Rental fleet sales down last year, 2009 will be worse

Last summer, it was the Detroit Three that were restraining themselves from dumping cars into the gaping maw of fleet sales just to boost the bottom line. Turns out they had some help with that discipline: Due to last year's events, rental car fleets shrunk by 400,000 units from 2007 to 2008. As we begin 2009, rental car companies have declared they will be trimming their fleet orders and curbing the number of vehicles they keep on hand even further.

Rental car companies have been thrown under a number of buses as of late. They can't borrow money to finance purchases; the recession has hammered the travel industry; wholesale used vehicle prices are falling (making rental car fleets less valuable); and besides that, car dealers can't get the money to buy the retired rental cars anyway, which subtracts yet another revenue stream.

Rental companies have been good for something like 15% of sales from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. But not this year: Enterprise, which also buys for National and Alamo, will buy half the number of cars it did last year, and they'll keep those cars a couple of months longer. Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty also said they will buy fewer cars and work them longer. The automakers have doubled incentives to encourage sales, but there are simply no teeth left in the rental business with which to bite.

Thus, don't be surprised to find a few more stains on the seats and a few more miles on the clock the next time you find yourself at the wheel of a rental car.

[Source: Automotive News, Sub Req.]

2009 Chrysler Sebring

With more standard features than the 2008 models, the 2009 Chrysler Sebring continues to improve its reputation. It is a solid competitor in the midsized car class and makes itself felt by offering bolder, more unique features than its competitors. There are 7 trims available: 4 sedan models and 3 convertibles. The convertibles are offered with your choice of a cloth soft top, a vinyl soft top or a retractable hardtop. You may also select from one of three available engine choices: a 2.4L 173hp V4; a 2.7L 189hp V6 or a 3.5L 235hp V6. For the 2.4 and 2.7 liter engines, you will have a 4-speed automatic transmission mated to them. The 3.5L gets a 6-speed auto.

Fuel economy ratings for the base 173 hp engine stand at 21/30 mpg city/highway - the 2nd highest in its class of close competitors only after the Audi A4 which carries a significantly higher base price (over $10,000 more). Speaking of pricing, the Chrysler Sebring costs less than all other competitors which include the Acura TSX, BMW 328 and the Buick LaCrosse as well. Fuel tank volume is 16.9 gallons, unchanged since the 2007 models.

Convertible trims are called LX, Touring and the Limited while sedan trims are labeled only Limited and Touring as the LX sedan has been discontinued for the 2009 model year. All trims feature standard safety features including 4-wheel anti-lock braking, frontal, side and curtain-style airbags as well as tire pressure monitoring systems. There are loads of optional safety features as well.

Since 2007, the Sebring has taken quite a bit of criticism, but you must remember which autos it stands against. Reviews and customer satisfaction ratings have been marginal and Chrysler has promised that the 2009 model will be more pleasing. One of the most outstanding design changes is that the hood is now smoothed whereas before it had an unseemly "ribbed" finish to it. Chrysler engineers report that the other changes made will enhance the aerodynamics of the Sebring and thereby fuel economy - always a major concern these days.

Some of the reported enhancements for the Touring model include an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, a shifter finished with chrome and leather and standard traction and stability control systems. Chrysler has also promised several changes to the interior of all trims for the 2009 model year. On a downside, the Chrysler Sebring offers the class-worst standard warranty at 36-month/36,000 miles while all others mentioned here offer coverage for 48-months or 50,000 miles.

Chrysler maintains a solid reputation for taking chances that others do not. Their bold engineering standards are appreciated by many and the company continues to thrive overall. The Sebring faces some stiff competition, but continues to gain ground. At significantly lower MSRPs than its competition, the 2009 Chrysler Sebring is definitely worth consideration. The best advice, as always, is to schedule a weekend test drive with a new Sebring and see how it makes you feel. You may find that the monetary savings are well worth the sacrifices of the Audi/BMW-type reputation.

President-elect Obama, Your New Chrysler 300 is, er, Fiberglass...for Now

DETROIT - Will Chrysler LLC be around long enough to build the 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300? (Editor's note, a present Chrysler 300 is pictured) Will Chrysler factories reopen after its extended holiday shutdown, which begins Friday? I don't know. Chrysler says it could be out of cash in weeks. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the future of those cars now seems to be in George W. Bush's hands, with less than four weeks left in his presidency. He's rumored to be considering a "controlled" bankruptcy? Detroit has been hanging by a thread for this?

As you may have read elsewhere, some of us in the moto-journo biz got an early preview of the next LX sedans Wednesday in Auburn Hills. Online car magazines not invited to the event reported on what we saw, based on reports by other journalists who were invited. Those leaky journalists told Jalopnik the future cars and trucks looked like "lipstick on a foam pig" and "smoke and mirrors."

Well, of course. They were full-scale fiberglass models. They're not scheduled for production until 2010, probably the third or fourth quarter if things get better, so nothing's been retooled to stamp actual '11 model sheetmetal. I found their designs to be impressive, and several colleagues agreed. The second-generation 300 and Charger could be to the first-generation cars what the current Cadillac CTS is to its predecessor. And by the way, General Motors showed journalists the new CTS two or three years early - the same sort of "smoke and mirrors."

The difference this time is that everything we saw in the last couple of days could go up in smoke. And don't misunderstand this: I can't vouch for the quality of any future Chrysler product, or say anything good or bad about the way these cars and trucks ride, handle, perform, hold themselves together. That's what first drives and comparisons are for. I can only tell you that Chrysler has quickly exorcized retired design chief Trevor Creed. Yes, he's been gone only a couple of months, but with Tom Gale hired on as a consultant when Cerberus took over, I doubt Creed had much authority while these models were being designed. There's not a hint of Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring styling here. And virtually no hint of the concepts Creed foisted on us in the last few years.

I doubt these new cars and trucks would impress Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. They'd rather see electric cars or bio-diesels running on mulch. But Chrysler ought to show the new 300, at least, to President-elect Obama, who owned an '05 300C. Attractive, desirable product could make a bigger impression than any "turnaround plan" or union concessions.

Why did Chrysler show us these 2011 models? To prove it's not quite dead, and to give us a reason to root for its survival through 2010. If its future stuff looked like more Avenger/Sebring, I'd be saying as much right now.

Why did Chrysler refuse to invite Jalopnik and Autoblog? Automakers worry that automotive websites are quick to spread leaks, even when they're not necessarily the first entity responsible for such leaks.

That kind of thinking is obsolete. Most of us at the Chrysler preview, some in print journalism and some not, also post online news and columns like this one.

While they would like to be considered part of the New Media, Jalopnik, Autoblog and others have become as entrenched in the moto-journo establishment as motortrend.com. I'd find it more interesting to hear what they think of the '11 300/Charger firsthand than read about the impressions leaked to them by invited journalists eager to pander to Jalopnik's irreverent image.