by Chrysler in the News on February 23, 2010
Chrysler may have invented the minivan, but the company’s position as king of the segment has taken some battering lately. The Chrysler Town & Country sold 84,558 units last year, with the Dodge Caravan good for another 90,666. But the Honda Odyssey again topped both, ringing up 100,133 sales; for good measure, the Toyota Sienna found 84,064 customers of its own last year. Plus, the all-new 2011 Sienna is just hitting dealerships now, with the completely overhauled 2011 Odyssey due before the year is out.
Faced with this kind of competition, Chrysler is taking a page from the General Motors playbook and introducing the “Minivan Pledge.” [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on February 18, 2010
Although Chrysler may not have captured many headlines at recent auto show in LA, Detroit, or Chicago, the automaker is busy developing its all-new lineups with help from its new Italian parent company. Among the vehicles that will not be making the cut when new models begin arriving in showrooms is the Chrysler Sebring.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne not only hinted about the demise of the Sebring name from the lineup on the floor of the Detroit auto show, but he also hinted about closer ties between future Chrysler models and Fiat’s Lancia brand. [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on February 16, 2010
Chrysler’s new management has their work cut out for them. With a brief hiatus before consumers can expect to see all-new models, Chrysler dealers are needless to say in a bit of a bind. But during the National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention, Chrysler executives quelled concerns, and left dealers encouraged by future vehicles and new incentives on existing models.
Dealers were eager to attend the first large meeting with Chrysler’s new management. The overall tone of this meeting focused on committing to the company’s commitment to revive the struggling brand, and avoid recent mistakes such as producing too many poor selling vehicles. [click to continue…]
by kfuruta on February 8, 2010
There is a new emphasis on style and appearance at Chrysler and I’m not talking about the company’s vehicles. The automaker recently launched a new way to shop for apparel and accessories. Ultimately, making it easier for customers to show their enthusiasm for Pentastar products.
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by Chrysler in the News on January 14, 2010
Although Chrysler is trying to make due without any all-new models to display at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, the embattled auto maker is still producing news thanks to developments that are underway in conjunction with its new parent company, Fiat.
While it’s certainly no subtitle for all-new models, Chrysler did announce that a number of new lifestyle-oriented trims will soon be available in an attempt to repackage existing models. This repackaging expanded to numerous vehicles throughout the Chrysler Group lineup including the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Challenger.
Other news, and perhaps somewhat more substantial, is the announcement of new four-cylinder engines that will soon find their way into Dodge and Chrysler models. Developed with Fiat, these new four-cylinder engines will be aimed at boosting fuel efficiency while still producing competitive power. Chrysler will also produce a 3.6-liter V6 that will be the replacement for six different V6 engines currently used across its lineup in an effort to make production more efficient. The new engine will produce 280 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft of torque and will be seen first in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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by Chrysler in the News on January 8, 2010
While Chrysler will have a relatively quiet presence at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, the automaker does have news surrounding upcoming engines. Soon a Fiat-derived, fuel efficient four cylinder and a powerful Pentastar V6 will creep into the lineup as aging powertains become revamped.
In Chrysler’s recently released five-year business plan, which includes a number of technologies and platforms that will be derived from new parent company Fiat, one of the first new additions to Chrysler would be a new range of four cylinder engines. Two 1.4-liter engines will soon be available, including a naturally aspirated engine and a turbocharged engine which will put out 100 horsepower and 170 horsepower respectively. In addition, a 2.4-liter four cylinder will also be offered, putting out 190 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft of torque. [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on December 15, 2009
As the Dodge Ram lineup is spun off into its own Ram brand, the tough truck has won the honor of being the Motor Trend Truck of the Year. Motor Trend cited the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty’s ability to not only tackle tasks with relative ease, but also how easy it was on the driver, particularly due to its comfortable and quiet interior.
The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty went up against vehicles such as the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, Ford Transit Connect, and Toyota Tundra. With its powerful diesel engine and 17,500 lb. towing capacity, the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty successfully addresses the needs of specific truck users, which is important in this segment. [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on December 10, 2009
Amid the economic challenges that have plagued the Big Three in the past year, Chrysler had halted vehicle leasing. As new car sales declines, the automaker continued to lose money on leasing as vehicle values also plummeted. Last February, vehicle leasing had also been halted for Chrysler employees and retirees, but luckily that has officially been reversed.
Through financial services company GMAC, Chrysler retirees can now lease two 2010 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram vehicles for 36 months between December 9 and June 30. The restored discounted leasing program was detailed in a letter from VP of human resources Nancy Rae, and VP for network development Peter Grady. [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on December 4, 2009
The new Chrysler Group CEO, Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne, recently outlined a detailed five-year plan to revive the Detroit automaker and return it to profitability. Needless to say, product development will play a huge role in this lofty objective.
By the 2015 model year, nearly 56% of the Chrysler lineup will feature Fiat-sourced platforms. This includes both cars and trucks from within Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and the newly spun off Ram brand. Soon Chrysler products will also be sold in Lancia dealerships in Europe. Fiat also wants to see more diesel engines available for Jeep models so that the brand can be more competitive outside of the U.S. [click to continue…]
by Chrysler in the News on November 26, 2009
Chrysler is considering the option of having a separate heavy duty brand to go along with its Dodge brand.
Officials at Chrysler stated that they are going to brand classes 3-5 chassis Ram trucks separately from Dodge and potentially will expand their commercial vehicle lineup to include class 8 trucks.
Fred Diaz Jr., CEO of Ram, said they are considering offering heavy trucks all the way up to “the 18-wheelers you see out on the road today.” [click to continue…]
