FCA Ends Chrysler 200 Production Today

Today Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is ending production of the Chrysler 200 midsize sedan at its factory in Sterling Heights, Mich., The Detroit News reports.

The car, which was launched in 2011 as a replacement for the Sebring, introduced Chrysler’s popular “imported from Detroit” slogan. Sales of the next-generation model introduced last year surged 52% to 177,900 units, according to Autodata Corp.

But demand through the first 11 months of this year plummeted 65% to only 54,700 units. Cheap gasoline prompted many potential buyers to flock instead to pickup trucks, SUVs and crossover vehicles.

FCA plans to spend much of 2017 retooling the Sterling Heights factory under a $1.5 billion program to prepare the facility to make the next-generation Ram 1500 large pickup truck. The company expects to eventually add 700 jobs to the 4,600 hourly workers currently employed there.