Following the US launch of the latest iteration of the Sebring -- now known as the 200 -- late last year, Chrysler has just announced a new convertible version, along with a comprehensive photo library.
It's not necessary to look too hard to see a Chrysler Sebring convertible lurking in there.
Like the Camry-size 200 sedan, the drop-top is essentially a re-skin and refurbish of the Sebring, smartened up a bit with a bigger, in-your-face grille, new headlights and air scoops, deleted bonnet strakes and a reworked tail with more ornate tail lights.
Chrysler says the interior, similar to the latest version of the bigger 300 model, offers world-class craftsmanship, comfort and content. The company also says safety items (airbags, stability and traction control, ABS) are common across all models and, like the Sebring, the convertible 200 offers the choice of a soft-top, or full-metal folding roof.
The important stuff goes largely unseen, but the 200 is claimed to offer driver and passengers a greatly improved experience over the Sebring.
Suspension is upgraded to improve ride and handling, while an efficient new powertrain including Chrysler's new 216kW/353Nm 3.6-litre V6 with "outstanding" power and "exceptional" fuel economy is said to upgrade overall refinement. It replaces the previous 2.7-litre V6, while the 2.4-litre four-cylinder from the Sebring continues. Both engines use a six-speed auto transmission.
According to the company, virtually every suspension component has been re-tuned or redesigned for the 200 -- including 22 of the 28 suspension bushings.
Chrysler says the 200 convertible gets a much classier, "all-new" interior too, complete with optional voice command and a 30 gigabyte HDD/CD/DVD/MP3 Sirius satellite radio incorporating Travel Link to provide real-time information for the driver.
In the USA, the 200 convertible will come in three variants -- Touring, Limited and, a bit later, an "S" version.
Chrysler Australia has said the 200 is not yet on the local horizon, and would obviously be dependent on a right hand drive version being built -- probably at the time of the first update a couple of years down the track.
"We'd love to offer the 200 in Australia and, along with other new models, (it) is one we will continue to monitor," Chrysler Australia's senior manager of marketing and corporate communications Dean Bonthorne told the Carsales Network, late 2010.
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