Hardly anyone who bought a Chrysler Sebring actually sprung for the all-wheel-drive option. Only .7% of Sebring buyers opted for AWD, likely because it jacks up the sticker price and decreases fuel economy.
This has led Chrysler to announce that it will drop AWD for the Sebring and two other vehicles, the Dodge Avenger and Dodge Caliber, which roped only 1.5% and 4.4% of buyers into adding the option, respectively. The change goes into effect for 2009 model year.
Dealers were having trouble moving AWD models starting at $26,000, but Chrysler is probably wrong that the number of drivers who consider AWD a “must-have” is negligible. Subaru’s all-AWD lineup is seeing record sales and AWD crossovers are still popular.
Chrysler Dropping AWD on Avenger, Sebring and Caliber (Autoblog)
