Why U.S. Carmakers Are In a Pickle

DA COMPASS

Anyone who is having trouble understanding why Chrysler (formerly Daimler Chrysler) has been in a death spiral in recent years should look no further than The Truth About Cars' 2007 Ten Worst Automobiles list.

The online buff book's list inclues four Chrysler products although the company is by far the smallest of the once proud American Big Three, while the list is rounded out with six (count 'em) offerings from General Motors, which seems to have checked its slide. Ford got a pass, but like Chrysler is hemorraging red ink.

Chrysler's Jeep Compass takes the cake as the worst of the bunch, and is described in these unambiguous terms:

"Jeep's recipe for disaster is both simple and comprehensive: laughable aesthetics, second-rate road manners, poky performance and interior materials pulled from the bottom drawer of Chrysler’s parts bin. But the Compass' mortal sin-– for which we’ve slated it before, from which it can never be redeemed-– is the fact that this re-skinned all wheel-drive Dodge Caliber wears the storied Jeep badge. For shame."

More here.