Chrysler is in serious troubles these days -- a position
that it has found itself in several times during its 80 year history. The
American automotive was bailed out by the federal government in the late-1970s
thanks to pleas from Lee Iacocca and brought itself back to prominence during
the mid-1980s with its minivans.
Daimler-Benz made the unorthodox move of buying Chrysler in
1998 and began spreading some of its technology and platforms throughout the
Chrysler lineup (Crossfire, 300C, Charger, etc.). Mercedes' influence, however,
wasn't enough to stop Chrysler from sliding yet again, so it sold 80.1% of the
company to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007.
Rather than wowing customers back into the showrooms with
attractive vehicles like it did during the 1990s, Chrysler is looking to
technology to improve help improve its lagging vehicle sales. The company now
wants to provide its vehicles with in-car internet access starting
this year.
Details are relatively scarce on the in-car communications
system, but Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli says that customers will need to have
an existing wireless cell phone provider to receive internet. Internet
connectivity will then be spread though out the cabin -- and to nearby leechers
-- via WiFi.
Future variants of the system could likely take
advantage of technology like WiMAX.
In-car internet access may be a nice perk to purchasing a
vehicle, but Chrysler needs to get back to the basics before trying to
overreach with additional technology. The company has been lambasted in recent
years for its horrible interior quality and unattractive designs like the Jeep Compass, Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber.
Interestingly, the vehicle receiving the most attention from
Chrysler these days is the 4,140-lb, 425 HP Dodge Challenger SRT8. The
vehicle, which shares its Mercedes-sourced platform with the Chrysler 300C and
Dodge Charger, is hitting the roads just as fuel prices are reaching new highs.
Luckily for Chrysler, there are less powerful, more economical variants of the
Challenger on the way in the form of Base and R/T trim levels.
Chrysler is pouring some resources into hybrid technology,
but it unfortunately is currently limited to the slow-selling Dodge
Durango and Chrysler Aspen. Meanwhile, competitors like Toyota
and General
Motors are quickly expanding their lineups to include hybrid vehicles in
small, medium and large sizes. Likewise, competitors like Honda
and Nissan are bringing fuel-efficient turbo-diesel engines to the United
States.