chrysler

DETROIT--Chrysler Group, an also-ran in the crucial mid-size car segment for several years, is pinning hopes for a revival on the 2011 Chrysler 200 sedan.

The 200, a reskinned and re-engineered version of the slow-selling Sebring, reaches dealerships late this year. At a meeting in Orlando last month, Chrysler told dealers it expects to sell about 80,000 200s annually, not including fleet sales, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Chrysler sold 33,606 Sebrings through September, fleet and retail.

The mid-size sedan segment, which includes the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Fusion, is ferociously competitive. … Read more

Chrysler is taking its act on the road--10 vehicles, 10 weeks, 50 stops.

The marketing tour is to reach out to the 22,000 employees who work for Chrysler Group affiliate companies and suppliers such as Case New Holland, Comau, 3M, Union Pacific Railroad and Mohawk Industries.

The mobile showroom will feature the 2011 models of Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Dodge Caliber, Ram 1500, and 2011 Ram 2500. And the 2010 models of the Chrysler 300S, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Journey, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Viper ACR.

The cross-country tour launched last week and will continue through … Read more

Chrysler has found a way to make use of 180,000 pounds of polyurethane foam that would otherwise end up in a landfill. And if you find yourself in a 2011 Grand Jeep Cherokee, you'll be sitting on some of it.

The seats and headrests found in the new 2011 Grand Jeep Cherokees are partly composed of new recycled foam. Starting a green-versus-greener debate, the recycled foam comprises by weight 5 percent of the seat and 10 percent of the headrest, and replaces the previously used amount of soy foam. To put it in perspective, 180,000 pounds of … Read more

Chrysler released a dark and intimidating image of its police vehicle that goes on sale in September.

It's the police version of the all-new 2011 Dodge Charger equipped with either an E-85 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with a fuel-saving multidisplacement system. The Pursuit's suspension is tuned for performance and saddled with heavy-duty antilock vented-disc brakes (ABS), front and rear stabilizer bars, and 18-inch performance tires on steel wheels. Rear-wheel drive design and a redesigned front and rear multilink suspension deliver a smooth ride, and its two-mode police-specific Electronic Stability Control (ESC) calibration … Read more

DETROIT--Chrysler Group has tightened the focus for U.S. sales of Fiat vehicles, choosing 119 markets friendly to small cars.

Chrysler has invited owners of about 600 dealerships in those markets to apply for a planned 200 franchises. Those dealers are invited to an Aug. 30 meeting in Detroit to discuss the Fiat plan.

The company will ask interested dealers to present proposals by Sept. 22. It will choose the Fiat franchisees in early October.

The first Fiat to go on sale will be the Fiat 500 minicar, scheduled to start production in Toluca, Mexico, in the fourth quarter. Three … Read more

OnStar to show up in retail stores, Chrysler backs away from hybrids and electric cars, can technology end crashes in intersections, and we drive the new 2011 Ford Fiesta--was it worth the wait?

? Porsche 918 hybrid gets the green light--bring $500 grand.

? Chrysler scales back on electric cars for now

? OnStar soon coming to retail stores?

? CNET review of the 2011 Ford Fiesta

? CNET drives the production-ready Nissan Leaf

Fiat sealed the deal with Irish solar manufacturer SolarPrint, becoming the latest carmaker to add solar panels to the car roofs that will power onboard devices. Using low-cost photovoltaic material to offset parasitic drain from energy-hungry components, such as air conditioning and heating systems, is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 percent, according to an article in SiliconRepublic.

Audi, Volkswagen, and Toyota already employ similar technology in some vehicles to keep them cool while the engine is off.

Though the article didn't say in which vehicles the solar panels will be incorporated, the electric version of … Read more

On a cold San Francisco morning we gathered to hear Jeep staff talk about their new 2011 Grand Cherokee before a drive that would put us on winding mountain roads and a challenging off-road course. Jeep product planners, engineers, and designers were all in a self-congratulatory mood as they talked about the new Grand Cherokee's features, and with good reason. Last year the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the fate of this vehicle remained uncertain.

The car before us, which we would soon get to rough up on dirt roads, represented a difficult birth. From the beginning, it was a radical reinterpretation of the Grand Cherokee. Gone was the live rear axle from the previous version, in favor of a modern independent suspension. A fuel-saving 3.6-liter V-6 became the base level engine.

Jeep added its UConnect suite of cabin tech, including navigation and a wireless router. And the drive response is now controlled by a terrain system, which lets the driver simply select the type of driving surface with a knob on the console. The new Grand Cherokee looked to be a huge technological leap from its predecessors.

Luxury Jeep

While maintaining its reputation for off-road prowess with the Grand Cherokee, Jeep also wants to make it competitive in the luxury SUV segment, putting it up against the Lexus RX 350. That is a tall order, but from our initial look at the cabin, Jeep is off to a good start. Getting into the car, we were immediately pleased with the steering wheel's feel, as it is wrapped in a matte finish leather. Real wood trim graced the cabin, and soft plastics covered the dashboard. Upholstered interior door handles and console top completed the cabin appointments. … Read more

Chrysler announced plans to invest $300 million to modernize two plants that will build its new fuel-efficient eight-speed transmission.

While Chrysler would not confirm in which vehicles the transmission will be used, the online chatter is that the new technology will be used in Chrysler's trucks and SRT vehicles. However, Chrysler spokesperson Nick Cappa commented that, "It can be used in a lot more vehicles than that."

Cappa would not say if the eight-speed will be used in any Fiat-branded vehicles.

Chrysler will license the technology from ZF, a German automotive parts manufacturer. The carmaker's facility … Read more