'11 Grand Cherokee Updates

[MisterM]

Originally Posted by XDCX

That said, my bet is the reporter included that statement in his story as a left handed jab at Chrysler. Essentially the message to Chrysler is if they intend to keep the media in the dark they'll have to live with the consequences. In this case the media will start reporting assumptions instead of facts - to the detriment of Chrysler.

Never thought of the "jab" angle, good point. But for the most part Chrysler doesn't seem to care what the media reports, and they have perfected the art of keeping everyone in the dark, even their own dealers. The best information out there in so many cases is from "insiders".

[Ralph]

Is there anyway this kind of management is productive? Developing confidence in the company and it's products should be the priority in Turin...oh I mean Detroit. The uncertainty at the dealer and media level bleeds into the general public...does it not?

At the meeting where "the plan" was revealed...didn't they call a press conference, set up a bandstand for reporters...and cancel it literally at the last minute...with all the press sitting and ready? In all fairness, I opted out because of a bunch of reasons...but one of the biggest, was my loss of faith...so that's where I'm coming from. (that's a disclaimer)

I hate to compare Chrysler with Ford and GM?..but the comparison needs to be made. They're in the market place begging for positive publicity yet Mother Chrysler snubs it at every turn. What is "The Plan"? Nothing with these guys makes sense. They grind the dealers, grind the press...to what end? How in the world is this productive?

Here's the savior vehicle...supposedly in production last week...and no one knows even what the damn thing looks like? It's insane. Maybe when this thing is actually launched the press will forget how they've been treated and put a positive spin on it. But it seems to me they could have done a better job launching this vehicle even by accident!!!! The scary part of this , is that the screw ups are purposeful. Some fool actually made the decision to divide the dealer body with this have and have not drive away..."let's not show it at any publicity event", bust the balls of the press...I think if you stopped any car at an intersection...got the driver out and asked them to launch this vehicle...they'd do a much better job at it. Beyond scary, it's terrifying to me that these guys are supposedly professionals and beyond that they're requiring the dealer body to spend zillions to support this company.

Whew...bizarre...that's the only adjective I can come up with.

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by Ralph

At the meeting where "the plan" was revealed...didn't they call a press conference, set up a bandstand for reporters...and cancel it literally at the last minute...with all the press sitting and ready?

You've got a good memory - I had forgotten about that. You're referring to Chrysler's decision to kick out all the TV camera crews minutes before the eight hour meeting started. There were rumbles heard throughout the meeting room when Chrysler made their announcement.

In my opinion Chrysler's making the medias job harder and they're treating them with disrespect. As a result they're going to get poor coverage.

By contrast, there was a great story in Automotive News a few weeks ago from a reporter reflecting back on his experiences interviewing Bob Lutz. Lutz was friendly and conversational with the media and provided them with some great sound bites over the years.

[ohiobuckeyes]

Our Grand Cherokee (Which we build on 4/14/10) is in the "D" Status with a Vin Number. It was assigned to "D" status on 05/07/10. So lets see if it says or if Chrysler is going to pull it back.

Maybe we are getting close to a launch.

[Txflyer]

Originally Posted by ohiobuckeyes

Our Grand Cherokee (Which we build on 4/14/10) is in the "D" Status with a Vin Number. It was assigned to "D" status on 05/07/10. So lets see if it says or if Chrysler is going to pull it back.

Maybe we are getting close to a launch.

Same here. Ours is in a D1 status with a 6/3/10 ship date.

[ssdd]

Got this this morning from the sebc


In case you have not heard.

The Grand Cherokee Dealer Event will be held in conjunction with a Ride and Drive and Go To Market meeting is scheduled for June 3 @ Stone Mountain.

Save the Date.

[MisterM]

Originally Posted by ohiobuckeyes

Maybe we are getting close to a launch.

The launch is now underway, but no promotion or advertising is planned until mid-June.

[XDCX]

I was just curious if Chrysler's release of pricing for the '11 GC generated any inquiries from your existing customers?

