According to The Detroit News, Chrysler is delaying the introduction of replacements for the Dodge Avenger and Grand Caravan, as well as the Jeep Wrangler. The next Avenger reportedly won’t arrive until 2015—a one-year delay—and the Grand Caravan will live an additional two years until 2017. The Wrangler gets a two-year extension through 2018. When contacted for comment, a Chrysler representative reiterated the company’s commitment to never commenting on future product plans.
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The delays are minor, but the real news is why there are delays in the first place. Speculation in the industry pegs Fiat’s flagging European operations as the culprit. The sagging economy across the pond is creating a money drain beneath Chrysler, which might be funneling some of its development dollars to prop up its Italian suitor. According to The Detroit News, the Chrysler 200′s replacement still will be introduced later next year—Dodge will simply continue to build the current Avenger alongside it until the newer Dodge (which will share its underpinnings with the new 200) arrives. The Jeep Wrangler is such a timeless vehicle that it needn’t necessarily conform to typical industry practice when it comes to product cycles, so a delayed replacement likely won’t affect sales at all. Finally, the Grand Caravan’s future is still up in the air as Chrysler is still deciding whether to brand its next minivan a Dodge or a Chrysler. Only the Grand Caravan or the Town & Country will be replaced, but not both—so a delayed next-gen model might not even exist.
Source: CarAndDriver
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