Facing criticism over styling, Chrysler sees Sebring sales drop

Thursday, March 22, 2007

By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Chrysler's all new 2007 Sebring was supposed to be the automaker's answer to the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Instead, sales of the reshaped model have plunged 22 percent so far this year -- a victim, critics say, of controversial styling.

"Chrysler and Dodge don't have a strong heritage or history in the intermediate family car segment, so they did not start out with a lot of equity or clout when the new models were introduced," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis for the J.D. Power Network of J.D. Power and Co.

"Both the Chrysler Sebring and the new Dodge Avenger are perceived as being bland like their predecessors. They don't make a bold statement. And yes, there are some people who are not enamored of the styling."

	The Chrysler Sebring design has drawn criticism. Click photo for larger image.

The car also had the misfortune of following in the footsteps of the brutish, outrageously elegant 300, which some are already hailing as an American classic. When the Sebring appeared, some auto writers wondered if Chrysler was beginning to lose its styling leadership in the domestic auto industry.

During February, Chrysler sold only 5,744 Sebrings, down 22 percent from a year ago, matching the sales decline for the year-to-date, according to J.D. Powers . Market share in its segment has slipped to 0.54 percent, down from 0.67 percent a year ago.

For its part, Chrysler officials say they aren't bothered by the criticism and welcome the debate over the model.

"Our mantra is that we will not do a tepid design here. Sometimes our designs have a love/hate kind of thing going on and we're fine with that," said Sam Locricchio, communications manager for Chrysler Group Design..

"We like to zig when everybody else thinks we should zag. We're looking at trends five years out. If you do something that's kind of a retread, it becomes dated quickly."

He pointed to other recent Chrysler products that initially were controversial but eventually became popular.

"When we came out with the PT Cruiser, some people said, 'What were they thinking?' But soon, you couldn't even find one to buy. And I remember with the 300, it was the same kind of questioning with that. I saw a lot of hate for the first couple of months with that one. But it became something people really adapted to," Mr. Locricchio said.

On the other hand, some of Chrysler's cars have become pioneers on their own right, even if sales were not blowouts such as with the PT Cruiser and the 300, Mr. Locricchio said.

"That was the case with Pacifica. Now there are vehicles out there like Pacifica in the crossover segment that blur the line between SUVs and cars. To really be a trendsetter, you have to create it, and others will follow. To be a follower in this business won't do you any good."

Mr. Locricchio said the company consciously decided against trying to emulate the 300's success in its smaller Sebring sedan line.

"It's like asking the Beatles to re-create 'Sgt. Pepper,' " he added. "We're not going to just repeat basically the same design. If Sebring looked like the 300, people would yawn and say 'You took the easy way out.' "

Regardless of its current controversy with the Sebring, Chrysler has a long legacy of styling leadership -- though like the other two domestic carmakers, it has had occasional gaffes, such as the downsized Plymouth and Dodge models back in 1962 or the Airflow designs in the 1930s.

Chrysler is remembered for the groundbreaking "Forward Look" in the 1950s, the "Fuselage Look" of the late 1960s, and its muscle cars of the '60s and '70s, which now sell for as much as a $1 million apiece.

At any rate, nobody should assume that the Sebring is the harbinger of things to come from Chrysler, Mr. Locricchio said.

"I wouldn't call it a watershed design, although it's true you can see a family resemblance in the whole Chrysler lineup. It's not true that from now on, you will see the kind of look Sebring has in another Chrysler," he said. "But at the same time you won't see a look like the 300 either. ? You'll see there will be distinct looks for all our models in the future, but each will still have a family resemblance, maintaining what the brand is all about."