There was much to lampoon about Chrysler about last week at the Detroit Auto Show. Its sweeping show stand devoted to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, Ferrari and Maserati was an extravaganza of random sights and a scarcity of information.
There was no press conference. None of the cars had the typical stands next to them that provided basic information. There was a car shown (the Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta above) without a name, specs or any related signage. There was an electric Fiat 500, but there was no information about its technology -- just a silver box and some wires under the hood and an "Electtrica" license plate they put on during the show.
Oh, but there were babes. And Tiki gods. And a Plum Crazy Challenger. And an upside down Ram. And babes -- next to just about everything. And I say Chrysler might be onto something.
Think about it, this is actually a brilliant marketing and PR ploy. Chrysler has absolutely nothing new and exciting to showcase. A Heavy Duty Ram? The Jeep Wrangler Islander (hence the Tiki god)? The PT Cruiser Couture edition (not that it was badged or labeled as such)? The Chrysler 300S? The Caliber's less terrible interior? Bueller? Bueller?
Nope. Instead, we got a giant distraction -- for journalists, for the show-going public and the company's new government co-owners.
For one, the stand looked amazing: well lit, impressive sets, color-coordinated cars. Next, having a Ferrari 599XX and a Maserati GranCabrio parked next to your regular product is GUARANTEED to draw the attention from journalists and the show-going public alike who otherwise would never visit Chrysler. Joe Blow Detroit whose house is worth $9,000 may not be able to afford that Maserati, but its presence may draw his attention to a bright yellow Nitro.
Next, remind everyone that Fiat and Chrysler are working together and that new, smaller cars are around the bend. Yet, be so vague that they can't be held to anything. See the Chrysler Lancia Delta thing. This is as much for Nancy and friends.
Finally, in case you forgot that Chrysler is now owned by Italians, they added exotic women (who sadly had to put up with the leering eyes and oh-not-so-clever cat calls from the globe's slimiest automotive "journalists"). You may roll your eyes at the low-brow nature of stand models, especially when they stand next to cars that can easily rally attention by themselves. But as an attraction and a distraction for lesser vehicles, it's an effective ploy. After all, there's no way in hell that many journalists were interested in photographing the Jeep Liberty Renegade.
So Chrysler and Fiat succeeded in drawing eyes to their cars, while simultaneously distracting them from the fact there was nothing new or noteworthy to show. Perhaps that doesn't portend well for the company's future, but from a marketing standpoint, I say bravo. It's better than not turning the lights on and hey, they certainly got me talking about their cars
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
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By vvk
on January 20, 2010
07:00 AM
I guess they need to compensate for really bad cars somehow :-)
By brn
on January 20, 2010
10:01 AM
Babes at an autoshow? That's good thinking.
On a more serious note, I wouldn't expect much in terms of new product. Poor Chrysler has been dangling for a while. Their new overlords are very new. It's too soon to even show much for prototype products. Next year, I expect to see a lot more.
By sabastian
on January 21, 2010
07:27 AM
The only thing Chrysler has that I would even be halfway interested in is the 500 Abarth, but I dread the thought of actually going to a dealer to look at one. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but the Chrysler (and GM) dealers in my area are the only ones left that still live up to all the sleazy car salesman stereotypes.
By estreka
on January 22, 2010
08:12 AM
I don't think the women looked that good at Detroit this year. Maybe it's the clothes, maybe it's the makeup, who knows.