Chrysler gas gimmick fails

Even the lure of $2.99-a-gallon gas for three years didn't bolster Chrysler LLC's sagging sales in May, automotive analysts predict.

While Chrysler's Gas Guarantee promotion — introduced May 5 — has attracted more customers to its showrooms, that interest is not translating into a sales turnaround for the Auburn Hills automaker. Analysts say Chrysler's lineup is too heavy on trucks and SUVs and void of the hybrids and compact cars consumers are buying to offset $4-a-gallon gas.

Edmunds.com projects that Chrysler's May sales will be down 18.2 percent compared with the same month a year ago, outpacing an expected industry-wide downturn of 7.4 percent. Detroit News