There will be at least 3 interesting vehicles at the Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Show. Show runs March 25-28, 2010. The Chrysler Airflite, a 4 door Crossfire, the Jeep Hurricane, and Dodge Rampage Pickup are all supposed to be on display. All the new cars and trucks will also be there, sounds like a good show. It is held close to Bethlehem, Pa. Close to the N.J border and north of Philadelphia. There are pictures online of the 3 prototype vehicles at their website. I despise all 4 door sedans but I would like to see this one just because it predated our Crossfires.

Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Show

The Chrysler Airflite was a concept car created by the American car manufacturer, DaimlerChrysler. It was first introduced at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show. The Airflite's looks are a combination of a sporty design, stylish looks, and some of the design cues from another one of Chrysler's cars, the Crossfire.
The Airflite was based on a shortened version of Chrysler's LX platform, which was used on the Chrysler 300. The Airflite is powered by a 90° V6 engine. The rest of the Airflite's engine power and torque is still unknown to the public.
The major styling approach of the Airflite that typically seen on a sporty two-door coupé model; however, it has the practicality and function of a four-door sedan.
The Airflite blends the design of the Chrysler Crossfire and Pacifica in its exterior design. Most of the looks of the Airflite (mainly the front and rear) were based on the Crossfire. The seven-spoke road wheel design is based on the Pacifica.

 

I remember seeing the Airflite at the LA Auto Show a few years back and really liking it.... which makes sense seeing as it really does look like a 4 door Crossfire.

As a matter of fact, Chrysler has come up with some very nice concept cars in the past few years, which leaves me wondering why they can do those so well but when push comes to shove, they actually build something like the Caliber and Journey.

Hopefully the Italians will inject some design flair into the mix in the future.

 

$$$$ Cost. Plain and Simple. Well that and a seriously inflated cost structure for their cars. There is no simple way to explain that, they just use a lot of piecemeal suppliers. This is why Hyundai and Kia sell cars at such a discounted price. They have on-site parts manufacturers that help to deflate the costs of producing vehicles.

...that whole are has been one of my bigest pain points with most of the auto industry. i work in the supply chain industry and see so many areas that could be made more efficient outside of the actual manufacturing costs to reduce the MSRP on several manufacturers product lines....

my $.02

 

IMHO, the Airflite turned into the Sebring.

What I really, really wish Chrysler would have made is the Nassau. A terrible name, but an incredibly cool looking 4-door hatch. If they put in a standard B-Pillar, got rid of the glass roof, and started these at Toyota Camry prices, they would have sold buckets.

 

I believe the Caliber and the Journey were the result of Darnelli thinking. This guy almost ran Home Depot into the ground during the housing boom.
What he has to convince people he can make them money is beyond me.

Thankfuly he is gone.

I look forward to the Italian influence as well.


roadster with a stick

 

Bingo.

Except for the headlights, I thought the Airflite was one sharp looking sedan. Chrylser changed a couple of body lines and rolled it out under the Sebring name. It amazed me how the car went from cool to dowdy through nothing more than a slight styling change. Had Chrysler kept the original design and name I think the car would have done better sales wise.

 

Agreed. Saw this at the LA Auto Show (or was it the OC Auto Show??) and thought it had great potential. But, no, we got the Journey. Blah.