Sales of Chrysler Pacifica picked up in June after a slow May, with 6,642 deliveries in June. The touring wagon, having difficulty getting noticed, will be the subject of a new advertising effort in July in which it is compared with Acura MDX and Volvo XC90. Chrysler launched the much-anticipated Pacifica with all high-end, loaded $37,000 versions that easily topped $40,000 with tax and extras. Now the company is rushing front-drive versions to dealers that will retail around $31,000-$33,000. The comparison ads, say Chrysler dealers familiar with the plan, will put the vehicle in the category in which it is meant to be judged. "People didn't know what to make of it when it first arrived...a $40,000 Chrysler station wagon?" said one dealer. Sales chief Gary Dilts said dealers are pushing test drives of the Pacifica to customers visiting the dealerships for service. Each test drive gives customers a chance to win a free Pacifica. A similar program is starting for the Ram pickup. Dilts said the company probably erred in stacking the early inventory of Pacificas with loaded versions. "We did the same thing with Ram, and it worked out alright," said Dilts. -Jim Burt
AUTO NEWS: Chrysler's Pacifica in Re-Launch
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