Are people asking about the '11 GC or do they seem mostly unaware that a new vehicle will be arriving at your dealership?

Concerning pricing, although I haven't studied it too closely it looks like the '11 GC will be competitively priced.

[LJS]

Originally Posted by XDCX

Are people asking about the '11 GC or do they seem mostly unaware that a new vehicle will be arriving at your dealership?

None of the people I talk to even have a clue that a new GC is on it way.

[Ralph]

Given the unsignificance of Chrysler lately in the public's eye...that is a bad sign. I remember the days when the new models were all released on "Announcement Day." I remember my father having new products and literally kept them in the shop or hidden out back. People used to be desperate to just get a glimpse of the new products...and certainly knew they were coming.

I know the system is different today and new products are brought out at any time in the year, but I'm not sure why you'd want to make it a secret when its that important to their business plan. It has been said earlier that Chrysler doesn't exactly have a good track record with launches and I know we all had big hopes and big dollars riding on this vehicle. Of course time will tell...but being as important as it is it is kind of mind boggling that they've made no effort to tout it...yet made every effort to keep it a secret. Summer is a tough time to get people to watch TV, thus reruns in the summer. Print advertising is pretty weak these days...how the heck are they going to get a buzz going with a summer launch of a vehicle no one knows is even coming?

On a lighter note, they'r saying gas prices will be lower going into the summer, so maybe that will at least take some pressure off the SUV gas guzzling image when it finally hits the lots.

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by Ralph

Summer is a tough time to get people to watch TV, thus reruns in the summer. Print advertising is pretty weak these days...how the heck are they going to get a buzz going with a summer launch of a vehicle no one knows is even coming?

You ask a great question.

Your comment about summer really hits home. As a native of rainy Seattle I can confirm that people spend little time watching TV when the sun's out. Summers are short and no one wants to be cooped up watching TV. I also agree that print is dead - so, that really only leaves the Internet.

To their credit, Chrysler's been getting some good press lately. Their strategy for launching the '11 GC remains a mystery, however.

[LJS]

Originally Posted by MisterM

The launch is now underway, but no promotion or advertising is planned until mid-June.

My DM told me today the advertising really wont start until late July. Sounds AWESOME!

[ohiobuckeyes]

From Chrysler's Twitter Feed...YES TWITTER FEED...

Chrysler Group LLC to Celebrate Production Launch of new 2011 @Jeep Grand Cherokee at Jefferson North Assembly Plant:

http://www.media.chrysler.com/newsre...?id=9656&mid=1

And Guess Who is going to be at the PLANT Launch on May 21st.

Yep Sergio Marchionne Himself in the flesh and you might get to have him give you a tour our the plant if we get at the program before 11am on Friday.

Too bad I will be in Canada that day...Damn

[XDCX]

I've been trying to get an idea how fast Chrysler's going to ramp-up production of the '11 GC in an effort to guage how much of an impact it will make on sales in the coming months.

Based on what you see on DealerConnect and what you hear from your DMs, does it appear the '11 GC will be a volume piece in three months?

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by XDCX

I've been trying to get an idea how fast Chrysler's going to ramp-up production of the '11 GC in an effort to guage how much of an impact it will make on sales in the coming months.

Based on what you see on DealerConnect and what you hear from your DMs, does it appear the '11 GC will be a volume piece in three months?

I received an e-mail from a dealer who reported he's pleased with the initial allocations of '11 GCs and feels the vehicle could become a volume piece for his dealership. Finally, some good news on the forum about Chrysler.

The dealer reported he's received five pre-specs and has an allocation for another 16 GCs. All but seven have cleared BX and are moving through the production process. That's 21 GCs in the system before the first one even leaves the plant - that's pretty good.

While you can't from a trend based on one dealer, my initial impression is Chrysler's going to ramp-up production quickly.

For any other dealers who want to report their allocations but do not have an account on the forum, just send me an e-mail at xdcx@DealershipForum.com