Marchionne to reveal all

Chrysler Australia MD, Gerry Jenkins, delivered possibly the understatement of the year at the local launch of the upgraded Patriot and Wrangler range two days ago.

"A month from now, we're going to actually announce a product plan, a product strategy moving forward -- and it should be relatively interesting..."

"Relatively interesting" hardly conveys the importance of the upcoming announcement to be made next month by Fiat and Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne.

"It will be the first time that Marchionne actually verbalises what his vision is for Chrysler -- and where he wants to go with product integration, platform sharing, technology sharing... things of that nature," continued Jenkins.

"Our dealers are all hanging on to get all that information as well, with good reason."

There's been a lot of speculation about the way in which closer integration of the two companies could manifest itself at a product level. Less than two weeks ago, we brought you a speculative illustration of the Alfa Romeo 169. Built on a rear-wheel drive platform shared with Chrysler/Dodge, such a car could position the Alfa against prestige German rivals.

On the other side of the Atlantic, it could underpin successors to the current 300C, Charger and other rear-wheel drive cars already in production but due for replacement by the time the 169 reaches the market.

Although Jenkins intimated that Marchionne's remarks would be confined to future product, it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the CEO would also address issues such as brand management for the Chrysler Group. Brand management and product development tend to run in parallel.

It has already been confirmed that the current range of Dodge Ram commercial vehicles will be hived off from Dodge, to be sold under the Ram badge. This would allow the Dodge brand to develop its own performance image. Even if GM learned nothing from its handling of the Pontiac brand, at least Chrysler and Fiat have taken that on board...

There are rumours that the Ram subsidiary will be restricted to selling vehicles in North America. Currently, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van is being sold in North America as a Dodge Sprinter. Will Marchionne announce that the German design could be replaced by an Iveco Daily badged as a Ram Daily? Why not?

This is just one example of the way Marchionne could bring in new product to replace existing product and reduce costs and dependency on other suppliers at the same time.

As for altogether new product, dealers and consumers will be holding out for Marchionne to announce the 200C will go into production, presumably based on a Fiat Group platform. The concept car was warmly received at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year. To put this car into production -- a vehicle that could conceivably capture more market share in global markets than the Sebring -- would seem to be entirely logical.

There's been little recent news concerning the hybrid-drive and battery/electric vehicles Chrysler revealed last year, but Marchionne will presumably reveal how Chrysler will gird itself for a technologically competitive future -- one in which 'Corporate Average Fuel Economy' (CAFE) and environmental lobbying will play a major role.

Marchionne was reported last month as expressing his surprise at how little product development work was undertaken at Chrysler during the past two years. According to BusinessWeek, it's estimated that just 33 per cent of the American corporation's product (by sales volumes) will be replaced between now and 2013.

Marchionne has a reputation for getting things done, as he has already done with Fiat, so his speech next month promises to be far-reaching for both companies. And you can bet he'll find ways of raising that 33 per cent figure to a more respectable number.

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