Chrysler is a distinct looking car brand that features a few notable cars throughout the years. Despite its notoriety, many of the Chrysler car models have been discontinued including the Chrysler 200.
You may be curious why the Chrysler 200 got discontinued. I looked up the facts, and here is what I learned!
Why Was The Chrysler 200 Discontinued?
Generally, the Chrysler 200 was discontinued because it was not cost-effective to keep making the Chrysler 200, especially since the Chrysler 200 had very low sales that kept dropping. Moreover, the Chrysler 200 was not more successful than its older brother, the Chrysler 300, so the Chrysler 200 was removed altogether.
Are you interested in learning about more reasons why the Chrysler 200 was discontinued? I made a list of reasons below, so keep reading!
1. The Chrysler 300
While the Chrsyler 200 was proposed to be the younger brother of the Chrysler 300, the Chrysler 200 did not do as well as the older counterpart.
Even if the Chrysler 300 is likely to be discontinued as well, the Chrysler 300 overshadowed the Chrysler 200.
Most people preferred to buy the Chrysler 300 instead of the Chrysler 200, which quickly rendered the 200 model obsolete.
For instance, the Chrysler 200 was a midsized sedan while the Chrysler 300 was a full sized sedan, so the general public opted with the full sized sedan.
2. Not Cost Effective
One of the major reasons why Chrysler chose to discontinue the Chrsyler 200 was that it was not cost effective.
It takes a lot of money to create each Chrysler car, and the Chrsyler 200 was no exception.
Since Chrysler is a business, Chrysler had to cut costs where they had to, which lead to the Chrysler 200 getting discontinued.
3. Declining Sales
While the Chrysler 200 was not cost effective to make, what further sealed its discontinuation was the fact that the Chrysler 200 barely had any sales.
Firstly, the Chrysler 200 was fairly expensive, which made it more difficult to get anyone to buy the Chrysler 200.
Secondly, the sales of the Chrysler 200 steadily dropped as each year passed, meaning Chrysler was spending more than it was earning on the Chrysler 200.
For instance, roughly over 170,000 units of the Chrysler 200 were sold in 2015, but only over 18,000 Chrysler 200 cars were sold in 2017.
Therefore, there was a huge drop in sales, and companies like Chrysler need to get rid of products that the market does not want.
4. Non-Innovative Design
While most car models go through various redesigns to stay innovative, the Chrysler 200 did not follow suit.
There was only one redesign done by the FCA to the Chrysler 200 back in 2015, which may have made people less inclined to buy the Chrysler 200.
For instance, the Chrysler 200 was categorized as a 4-door sedan and the manufacturers removed the convertible option.
While there were some more useful added features, such as keyless entry and cruise control, the lackluster new design was not enough to keep the Chrysler 200 on the market.
5. Lack Of Partnership
According to the FCA, they were looking to get a partner who would help them build the Chrysler 200.
However, the partnership did not work out, and the partnership’s assembly plant was shut down and many workers were laid off.
Since the Chrysler 200 was lacking the space, manpower, and funds it needed to be made, Chrysler decided to get rid of the model altogether.
6. Focus On Other Models
Since the Chrysler 200 was not doing well, Chrysler decided to remove the model to focus on other car models.
For instance, Chrysler heavily focused on their Chrysler 300 models and potential new van designs.
In turn, Chrysler got rid of the Chrysler 200 since they were going to shift their priorities to the other car models.
7. They Believe It Ran Its Course
Car manufacturers often have their personal opinions about each of their car models, and Chysler believed that it was time to retire the Chrysler 200.
Due to a mixed bag of reasons, Chrysler stated in a press conference that they did not see a need to keep producing the Chrysler 200.
Chrysler 200 models already had a short lifespan since the Chrysler 200 was only being produced in 2011 to 2017.
As such, Chrysler decided to retire the Chrysler 200 series early since there was little to no reason to continue the model.
Conclusion
While the Chrysler 200 was meant to outshine the Chrysler 300, the Chrysler 200 was quickly discontinued before the Chrysler 300.
Many factors lead to the discontinuation of the Chrysler 200, including its lack of innovative design and sales.