Article From Business Week and certainly not my opinion.

Will anyone miss the Chrysler Crossfire? Chrysler has announced the 3-year-old German-American sportscar which starts at $30,000, is being cut, along with three other Chrysler models (Pacifica, Dodge Magnum and the convertible version of the PT Cruiser.

Maybe you never even heard of it. The 215-horsepower Crossfire, available as a coupe and roadster, was launched in 2004. Hailed as the first car to highlight the enormous “synergies” between Daimler and Chrysler, it is now a glaring emblem of the failed merger.

Back in 2003, Daimler managers touted the Crossfire as a halo-model for Chrysler. The Crossfire shared many components with the first-generation Mercedes SLK and was built for DaimlerChrysler by Karmann in Germany. The idea was to blend German engineering and American automotive style. Above all, it was to lend the ailing American automaker real German sportscar cache.

But alas, the Crossfire concept was as flawed as the merger. No one who wants a racy European sportscar buys a Chrysler, no matter where it is made or how many parts it shares with a Mercedes. And Americans aren’t into paying big bucks for a bit of German halo. In addition, the steering is lackluster and the ride was unremarkable (according to Edmunds.com). Hence, the halo never appeared in sufficient numbers for anyone to see it.

Total production plummeted from 35,600 cars in 2003 to 12,500 in 2005. I can’t find 2006 numbers, but the car was discontinued in the US in 2007, so they much have been disastrous. The only remaining question is how much the discarded cross-breeding experiment cost.

 

I read that article the other day, too. Am I going to miss the Crossfire? Not as long as I have mine...

 

I agree, I say they should have stopped making them in '06, less Crossfires the better, makes our cars even more exclusive.

 

"Maybe you never even heard of it." ...and live in a closet!

"No one who wants a racy European sportscar buys a Chrysler" He obviously hasn't talked with somone who owns a Crossfire.

"steering is lackluster and the ride was unremarkable (according to Edmunds.com)" What qualifies him to write this article without even driving one!

"flawed as the merger" Actually, both companies benefited from the merger in ways that can't be measured. MB learned more about marketing in the US and Chysler about German engineering.

 

Very well said. The only true statement was they were not marketed properly and therefore rarley seen and virtually unknown. Of course we all know the good times.

 

I definately agree.

 

In the future those who still have thier car will have the last laugh.

 

That article is a Pile of S _ _ _!
(& the Writer is a Jerk, IMHO)

I wonder want he would have written,
if he was with me the Last 3 Days in the
Dragon's Den, 60+ mph around hair pin turns).

Bill (SF)

 

I miss mine daily, no secondly being stuck here in the "Oil Mines of Alberta". Snow and freezing rain is all around, but my Crossfire is safe in her bedroom for the winter. Come April I will hang up my hard hat and become one with her.

 

Agreed! Full of Shlt.

 

Why, don't you move to North Carolina or Florida & enjoy Her All year round?

SF

 

Um, I thought at the time of the "merger" Chrysler was actually doing quite well, which is why MB was so interested in the "merger". Chrysler had a pile of cash and was building some of the best designed domestic vehicles at the time, and building them much more cost effectively than their competition.

In all honesty, this is an accurate statement. The target demographic for $30,000+ sports/GT cars is, generally, of the opinion that Chrysler products are junk. The Crossfire was a risky move from the onset, and the poor marketing of the car certainly didn't help one little bit.

There was too much ho-hum press coverage with the initial release but the real glowing reviews (Grassroots Motorsports, Test Drive on Speed, Road & Track's SRT6 comparo with the 350Z & Boxster and their head to head test against the Audi TT, Top Gear's roadster comparo of the XF, 350Z & Audi TT) couldn't seem to overcome the bad reviews. Perhaps folks just couldn't get past the Chrysler badge, evidence the number of forum members here who have covered over same.

Whatever the reasons, I have mine, I love mine, and I'm not letting go of mine. So there.

 

I like unique 'not run of the mill' cars, and the Crossfire definitely qualifies. I bought this thing for my wife, but I find I'm thinking of more and more reasons to drive it!

Mike

 

I have to agree with some of it.I was overseas in 2004 when I assume that Chrysler was doing their advertising. However, I never saw one until this summer and never saw an ad at all. Early this Fall, I started looking for a sports coupe/car and happened to run into the R&T test between the SRT, Boxster and 350Z. That's when I started looking around and found out what a tremendous buy they are!

As far as reliablity goes, I now have three Chrysler cars. They stand far above the Chevies, Fords and Toyotas I have owned. The only thing that beats them in reliability are Subarus (my family and my children's families have owned 15 of them - pretty hard to beat). I now have 150,000 on my Concorde and plan another 50,000! I just hope my SRT holds up as well.

 

Told someone yesterday..."This is my favorite car of my lifetime" My father was a Chrysler Exec for 38 years from the late 40's thru the 60's to the terrible 70's Brought home the 1st Hemi's...drove the K-cars...man would he love this car! I sold most every hi-line brand at a dealer here in Vegas including Lotus and Superformance and all the luxuries and value for the dollar there is nothing better than my XFire..Plan on passing it on to my son

 

just to comment on the poor marketing... Chrysler's decision to have Celine Dion star in this car's advertisements was a complete turn off for the "real" market niche of owners. Most Crossfire owner's are middle aged males (on average, there are old and young too! I am 20 for example) who are car enthusiasts. I am not sure exactly who Chrysler was trying to target with those Celine commercials but it seems like they were focusing on the elegance of the car in order to appeal to women? If so they were way off and if anything they turned off potential buyers. Not to mention they overpriced the car further diminishing prospective buyers.

 

I vote YES. So our cars will be more exclusive and unique.

 

Looks like some of the Xfire owners are commenting on the article. Keep 'em coming:
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/au....html#comments

 

Today, when I was filling my roadster at a gas station, a fellow pulled in across from me and while we were fueling our cars he asked me how I liked my XFire. I told him I think it is a great car and really enjoy it. He then told me that a short while back he was looking at a XFire at Carmaxx, but didn't buy it. He said that he made a mistake and should have bought the car. He then told me he thought the XFire looks better than any of the MB SLK roadsters (which told me he had done some homework on the XFire).

The XFire has a very unique styling. Like the design or hate it, the car does draw attention and comments. I find it interesting that a 60 year old man is as attracted to an XFire as a 20 year old girl. It is unique in that regard.

 

I posted a comment on their website but it hasn't yet been approved
It doesn't look like it going to make it