ORLANDO, Fla. — Chrysler revealed 15 new or updated models to hundreds of dealers Tuesday, hoping the new cars and trucks will boost sales and make the company profitable for the first time since it left bankruptcy protection last year.
The models, shown at a closed-door meeting for about 2,400 dealers from across the world, included a revamped Chrysler Sebring midsize sedan that was renamed the Chrysler 200, the Chrysler Town & Country minivan, and the Jeep Patriot and Dodge Nitro, right, small sport utilities that look similar to 2010 models.
About three- quarters of the company’s U.S. dealers attended, many of which are hurting as customers bypass their showrooms for newer models from other automakers.
Nowhere was it more evident than in midsize cars, a big part of the market in which the Sebring and Dodge Avenger fell far short of competitors.
“In the past, the factory kind of begged you to take the Sebring. If you did it, you were kind of just doing it to be a team player,” said dealer Frank M. Byers Jr. of Stuart, Fla. “I think the 200 will really change that.” The Associated Press
