Chrysler 200 will miss Australia

The all-new Chrysler 200 is unveiled at the Detroit motor show with plenty of technology and quality, as well as impressive promises. But only for the USA.

Just like the smaller Dodge Dart - and despite an ongoing series of promises from Chrysler headquarters that stretches back to the 1900s - the 200 has not received the crucial right-hand drive development work needed to bring it to Australia.

Chrysler has invested the extra to get right-side steering into the latest Jeep Cherokee but, even though the 200 shares the same basic building blocks from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, it has missed the boat.

“I want to send the 200 to Australia, but …,” the president of Chrysler Brand, Alistair Gardner, tells Carsguide. “I need a good business case. We don’t have that. Can we do it? Yes. Have we done it? No.”

He makes no apology for the decision and says it comes down to dollars and sense, because medium-class cars are not popular enough in Australia and other right-hand drive countries including Britain and India.

But Chrysler is bullish about the chances of the 200 in North America. “Make no mistake, this is our new flagship. It will re-define the brand. From bumper to bumper, the new 200 had to be flawless,” says Gardner.

Development of the car cost an estimated $800 million and Chrylser has spend another $1 billion on a factory at Sterling Heights to build it, including more than 1000 new robots. 

The Chrysler 200 is fitted with the same 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 used in the Grand Cherokee in Australia, as well as a nine-speed automatic with a Jaguar-style rotary shifter, and an available four-wheel drive system. There are 60 safety and security features up to automatic emergency braking.

The body shape cuts through the air with a 0.27 drag co-efficient and the overall look is a total reverse from the angular gangsta style of the 300C. Quality is claimed to be up another level from the Grand Cherokee that re-set the bar for Chrysler products.

“It had to have an emotional design impact. Call it a wow factor,” says Gardner. To put the Chrysler 200 right into perspective, particularly against Australian medium cars including the Toyota Camry that starts at $30,490, the base price for the 200 is $21,700.