Chrysler to drop Jeep Compass and Chrysler Town & Country minivan

(May 29, 2012) Automotive News has reported that Chrysler Group will drop the Jeep Compass and go to a "one minivan" plan by 2014. This according to Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. The changes are part of a long effort by Marchionne to give each Chrysler Group brand a more distinct identity and eliminate product overlaps common in the DaimlerChrysler era, the trade paper said.

The Chrysler Town & Country will be dropped, replaced with a crossover, leaving the creator of the original minivan with just the Dodge Grand Caravan. The new crossover may retain the Town & Country name.

Brand identity is crucial for Chrysler because over 90 percent of its dealerships now sell all four volume brands: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.

The Compass is similar to the Jeep Patriot, and the Town & Country shares many attributes with the Grand Caravan minivan. A smaller Chrysler-brand crossover will replace the Town & Country and may retain the name.

Although Marchionne is pruning models, he has been adding brands, too. Since 2009 he has introduced three to North America: Ram, Fiat and SRT.

He revealed the product changes at a media event last week at Chrysler's Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant and during a recent interview with Automobile magazine.