Chrysler will stop selling cars in the UK in 2017.
Speaking to Autocar, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' deputy UK managing director Karl Howkins revealed that dealers were informed of the decision yesterday and the company would now be focusing on other brands in its range, including a revitalised Jeep.
The decision had been taken, according to Howkins, because the Chrysler product portfolio no longer appealed to UK car buyers and the CO2 emissions of the products that were offered were too high.
"The Jeep Renegade is more important to focus on as the volume is much higher," he said. "Plus there are more new Alfa and Fiat products coming that we need to focus on."
Chrysler has had a troubled few years in the UK, and sales have been dwindling, dropping below 2000 units last year. Back in 2012, sales stood at almost 3500 units.
Chrysler has traditionally been packaged alongside Jeep in UK dealerships, but some of its recent product offerings have been badge-engineered models sourced from Lancia, including the Ypsilon city car and Delta hatchback.
These models never resonated with UK buyers, and the Delta was withdrawn from sale in the UK last January, as revealed at the time by Autocar. At that time, however, Chrysler said it would continue its presence in the UK, but that decision has now been reversed.
It has had more limited success in the past with models such as the 300C saloon and Grand Voyager seven-seat MPV, but these models' fall in popularity has coincided with the a market shift away from large saloons and MPVs and towards towards SUVs.
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