Sterling Heights Town Meeting Shows new Chrysler 200C inspired Sebring

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Sterling Heights Town Meeting Shows new Chrysler 200C inspired Sebring

Posted on March 18th 2010No Comments »

2011 Chrysler Sebring

A post on allpar.com just confirmed that the updated and heavily refreshed Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger (which are built in Sterling Heights Michigan) were just shown at an impromptu town hall meeting.

The post stated that the Avenger was still highly recognizable as an Avenger but the Sebring was heavily 200C inspired and that a convertible version would be offered. Production is expected to begin later this year.

The heavy refreshing will also include re-tuned suspensions, brand new Pentastar V6 engines and MultiAir equipped 2.4L 4 cylinders offering more power with increased fuel economy.

The new interiors are said to be on par with Lexus.

These will be followed up by brand new versions of the Sebring and Avenger (new monikers are expected…especially for the Sebring) by 2012 when the cars will be based on Fiat C-EVO platforms but will be all Chrysler otherwise. The new engines will be backed by 6-speed twin clutch transmissions and other serious upgrades that are expected to put the cars in the forefront of the competition.

More details as we gather them

link:

http://www.ontariostreetcar.com/2010/03/18/sterling-heights-town-meeting-shows-new-chrysler-200c-inspired-sebring-refreshed-avenger/

[Drew Dowdell]

Sounds like decent alterations.

[PONTIAC06]

I agree...it sounds nice, but lets hope that the new Sebring isn't based on the 200C like the G6 was based on the concept...

[ZL-1]

The new interiors are said to be on par with Lexus.

I hope this isn't old-fashioned PR bull$h!.

[Drew Dowdell]

I hope this isn't old-fashioned PR bull$h!.

I hope they mean in build quality and not styling......

[cire]

There has been so much speculation and rumors about these 2 updated/improved/restyled cars. It will truly be interesting to see what emerges. I hope Chrysler LLC can truly make these cars competitive. If they can, then it will really solidfy the Fiat/Chrysler collaboration in the minds of the general public.

[Robert Hall]

The illustrations on Allpar show the '11 200C to have a new front end and new taillights, decklid, and rear fascia on the current hideous Sebring body..too expensive to rework the C-pillar and rear doors, apparently.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/200C.html

Edited March 29, 2010 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[cire]

The illustrations on Allpar show the '11 200C to have a new front end and new taillights, decklid, and rear fascia on the current hideous Sebring body..too expensive to rework the C-pillar and rear doors, apparently.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/200C.html

I saw those illustrations too. If this is representative of what will actually emerge, it will be a disappointment.

I love the 200C EV Concept, but I don't think it should be the inspiration for a restyling of the current Sebring. I think they should go in a more formal direction with the restyling. The resulting car should look somewhat like a 7/8 scale 300. I think this is the only way to salvage the current Sebring. Since the revised version is only going to be on the market for 3 short model years, I don't think the entire exterior will be redesigned. I think the roof and doors (essentially the middle section) will be carried over. If this happens, then I think a 300-esque restyling of the front and rear of the car will be more appropriate. I would also remove the cheap looking black plastic C-pillar fakeout that mimics the unfortunate looking Airflite Concept and cover the side window frames in a metallic finish (except for the B-pillar frames, which would remain black). The only element that I would borrow from the 200C EV Concept for this "Major Modification +" is the grille design since I think this grille design will become the future "face" of the Chrysler brand.

I think the 200C EV Concept should serve as the design inspiration for the next gen Fiat C-Wide based car. With a clean sheet design on a new platform, Chrysler LLC should have a better chance of bringing the 200C EV Concept to life as an actual production vehicle. Trying to remake the current Sebring into a production version of the 200C EV Concept will result in a very diluted and compromised looking vehicle.

[Robert Hall]

I saw those illustrations too. If this is representative of what will actually emerge, it will be a disappointment.

I love the 200C EV Concept, but I don't think it should be the inspiration for a restyling of the current Sebring. I think they should go in a more formal direction with the restyling. The resulting car should look somewhat like a 7/8 scale 300. I think this is the only way to salvage the current Sebring. Since the revised version is only going to be on the market for 3 short model years, I don't think the entire exterior will be redesigned. I think the roof and doors (essentially the middle section) will be carried over.

Agreed...I think the '11 200C is just a heavy MCE for the Sebring, until the new Fiat based car is ready. So I can't see them spending a lot to completely restyle it. IMHO, the C-pillar and rear doors are the single worst aspect of the current Sebring, and probably an expensive thing to fix..

Haven't seen any pics yet of the '11 Avenger....will the revised car be renamed 'Revenger' ?

Edited March 29, 2010 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[CSpec]

That profile is still TERRIBLE.

[ocnblu]

They seem to be substantive changes, given the time frame in which they were done. I'll be interested in seeing the finished product. I always thought the worst part of the current Sebring was the way-oversized headlights.

[cire]

They seem to be substantive changes, given the time frame in which they were done. I'll be interested in seeing the finished product. I always thought the worst part of the current Sebring was the way-oversized headlights.

I agree somewhat, except that I think the entire front end, entire rear end, and the ridiculous black plastic C-pillar applique' all equally conspire to render the current Sebring as hopelessly awkward. The front end is too curvy and disfigured (the front fascia jutts out below the grille and headlights in a very odd manner and the droopy effect around the foglights in the lower portion of the fascia just looks weird). The rear end is too blunt and coupe-like for the tall proportions of the car and the shape and interior elements of the taillights just add to the awkardness of the entire car. It's probably well known how I feel about the C-pillar fakeout. Seriously, I think a Chrysler-ized makeover of this car in the vein of the 2010 Taurus (more formal and blockier) would fix this car's exterior styling. I'm still convinced that the car started its design process as a 7/8 scale 300. The 2010 Taurus would be a good FWD example of the direction this car's makeover should take. It shouldn't look like a carbon copy of the 2010 Taurus, but the overall effect of the makeover should be similar.

[cire]

Agreed...I think the '11 200C is just a heavy MCE for the Sebring, until the new Fiat based car is ready. So I can't see them spending a lot to completely restyle it. IMHO, the C-pillar and rear doors are the single worst aspect of the current Sebring, and probably an expensive thing to fix..

Haven't seen any pics yet of the '11 Avenger....will the revised car be renamed 'Revenger' ?

I would still like to see the "Intrepid" name resurrected for the refreshed Avenger. "Avenger" just doesn't seem to fit well with a mainstream midsize sedan. I don't think it will happen, though.

[Satty]

Those Allpar renders look like the generic drawing they use in just about every automobile related ad in the yellow pages.