Rumors aren’t always reliable but they are fun. And according a rumor from a fairly reliable source, the Chrysler 700C concept minivan wasn’t supposed to be at the North American International (Detroit) Auto Show at all. Three days before the auto show press days were to be held, the concept didn’t even have a name, much less a fancy introduction to the press. No stage, no theatrics, not teleprompter for one executive or another to read. It just wasn’t supposed to be there.
Where it was planned to be where it was when Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne saw it, in Chrysler’s styling studios. Marchionne reputedly asked, why isn’t this in the show?
Whatever Sergio wants, Sergio gets.
A display stand intended for another vehicle was quickly changed—that vehicle’s name simply chopped from the plinth around the stand and replaced by “700C.” No announcement was made or information provided. The Chrysler 700C was simply on display, for better or worse. And with rather peculiar lines, some say “for worse.”
It’s a similar response to the “Chrysler Concept,” a car that was displayed over to the side of the Chrysler stand last year. To anyone familiar with Lancia’s product line, it was clearly a Lancia Delta fitted with a Chrysler grille. Because Chrysler and Lancia are now in a trans-Atlantic embrace, there was some speculation that the Lancia Delta might be rebranded as a Chrysler, much as the Chrysler 300 and Chrysler Town & Country have been renamed Lancia Thema and Voyager respectively.
The likelihood of the Chrysler 700C being built? Not much.
For more more debuts of new models and concepts at the North American International Auto Show, see the Detroit Auto Show Yearbook for the Class of 2012 at CarBuzzard.com.
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