Pacifica Moving?

Canadian Auto Workers union officials hope the future of the Chrysler Pacifica cross/utility vehicle will become clearer this month when details of the pending Chrysler Group restructuring are made known.

The Pacifica currently is assembled in Windsor, ON, Canada, at the Windsor Assembly Plant that also builds minivans. A new family of minivans goes into production in July as '08 models, and Windsor is the lead plant.

The original plan was to dedicate the Windsor plant solely to minivans. This meant moving '08 Pacifica production to the sister minivan plant in St. Louis. The next-generation CUV also was expected to migrate to the same RT architecture as the new minivans.

But Chrysler is counting every penny in the wake of a $1.48 billion third-quarter 2006 loss, and CEO Tom LaSorda is finalizing his plan to cut $1,000 from the cost of every vehicle.

CAW officials tell Ward's they believe the current cost-cutting urgency is behind the decision to delay changes for the Pacifica. “Chrysler is not just evaluating cost, but bang for your buck,” says Ken Lewenza, president of CAW Local 444 that represents Canadian Chrysler workers.

Moving production, even when vehicles share the same architecture, is costly, Lewenza says, “and Tom (LaSorda) is looking at all aspects of cost.”

“He's dotting the i's and crossing all the t's,” adds CAW President Buzz Hargrove in confirming the delay in moving the Pacifica from the Canadian plant. Hargrove says a decision on the architecture and timeline for the next-generation Pacifica is pending.

Lewenza does not see the Pacifica moving until at least the '10 model year, essentially providing 16-24 months' “breathing room.”

While management has been non-committal in recent meetings, there are no signs Chrysler plans to get out of the hot CUV segment, Lewenza says.