Fans of the Chrysler 300 in Australia would be disappointed to hear reports that Fiat Chrysler is no longer building Chrysler and Dodge models in right-hand drive (RHD).
That would mean the permanent end of Chrysler and Dodge sales in Australia.
The reports out of South Africa (a fellow left-hand driving nation) say production of right-hand drive cars has already ended, however Fiat Chrysler is yet to make an official announcement.
Dodge was withdrawn from the Australian market earlier this year.
That move came after sales of the Dodge Journey fell from a very respectable 925 units in 2015, to just 462 last year.
The re-badged Fiat version of the people-mover, the Freemont, sold 50 units in Australia last month according to VFACTS, and has totaled 464 sales across the first nine months of year.
That U.S. built Fiat offering may also be affected by the reported closure of RHD production.
While for Chrysler, 2017 has seen just the one vehicle available to Australian buyers – the 300.
Sales of the large sedan slipped from 880 in 2015 to just 460 last year, so far this year Chrysler has delivered 209 300s to Aussie buyers.
The cancellation of RHD production and resulting withdrawal from the Australian market is ironic, Chrysler’s large sedan was long seen as a possible beneficiary of the ending of Australian large car production.
Jeep production/availability is not expected to be affected, along with Fiat Chrysler’s Italian brands – Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
We will keep you updated as any further info on the reported closure of RHD Chrysler/Dodge production comes to hand.
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