Chrysler to redesign 7 models within the next 18 months

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Back before Chrysler entered bankruptcy, it was conserving cash to pay its bills, leading to a halt in the redesign of future products. Current workers at Chrysler say that some departments were left with only a few people as Chrysler’s crisis situation deepened and the company started cutting costs.

Now, four months later after Chrysler has exited bankruptcy and partnered up with Fiat, new CEO Sergio Marchionne has accelerated future vehicle development. However, Chrysler will not rehire nonunion engineers or designers who took buyouts last November.

The automaker will unveil its 5-year plan on Nov. 4 and part of the plan is to redesign at least seven Chrysler Group models within 18 months – or half the time it has taken Chrysler to redesign models in the past.

To meet the deadline of 18 months, Chrysler managers will ask designers and engineers to work longer hours.

Are they going to be minor facelifts or total redesigns? We’ll find out on Nov. 4.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Free Press