And again our opinion diverges. The Jeep Commander failed and the new Wagoneer will fail. To try to turn it into an Imperial is another dead end.
Depends on what you mean by "fail". The Commander failed because it was produced at the peak DaimlerChrysler malaise era. It definitely failed. The Wagoneer makes no assumptions of being a volume seller, so if the expectations at headquarters are suitably corrected, I believe it can be worth the investment on it. Especially with the segment at a very weird point with the new GM trucks and an unclear plan for the Navigator with the changes in management at Ford.
There is room for Chrysler to move upmarket, but they would need to heavily refresh the LD platform and used the cut-down LA to make a credible competitor on the compact luxury sedan/crossover market, the latter being where the bulk of your market is. Using it only for the Challenger is very constraining. At least Hybrid if not full electrification should be available on every offering. And then you have to funnel quite a bit of money on marketing. The public perception of Chrysler as rental fodder will not change in a day, or a year, or five, but it can be done.
It requires a firm commitment though...and that is the chief reason why I think it's very likely for them to just keep it moribund. After all, it's the same plan they needed to do with Lancia.
@93Flareside , correct me if I am wrong, but aren't those illegal as fuck to sell and should be crushed by now?
