Chrysler is planning to compete head on with Ford Europe’s S-Max and Citroen’s C4 Grand Picasso next year when it launches an MPV crossover based on the Crew concept car at September’s Frankfurt motor show.
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Designed to fit in below the new, larger and more upmarket Grand Voyager (Europe’s version of the US Town and Country), also slated for 2008 market release, the Crew is a direct replacement for the long running, short-wheelbase Voyager.
Likely to have up to seven seats, the Crew, authorised for production three years ago, is seen by Chrysler management as the company’s response to Ford’s successful S-Max/Galaxy strategy.
A Chrysler source said: “After elevating Grand Voyager even further the logical conclusion is that something must happen below it. S-Max and Grand Picasso are obvious targets. Whatever we call it, the vehicle will be more sporty and dynamic to drive. It will not be a son of Grand Voyager.”
One issue addressed by Chrysler designers is the width of the current Voyager, which is seen as a disadvantage on European roads, while the Grand Voyager, popular among hotel and airport courtesy fleets, outsells its shorter wheelbase counterpart by almost two to one in the UK.
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By GlobalDataChrysler’s European management acknowledge that the S-Max has tapped into a rich seam of business drivers, who did not want to be associated with the traditional conservative image of MPV drivers.
Hugh Hunston
