The new machine draws...
The new machine draws its styling inspiration from the Zoe concept, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. It"s also tipped to be influenced by the Egeus (issue 870), which will be revealed at the Frankfurt exhibition next week.
It"s believed that production...
It"s believed that production of both roadster and coupé versions of the sports car is about to be halted. The two-seater is built for Chrysler by Karmann, which has a deal to make 30,000 annually. However, with sales on a downward spiral last year, Chrysler doesn"t need that many in 2006, and is in "production and associated compensation" discussions with the German firm.
It"s unclear how much that compensation could amount to, or by how much volumes could be reduced. A spokeswoman at Chrysler HQ in Detroit, US, told us: "The two-seat sports coupé class has been flat to slightly down in the past two years, so we will modify the Crossfire"s production numbers. But this doesn"t mean we are looking to end production outright."
The Crossfire was launched in 2002, as a rival to sister firm Mercedes" SLK roadster. Chrysler sold 1,800 in the UK in 2004, and 1,000 last year - with about 60 per cent Roadsters.