Why Was The Chrysler 200 Discontinued?
The Chrysler 200 entered the market in 2011 with hopes of capturing attention in the competitive world of midsize sedans. It featured a sleek design and aimed to offer a mix of style, performance, and affordability. But in just a few years, it quietly disappeared from showrooms across the United States. So, why was the Chrysler 200 discontinued?
Chrysler officially ended production of the 200 sedan in December of 2016 due to poor sales. While the car's biggest year in 2015 saw Chrysler sell 177,889 units, sales fell to less than half in 2016 with only 62,185 units sold. After the Chrysler 200's discontinuation, the Sterling Heights plant in Michigan responsible for building the sedan transitioned to making Dodge Ram 1500 trucks, thanks to a $1.48 billion investment from the company.
Just one month after pulling the plug on the Chrysler 200, former CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed (via Autoblog) at the Detroit Auto Show that both the 200 and the Dodge Dart were the most financially disappointing cars the company had made, stating: "I don't know one investment that was as bad as these two were."
What about the Chrysler 300?
Despite being a popular car in the early 2010s, the Chrysler 200 was short-lived. But drivers who remember those years may wonder how the Chrysler 200 compared to the Chrysler 300 sedan and if one impacted the other. What were the differences between the two, and is the Chrysler 300 still being produced?
The biggest difference between the Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300 is the fact that they were built with two different purposes in mind, which suggests one car didn't affect the other. The 200 was a mid-sized four-cylinder sedan with an interior that appealed to a younger crowd and offered better gas mileage. The more expensive Chrysler 300 was a full-sized, six-cylinder sedan with more room and power. The 300 even offered a Hemi V8 option for drivers looking for even more power.
Despite its positives, Chrysler discontinued the 300 just seven years after the 200. Citing a need to move toward all-electric vehicles, Chrysler stopped production on all versions of the 300 in December of 2023.