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so i'm on the Chrtyler "customer advisory board". a little bit ago there was a discoussion with Doug Betts, Vice President of Quality and Chief Customer Officer. check out the part i have highlighted

May Session Recap
Posted:
May 2008
May's Session - Understanding Quality - took place on May 19 at 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EST with special guest, Doug Betts, Vice President of Quality and Chief Customer Officer. It was a great turn out. You even impressed Doug with your participation.

The discussion revolved mostly around perceptions of quality. Here are a few of the topics that evolved:

-Doug talked about the reorganization of the company. About 250 people now work in cross-functional teams "solving warranty problems at a very high rate."

-Doug's team has created an evaluation that benchmarks Chrysler vehicles to competitors. It involves 16 standard positions inside and outside the vehicle. Six people evaluate both a Chrysler vehicle and a competitive vehicle using the same standards to see how they match up.

-Chrysler's Quality Division is working on four major projects now, taking a very different approach.

-There was a big pull for bringing the Neon back. Though Doug cautioned that the old Neon wouldn't meet today's regulations.

-Many participants place little or no value on Consumer Reports and instead believe blogs and online forums are more realistic sources for "real" consumer insights.

-There was a draw for what influenced the majority of the participants overall vehicle opinion most. If the vehicle looks cheap or the workmanship is poor and how the vehicle matches up with competitors features such as MPG, comfort, quietness, etc., were the two that topped the list

-Many are on board with our Quality improvement direction. "We like the new Chrysler," you told us.

-A few members wanted to know when they'd see any quality improvements. Doug responded with, "I think we can make significant changes in 9 months."

-Doug admitted that he isn't satisfied with Chrysler vehicles and "never will be."

-Doug currently drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

The discussion wrapped up with kudos to Doug before he signed off to head home and help his kids with their homework. There were a lot of great suggestions and Doug is taking some of them back to share with colleagues at Chrysler.

if they do then it will look like every other dodge

the avenger has less interior room for the driver, imo, than the neon did, so that is the "next gen neon" imo.

i hate the avenger. shoulda left it a 2 door and not look like a charger. as far as bringing the neon back....no. just cause dodge doesn't belive in aerodynamics anymore.

why bring it back? Let it die. There isn't anything worth saving IMO. If a 3rd generation were ever to be released it would of had to be COMPLETELY different from the first 2. Cars, today, are different than the Neons hay day. Most people are looking for comfort and luxury items, like leather option, GPS navagation, etc etc etc

IMO the Neon is Dead. If Dodge/Chrysler releases another sport compact it has to be Different, otherwise it's just going to be the same old same old.

touche

but they can still call it a neon

Yeah i was in that chat as well

I told them we wanted the Neon back as well.

Hope this guy can help bring back a great car.

as much as i hate to admit it (and please dont kill me for this), i have to agree with mox...

If Chrysler does something similar with the Neon that they seem to be considering with the Barracuda... I'd buy one.

NiteHawk wrote:as much as i hate to admit it (and please dont kill me for this), i have to agree with mox...

**Stabs NiteHawk** Die!


Yeah, its true. If dodge were to reintroduce the neon, you'd better put your money on a boxy-ass front end. It'd probably be way to bloated for my tastes also. Though, this is the trend cars are going in.

What I'm more concerned about right now are which cars Chrysler is going to axe. I've heard the Viper and the Sebring are standing in line, who knows what's next.

The Neon would be a rebadged Chery and y'all know it!

i still want avenger srt-6 =(

MoxHair wrote:If a 3rd generation were ever to be released it would of had to be COMPLETELY different from the first 2. Cars, today, are different than the Neons hay day. Most people are looking for comfort and luxury items, like leather option, GPS navagation, etc etc etc

Oh, like the BUX Chrysler Neon R/Ts? Don't forget, leather and navigation were options on the domestic 2GNs. DCX did everything wrong by treating the US Neon like a bastard stepchild instead of being the equal of the export Neon.