Chrysler to Drop Jeep Compass, Trim Minivan Lineup

Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne confirms that Chrysler Group will drop its Jeep Compass small SUV and Chrysler Town & Country minivan in 2014.

Marchionne tells reporters there are "a number of candidates" to replace the Compass, a clone of the Jeep Patriot SUV. Both models, which are currently built at Chrysler's plant in Belvidere, Ill., share their platform with the cancelled Dodge Caliber small five-door hatch.

Marchionne hasn't indicated the future of the Patriot beyond 2014, but any successor likely will ride on a platform used by several other models in the Fiat-Chrysler lineup. Earlier this year Automotive News Europe reported that Fiat will produce a mini-SUV at its plant in Mirafiori, Italy, in 2014 to replace the Patriot and Compass models worldwide.

Marchionne says the Town & Country, a variant of the Dodge Grand Caravan, will be replaced by a smaller, upscale Chrysler crossover vehicle. Chrysler said three years ago it intended to eventually build only one minivan model.