Amid concerns that some its cars are hopelessly out of favor with buyers, Chrysler is promising to breathe new life into its mid-sized lines when it brings out redesigned models late this year. The Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger are scheduled to receive major “freshenings” to try to keep them competitive until completely redesigned versions with Fiat underpinnings come on line in 2013. The company is even considering changing the names in an attempt to get the public to forget just how awful the current versions are.

Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne went so far as to say that the refreshed models will be “completely different animals”, though one has to wonder just how different they can be since they will be built at the same plants and on the same platforms as currently. One also wonders if it will be too little, too late. Sales of the two cars tumbled dramatically in 2009 and they have practically become the laughing stock of the industry.

Maybe Marchionne plays his cards close to the vest, but there has been precious little at the major car shows this season to suggest that anything much is going on at Chrysler beyond some new trim packages. These things take time, of course, but time is not on Chrysler’s side.

--M.D.