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Autotropolis Columns

When I first saw Chrysler's recently announced product plan, I have to say it looked like the company's road to potential success would be a long one — as in three to five years long. After all, that's the amount of time it's going to take before Chrysler has a complete, Fiat-approved lineup in place, and that's a lifetime or two in the auto industry.

But it turns out that Chrysler has a bit of a secret weapon on hand. In fact, if ever a new product were poised to attract American buyers and get them buzzing about Chrysler, it would have to be this one: live TV.

By the end of the year, the company will be offering a system that can feed up to 20 channels of television programming to the DVD screens of its cars, trucks and crossovers. Yes, other aftermarket companies have tried this before, but they've relied on unwieldy and expensive satellite dishes. Chrysler will do the trick with an unobtrusive antenna and a $629 price tag (installation will be extra).

Now, I strongly believe we'll be seeing renewed interest in the minivan segment in the near future for two key reasons: First, some of the people who started buying full-size SUVs as family haulers will begin coming back to minivans — instead of crossovers — now that interest in trucks is shrinking. Second, the segment is long overdue for a breakthrough product that will kickoff the world of minivan 2.0. As I've mentioned before, the segment has been pretty stale for a while, and something like a crossover minivan or one with a hybrid powertrain could be a big winner in the U.S.

Coincidentally, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are due to get big-time mid-cycle enhancements next year, and — although this is sheer speculation on my part — a hybrid T & C with live TV, from the original minivan company, strikes me as a simple and logical way for Chrysler to find success before 2012.

And speaking of technology, Ford has just announced it will bring inflatable seat belts to market on the 2011 Ford Explorer. The belts were developed to help protect rear-seat passengers, who don't benefit from the same comprehensive airbag force field that currently shields those in the front seats.

The news will help further strengthen Ford's safety positioning and be an important differentiator for the new Explorer. This is important, because Ford's full-size SUV will be dropping its body-on-frame "real truck" design for that 2011 model. Some pundits will certainly point to this move as important on its own, but the fact of the matter is that Ford will be following in the footsteps of General Motors and its full-size crossover fleet (Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia).

The crossover crusade could also very well continue with a new addition at Porsche. Okay, I know the company is only a bit player in the U.S. market sales-wise, but as a long-time Porsche slappy I can't help paying attention to its plans — even when they include a Volkswagen-driven expansion that could see some seven new models introduced by 2013, along with further dilution of the brand.

I mean, I don't want to go all "Porsche — There is no substitute" here, but I can't see how the next-gen Porsche Cayenne, a smaller SUV based on the Audi Q5 and a hybrid Porsche Panamera will do much for the automaker's reputation, or even for its bottom line.

The danger is that Porsche will head down the same path as BMW, which is struggling mightily to reincarnate itself as a full-line automaker. But the thing that folks at BMW and VW don't seem to understand is that excellent products are now just the price of admission in the industry. That is, they're necessary, but not sufficient, for sales success.

For that, you've also got to either cater to your target audience's perceptions or spend billions to change them.

And that's why I'm thinking there will be a lot more people watching new Porsche commercials from the warmth of their Chrysler minivans than there will be people actually buying those Porsches.

Select photos via Chrysler and Ford

Earlier this year when I reviewed the 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, one of the most unique aspects of it was the availability of separate rear entertainment screens that could play television channels such as Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. By the end of this year, Chrysler claims that it will be the first automaker to offer live mobile television viewing of up to 20 channels. The dealer-installed option will be available in late December in select Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles.

Chrysler Group’s parts and accessories branch, Mopar, will offer FLO TV on 2008 through 2010 models of the Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Journey, Dodge Nitro and Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 that are equipped with a factory DVD entertainment system. FLO TV can also be added on select 2008 through 2010 model year vehicles that are equipped with Mopar’s headrest entertainment system. The system costs $629 regardless of whether it is being installed on a new or used vehicle.

FLO TV, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., receives its signal from a small antenna about the size of a computer mouse which is mounted on the roof. Like any other DVD entertainment system, the programs will be displayed on the rear monitors but only on the front monitor when the vehicle is in park. Currently, FLO TV only lists Fox News, CBS Mobile, Fox West, MSNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV, Nickelodeon, CNBC, but by the end of December Chrysler says there will be up to 20 channels of live or time-delayed television stations available with this system to show sports, breaking news, kids' shows, sitcoms, reality TV and daytime dramas. By the time the system is operational, FLO TV will be available in more than 100 major markets and that it should also work along most major interstate corridors.

Just like any other Mopar accessory, the optional FLO TV Auto Entertainment system will be covered by a three-year/36,000-mile warranty on new vehicles or a one-year/12,000-mile warranty on used vehicles for hardware and installation.