Chrysler Group LLC plans major changes for the 2011 Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring after U.S. sales of the sedans tumbled 50 percent last year.
The revamping "really will be from the inside out," Ralph Gilles, the automaker's design chief, said in an interview today at the Chicago Auto Show. "These cars are being overhauled, mechanically, powertrain-wise, handling-wise, suspension-wise, the tires, everything." They also may get new names, he said.
Chrysler is remaking its vehicle lineup under Fiat SpA, the Italian company that took over its operations in a government- aided bankruptcy reorganization last year. The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company's total U.S. sales slid 36 percent in 2009, the most among major automakers.
The two sedans accounted for a combined 66,382 sales last year, less than a fifth of the 356,824 for Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry, the best-selling car in the U.S.
Chrysler' existing models are being reworked until new models derived from Turin, Italy-based Fiat's technology are introduced starting in 2012.
