Chrysler
2012 Jeep Wrangler to Get More Powerful and Efficient Pentastar V6, 5-Speed Auto
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The Jeep Wrangler will finally get the Chrysler 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 for the 2012 model year. Since 2007, the Wrangler has used the 3.8-liter V6 engine, which replaced the bullet proof 4.0-liter inline six. New transmission hardware has also arrived for the Wrangler as it will forgo the ancient four speed automatic for a five-speed…
Fiat’s U.S Expansion Plans Revealed
Fiat is hoping to build a strong U.S-market demand for the 500 by expanding its line-up with a successor to the Bravo compact hatchback. Concerns have be raised about relaunching Fiat in the United States, however early sales figures of the 500 have exceeded expectations. A cabriolet version of the hatchback is now appearing in…
Despite A Slow May, Auto Sales Expected To Reach Highest Level Since 2008
Nevertheless, the overall outlook remains optimistic. Among the automakers; Toyota says it expects production to return to around 70 percent of normal levels by June, while Honda says it will resume full capacity by August.
Fiat Planning To Acquire Last Government Stake In Chrysler
It’s been a dramatic week at Chrysler‘s financial department. Now that Chrysler’s paid off its bailout loan from the government, Fiat is looking to step in and take the government’s remaining share off its hands. Fiat already holds a not-insubstantial 46 percent share in Chrysler. But even though Chrysler and the U.S. and Canadian governments…
Alfa Romeo 4C Rumored to Spawn Abarth, Maserati Versions?
Alfa Romeo is banking on the 4C’s ability to seduce us like those posters of Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday in every sorority girl’s dorm room. And as an attention-grabbing prelude to a glorious U.S. return, it’s working. Consider us seduced. But that’s not all, folks: the 4C could pave the way for a host…
UAW Wants Seats On Big Three Boards
UAW President Bob King is angling for seats on the Big Three’s respective Boards Of Directors, and will likely use this as a negotiating point when contracts are discussed with automakers this summer. “I believe there should be workers’ representation on all boards,” King told The Detroit Bureau, arguing that German car companies employ the…
Chrysler Repays $7.6 Billion In Outstanding U.S, Canadian Loans
The Chrysler Group has repaid it outstanding debt worth $7.6 billion in loans to the U.S and Canadian governments. This ends nearly two years of public ownership of the third largest U.S automaker. Chrysler made a payment of $5.9 billion to the U.S Treasury and $1.7 billion to Export Development Canada- finally ending loans that…
U.S Department Of Energy Testing Dodge Ram Hybrid
Chrysler is delivering 10 Ram 1500 Hybrids to the U.S Department of Energy for testing within the next week. The pickups will be delivered to Yuma, Arizona, as part of a $100 million research project. The program with the U.S Department of Energy will run through June 2014. 140 Ram 1500 pickups will be delivered…
Chrysler Announces Details of Government Loan Payback
Two years after a government bailout and rescue by Italian automaker Fiat and Chrysler has announced detailed plans to repay its government loans. A new $3 billion term loan, combined with $3.2 billion in bonds and a $1.3 billion hand out from Fiat will be used to pay off the $7.5 billion it borrowed from…
Chrysler To Pay Back U.S Government Loans
The Chrysler Group LLC is expected to announce today that it has reached a deal to refinance its debt. The Auburn Hills based company plans to repay $7.5 billion in government loans to both the U.S and Canadian governments by May 24th. Chrysler owes $5.9 billion to the U.S and $1.6 billion to Canada….
Ram to Offer Minivan-Based Pickup
Dubbed the TR Life Style truck, Chrysler projects it’s Ram division to sell between 15,000 to 20,000 units annually (for the record the Ridgeline sold 16,142 copies last year, a drop of two percent from 2009).
