Picture me topless, now that Chrysler confirms a ragtop version of the 2011 Chrysler 200 is coming.
Chrysler has confirmed plans for a revamped convertible, which will appear next spring under the Chrysler 200 nameplate.
The decision to offer a ragtop version of the new 200 line shows the maker thought there was too much pent-up demand to wait for a new generation of mid-sized cars that are to be based on a platform supplied by Fiat, the U.S. maker’s Italian partner.
The Fiat-based versions of the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 will be available by early 2012, however – a full year earlier than anticipated in the original transformation plan the company rolled out more than a year ago, CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed recently.
Despite moving up the date for the Chrysler brand’s midsize replacement, Chrysler plans to go ahead with the launch of the Chrysler 200 next spring, officials said this week.
“It will also be the only convertible on the market (in its segment) with four seats,” said Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau.
Meanwhile, Chrysler is moving ahead with its effort to rejuvenate the company’s foundation brand by replacing its full lineup with either all-new or significantly improved vehicles in just the next few months.
Olivier Francois, Chrysler Brand President & CEO, said the division expects to focus on reviving Chrysrler with more head-turning styling, better driving dynamics and well-honed interiors and the latest technology when the new Chrysler’s comes to market.
“What the Chrysler Brand will be, and what will make it unique, is that it will give people beautiful shapes, which would otherwise be out of reach. It will always deliver a bit more than the customer expects,” Francois said.
(Chrysler aims to mimic the quality and value-based turnaround at Hyundai. Click Here for that story.)
“At every turn, Chrysler Brand and its vehicles will deliver what people deserve, not just what they expect,” Olivier proposed during a California preview of the brand’s updated 2011 models.
With so much change intended for the upcoming 2011 Chrysler 200 sedan, the maker was driven to bestow a new nameplate on the car, which was one of the poorest-performing models in its segment under the old Sebring name, in recent years.
Virtually every system of the Chrysler 200 is new for 2011, giving the car its own identity and space in the highly competitive mid-size sedan segment. Exterior and sheet metal upgrades include: front and rear fascias and fenders, a new grille featuring the new Chrysler brand winged badge, new hood, LED positioning light pipe in front headlamps, rear deck lid and exterior mirrors, new projector headlamps and fog lamps, new LED taillamps and an LED center high-mounted stoplight Chrysler officials said.
(Click Here to read TheDetroitBureau.com’s review of the 2011 Chrysler 200.)