Chrysler 300 Sport Coupe
We are all aware that the 300 is the only sedan left on the Chrysler line right now, this refers to the coupes that Chrysler produced from 1955 until 1965. An article by AutoNXT.net discusses the history of this brand.
It was debuted in 1955 and is considered by some to be the original U.S muscle car. This car was named the 300 because of the horsepower that it was putting out.
This type of power made it the fastest production car on the road at the time. To put it into perspective, the Corvette of the time was only putting out 195 horses. This is a car that Chrysler likely regrets walking away from until they reintroduced the name in 1999.
17 The Dodge Polara
The Polara was one of those "big boat" cars that suffered from the oil embargo of the early 1970s. It had been in production from 1960 until 1973 when the entire auto industry was revamping their lines. They had to downsize their cars in order to remove the gas-guzzling nature of many of them.
The Dodge Polara was a car that was doing quite well for the Chrysler company until that oil problem decided to rear its ugly head. This is a situation where Chrysler/Dodge likely regretted the state of the world at the time and had to adjust their business accordingly to remain in the black.
16 The Chrysler Airflow
The regrettable part about the Chrysler Airflow was the time in which it was produced. It was produced from 1934 until 1937 and because it was produced during the Great Depression, it didn't financially perform the way that Chrysler thought it would.
As stated by AutoEvolution.com, it was the first mass-produced car that would incorporate a modern style that would be the norm after that. It was also unique in the fact that it incorporated almost 50-50 weight distribution. It was a car that would likely have done very well if it hadn't of been made during the most difficult financial times in US history.
15 The Dodge Magnum
The Dodge Magnum had all the makings of a car that could really do something fantastic. It was a wagon that could fit what was needed and came with options like all-wheel drive and a V8 Hemi option that pushed out 425 horsepower. Unfortunately, the sales numbers never echoed the great looks of this car.
It was produced from 2005 until 2008, with 2005 being the best selling year for the car with just over 52,000 units sold, according to CarSalesBase.com.
Dodge believed that they did what they needed to make a wagon a muscle car as they employed the Street Racing and Technology Group for that SRT flair. Dodge and Chrysler definitely regret that this car never caught on the way that they thought that it should. It was a great looking car.
14 The Chrysler Aspen
This vehicle was offered on the Chrysler line from 2007 until 2009 and they even had a hybrid version from 2008 to 2009. AutoTrader.com is quoted as calling it an "upscale Dodge Durango" as it had everything that the top trim level of the Durango had and they just added a new name and chrome. AutoTrader.com also said that it was likely the hardest vehicle for Chrysler salespeople to actually get off the lot.
This is a vehicle that Chrysler regrets even bothering with. They should have just added options to the Durango in order to sell more of those (as the Aspen had horrible sales numbers).
13 The Dodge Nitro
The Nitro was a mid-sized sport utility vehicle sold from the 2007 model year through the 2012 model year and it is definitely a car that Chrysler and Dodge likely regret.
Jalopnik.com refers to the Nitro as a "recession-era" vehicle, with the quality to match, that was made to compete in the popular mid-sized SUV class of the time. Unfortunately for them it never really did that.
Around 70,000 sold in the first year and no more than 20 or 30 thousand sold in the years after that. The thing that they probably regret the most is the money they invested in a car that didn't offer up the return. Most people probably don't even remember this car existed a few years ago.
12 The Chrysler Concorde
The Chrysler Concorde was made from 1993 until 2004 as a replacement for the Chrysler Fifth Avenue. It is one of those cars that was discontinued because of a shift in style and technology of the times. As stated by RoadandTrack.com, it was replaced by the 300, whose name had a long history in Chrysler that preceded it.
The Concorde did quite well (despite some mechanical issues) but it was phased out in order for Chrysler to stay competitive during a time when they were having a lot of financial hardships.
Too bad for the Concorde because it was a pretty good car.
11 The Plymouth Voyager
Chrysler is known as the creator of the minivan and their minivans were driven by millions of soccer moms all over the world. They came out with the first line of Plymouth Voyager minivans in 1984 alongside models like the Dodge Caravan. In 2001, when Chrysler discontinued the Plymouth brand, the Voyagers were then sold as Chrysler Voyagers. The Voyager remained on the market until 2003 when the model was redesigned and renamed as the Chrysler Town and Country.
This is a model that Chrysler likely regretted had to go, but it was time for updating in order to remain competitive in the minivan market. Chrysler is still a top seller in the minivan market with their Pacifica.
10 The Chrysler New Yorker
The Chrysler New Yorker is a car that Chrysler was definitely sad to see be discontinued from their line. It was a car that held great history with the company and the regret here was embedded in the fact that it had to go. WorldHistoryProject.org states that the New Yorker was made from 1939 until 1996 and was the longest running automotive nameplate in automotive history. It even served as the "flagship" model for Chrysler for a number of years.
Since its discontinuation, the name "New Yorker" was never used on another Chrysler vehicle.
9 The Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler debuted the PT Cruiser in 2000 and it was discontinued in 2010. Cars.USNews.com summarizes the lifetime of the PT Cruiser well. It came out and did much better than Chrysler ever expected it to do. It was a unique car in the sea of sport utility vehicles that were out at the time. But, instead of putting in the time and money to keep it current, sales plummeted.
It could have been a car that was iconic for Chrysler, but it ended up being "a singular sensation that bore no relationship to any other Chrysler vehicle.” (Cars.USNews.com).
They likely regret not taking the time to make it what it could have been.
8 The Chrysler Town and Country
The Chrysler Town and Country was first sold for the 1990 model year and was replaced by the Pacifica after the 2016 model year. Chrysler was the first company that really did minivans right when they released their Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager in 1984.
This is a model that Chrysler regretted having to let go of. According to ChicagoTribune.com, crossovers and sport utility vehicles really did a number on the minivan market and they needed to create a fresh new look for the segment. Chrysler will likely always be proud of what they did with that minivan and regrets seeing the end of that era.