Trying
to put an acceptable face on one of the least loved
forms in the American car industry today, Chrysler's
200/Sebring, is a tough call; to that end Mopar is
giving it a go and rolling out a new bodykit, additional
cosmetic add-ons and some performance parts to try to
improve the sedan's stance and capability.
A thorough facelift for
the 200/Sebring early last year has helped matters, its
sales doubling year-on-year to just under eighty
thousand units for the period from January to November
2011, compared to thirty seven thousand in the same
period the previous year. However Chrysler doesn't
breakdown retail and fleet sales separately so it isn't
clear what proportion of 200s are sold profitably.
Last year's facelift
gave the 200 a new interior as well as new front and
rear clips, and it is on the outside that the Chrysler
Group's Mopar parts and service division has got to work
first of all with a kit of parts that when combined it
has called the "Super S" package. The Chrysler 200 Super
S by Mopar will thus be a showcase for new Mopar
exterior parts that will also be available individually
for the 200 sedan this year. The dressed up 200 Super S
by Mopar will debut at the North American International
Auto Show in Detroit this month.
“The Super S is Mopar’s interpretation of the Chrysler
200,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of the
Mopar division. “The extensive list of high-quality
Mopar parts enhances the performance and appearance of
our Chrysler 200.”
For "Stage One" the list of modifications starts at the
front of the car with a new chin spoiler, satin-chrome
effects for the fog light trims, grille surround and
mesh in the upper and lower grilles, while the upper
grille is gloss black with a recessed Chrysler wing
badge. The sides see the addition of new sills, a
satin-chrome finish for the belt moldings, black chrome
“200” badges and grey or black 18-inch “S” alloy wheels.
At the rear there is a new colour-coded boot spoiler
while the boot-wide registration plate light housing
strip gets a satin-chrome effect finish and the rear
bumper's diffuser replicating section comes in matte
black with chromed exhaust outlets.
While the changes of
the "Stage One" package are purely cosmetic, designed to
try to improve the 200's derided looks further, an extra
"Stage Two" package promises more useful additions
including coil-over suspension, which Mopar says also
lowers the center of gravity for the vehicle, as well as
a cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust. Mopar hasn't
announced pricing but says that both these packages will
be available on the Chrysler 200S "later in 2012".