Next-gen Chrysler 200 to be "complete home run"

The Chrysler 200 is one of the most derided vehicles in the entire automotive industry, but those that have seen the next-generation of the mid-size sedan describe it as a “complete home run.”

The current 200 has struggled to make much of a splash in the mid-size segment, thanks in large to its Sebring roots. Although Chrysler did an admirable job in updating the 200's looks and interior quality when the sedan moved away from the Sebring nameplate in 2010, it still doesn't measure up to the segment's heavy-weights.

However, that will reportedly change when an all-new version of the 200 debuts in early 2014. Chrysler has so far only shown the new 200 to dealers – who obviously have some skin in the game – but early feedback has been extremely positive for the sedan.

“The new 200 is a complete home run,” Chrysler dealer David Kelleher told The Detroit News. “It’s got that strength of a very, very expensive European sedan like a Mercedes, but it’s definitively American.”

Although Kelleher has a vested interest in touting Chrysler products, he openly admits that the automaker has never really been competitive in the mid-size segment.

“I’ve been selling Chryslers since 1992 and, heck, I don’t know if we’ve ever been competitive in that market,” he added.

Chrysler says the 200 will be a clean slate redesign, but brand chief Saad Chehab admits cars like the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Ford Fusion have influenced the design direction of the new 200.

“We react to things we see no matter where they are and the Fusion is one of the stops we made,” Chehab said. “Our challenge was that if any of us walk into a room and look at the car, is my jaw going to drop?”

Chrysler hasn't announced when or where the all-new 200 will debut, but we suspect the mid-size sedan will make its first public appearance a the Detroit auto show in January 2014.

Courtesy of Left Lane News