Maserati Expanding Model Lineup to Five Thanks to Strong Demand in China
The movers and shakers of China are buying up luxury cars, and cars in general, at a dizzying pace. And Maserati is nothing if not on fire intuitive, so the skyrocketing sales in China are motivating the Italian company to expand even faster. There have been past murmurs of a “baby” Quattroporte, but the current…
Automakers Petition White House To Reject 62-MPG CAFE Standard
A trade group representing Detroit’s three automakers as well as Toyota is currently urging the Obama administration to say no to a proposal that could mandate a 62-mpg CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) industry standard by 2025. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, in a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency administrator…
Chrysler To Invest $843 Million In Transmission Plant, 9-Speed Automatic To Be Built
Chrysler announced an $843 million investment in its Indiana transmission plant as it prepares to build a 9-speed automatic transmission front front-drive vehicles. The announcement comes on the heels of General Motors announcement of a $2 billion infusion into a number of plants, including $200 million for upgrades to its Toledo, Ohio plant to build…
Detroit Automakers Close in On Pre-Recession Employment Numbers
GM plans to ramp up Volt production in the next few years, from the current 10,000 cars per annum to 25,000 – CEO Dan Akerson says he’d ultimately like to see more than 100,000 Volts roll off the assembly line, though recognizes that any increases also hinge on battery production.
Chrysler 300 Offered With Eight Optional Grilles, Six Wheel Options From Mopar
The first generation Chrysler 300 was famously described by comedian Katt Williams as “…a [Rolls Royce] Phantom…until a Phantom pull up next to you…”, and that ignominious distinction was no doubt fueled by the frequent addition of an aftermarket Bentley-esque egg-crate grille by some owners. Chrysler’s Mopar division is looking to capitalize on this trend by…
Fiat Has Option To Increase Chrysler Stake 70 Percent
Chrysler filed documents with the Security and Exchange Commission that revealed that parent company Fiat has a one year option to increase its stake in the American automaker to as much as 70 percent. The increase is contingent on Chrysler repaying its government loans, and the automaker will be issuing new debt in a bid to allow…
GM ‘On the Offensive’ As Spending on Lobbists Spikes
As the government’s ownership of General Motors decreases, spending on lobbying officials has spiked. According to data from lobbying disclosure forms, GM spend almost $3.6 million in the first quarter of this year, double what it spend in back in 2009. Last Fall the Treasury reduced its share of GM from 61 percent to under…
Alfa Romeo To Enter US Market in 2012 With 4C, Giulia Sedan
Alfa Romeo’s been threatening to invade American shores for as long as, well, we’ve been trying to find Bin Laden. But now with Terrorist Numero Uno sweeping up plankton in the ocean, it looks like there’s no choice but for Fiat to finally follow through with what they’ve announced over 10 years ago. Of course,…
Incentive Spending At A Five Year Low
Overall, auto sales have been on an upward trajectory for several months, however cash incentives are not the reason for the success. Incentive spending was at a five- year low in April, according to Automotive News, down 14 percent to an average of $2,320 per vehicle. Toyota had the lowest incentives among the top six…
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Exhaust Note Revealed [Video]
Our friends over at Left Lane News have grabbed the first video of the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 clearing its pipes, and just like the last version, it sounds downright mean. Unveiled at the 2011 New York Auto Show, the fastest Jeep packs a 6.4L Hemi V8 with 465 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of…
Bob Lutz Breaks Down The Failure Of America’s Auto Industry
Auto industry legend Bob Lutz may no longer be in the employ of the Big Three, but that hasn’t ever stopped “Maximum Bob” from giving his two cents on what the industry could do improve upon At the New York Auto Show, Lutz held court for a handful of journalists and expanded on what he…
Chrysler Posts First Profit Since Bankruptcy
Proving that you might actually be able to stop a train wreck that’s already in progress, under the stewardship of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler has posted a profit. Blaming high interest rates on its government loans for not climbing into the black earlier, Marchionne today reported a net income of $116 million, compared to…
UAW May Negotiate With Detroit Automakers Simultaneously
UAW President Bob King said that the union may abandon their tactic of targeting one automaker during contract negotiations and negotiate with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors at the same time. The UAW previously targeted one automaker during negotiations and used that to set an example for the others. However, King says that the relationship…
