In February, Chrysler introduced a new program called the Minivan Pledge, which allowed new car buyers to return their vehicle after 60 days “risk free” if they were unhappy with it. Due to the apparent success of the offer, Chrysler has decided to extend it to all Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram Truck models.

According to Chrysler, the “Regret Free Purchase” pledge program will give even more customers confidence in their purchase, since they will have the option to return the vehicle should they find it unsatisfactory in any way.

“We build great vehicles for just about any lifestyle and with this pledge, consumers will have the confidence to know they made the right purchase or they can return the vehicle no questions asked ,” said Fred Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer – Ram Truck Brand and Lead Executive for U.S. Sales. “Plus Chrysler Group will make the first two payments for the consumer.”

Chrysler also announced a number of new incentives for the month of July, including zero percent financing for up to 72 months and cash rebates of up to $4,000.

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It has largely been assumed that Fiat products will soon join Chrysler products within the same showrooms. But new reports suggest that Fiat models will remain separate from Chryslers. An estimated 200 Fiat showrooms are expected to go online to house the new Italian cars.

This is likely going to be some bad news for Chrysler dealers hoping to get their hands on Fiat models. However, existing Chrysler dealers will have the option to be among the first to get their hands on one of the 200 Fiat standalone dealerships.

The first Fiat product to arrive in the U.S. will be the 500 minicar, although this vehicle by itself may not warrant the purchase of an entire new dealership. But it’s expected that over the new few years many more Fiat vehicles are to follow.

Adding a coupe hundred dealerships will be extremely costly, not to mention the costs involved in marketing a brand that’s relatively new to the U.S. Hopefully, the latest Fiats don’t share the quality issues that spurred the brand’s departure from North America more than two decades ago.

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On July 9, the last of Chrysler’s retro-styled PT Cruisers will roll off of the assembly line. As the 2010 model year winds down at Chrysler’s Toluca, Mexico plant, so too will the final Cruisers.

When it first debuted a decade ago, the PT Cruiser was a sensation. Customers flocked to Chrysler showrooms and paid over the sticker price to be able to get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, over the years the Cruiser’s styling did not age well, and it lost its edge while Chrysler essentially ignored the model.

The Chrysler PT Cruiser was already slated to for discontinuation when the automaker entered bankruptcy. In desperate need of products to sell, the automaker kept the PT Cruiser around for just a little while longer. Now as the car’s production comes to an end, the Toluca factory will be retooled in preparation for the Fiat 500. This fresh new minicar will arrive in Chrysler showrooms later this year.

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After putting the foundation in place for a turnaround, following its June 2009 exit from bankruptcy, Chrysler’s CEO Sergio Marchionne says the company is on track for an initial public offering next year.

As sales across the automotive industry appear to be rebounding, Chrysler is also feeling the effects of a recovering economy. While in Toronto yesterday, Marchionne told reporters that May is “turning out to be a good month,” signaling his confidence in his company’s direction and in the direction of the industry.

General Motors is also expected to begin selling shares by next year, but Marchionne believes there will be plenty of interested investors for both automakers.

“I think there is enough appetite, and I am always respectful of the bigger guy,” he said, referring to GM’s CEO Ed Whitacre. “Let him go, he’s been itching to go. I spoke to Ed a while back, he wants to go public.”

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Two of the top names in their respective fields—Chrysler’s Ram Truck brand and the award-winning Zac Brown Band—are teaming up to help support the men and women of the U.S. armed forces beginning this spring.

“It’s the Grammy-award winning ‘Best New Artist’ meets the 2010 Motor Trend ‘Truck of the Year.’ It’s a true win-win partnership for our customers, dealers and the Ram Brand,” said Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram Truck.

And U.S. soldiers, of course, will benefit as well. A key component of this new partnership is the “Letters for Lyrics” campaign. This national effort will aim to deliver 1 million letters to active  members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines beginning this May, leveraging support from all four branches of the Chrysler team—Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep dealers—along with help from the nonprofit Soldiers’ Angels organization. For their good deeds, and as long as supplies last, letter writers will receive free copies of a special CD featuring three new tracks from the band and songs from Zac Brown proteges like Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey.

Ram also will help promote the band’s April USO appearances by posting exclusive concert and documentary footage of the tour at www.ramtrucks.com. The website will offer a unique bonus, too. The first 100,000 people to visit the site during the program’s run will be able to download a special live version of “Free,” the most recent single from the Zac Brown Band. In return, Ram will make a donation for every download to a charity chosen by the partnership.

“Performing with the USO for the men and women in uniform has been a great experience for us. We wanted to find a bigger way to thank them, a way to mobilize people nationwide to show their support for these incredible individuals,” explains Zac Brown, who has also led the band to a “Top New Vocal Group” award from the Academy of Country Music.  “Ram Truck Brand was the perfect partner to realize this dream; not only do they share our commitment to recognize the troops’ service and sacrifice but they are determined to ensure this program helps to send a little piece of home to our service members abroad.”

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Chrysler reported a 25 percent sales gain for the month of April, which marks the biggest boost in sales since July of 2005.

Although some may have doubted Chrysler Group LLC’s new CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has remained optimistic about the brand’s turnaround, Chrysler appears to be on the right track.

The month of March 2010 saw sales fall by 8 percent. However, February saw only a modest gain in sales, which marked the first time in two years that Chrysler had reported any increase.

While Chrysler’s sales incentives have been much higher than its rivals, its double digit sales increase in April has shown that such incentives are paying off. As a result, the automaker has just reported new incentives for most 2010 model Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles. The latest incentives include 0% interest for up to 60 months on most new models or up to $3,000 on all Chryslers, the Dodge Charger or the Ram pickup.

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According to recent reports, Chrysler will be replacing the aging Chrysler Sebring midsize sedan with a new model called the Nassau. Chrysler has yet to confirm the new Nassau name.

The Chrysler Sebring has not helped the embattled brand. Critics have cited its interior quality in particular as being somewhat cheap and the sedan has not done well against Japanese competitors in terms of quality, price, and performance.

“If you look at the Sebring and benchmark it against the competition, it’s not where it needs to be,” CEO Sergio Marchionne said at this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

Chrysler’s use of the Nassau name is not entirely new. A Chrysler Nassau Concept vehicle was introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, however the new sedan will most likely utilize a different design language.

“Chrysler bought the Nassau name when they came out with the concept so it makes sense they would use it,” said Jim Hall, a consultant whose firm advises automakers on future vehicles.

Last week, product plans for Chrysler were outlined at a press conference in Turin, Italy. Aside from the Sebring, Chrysler will soon introduce the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the brand’s first all-new model since emerging from bankruptcy. That will be followed up with updates to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, as well as the all-new Dodge Durango which will borrow many components from the aforementioned Grand Cherokee.

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Although there has been plenty of doubts regarding Chrysler’s financial health, their financial results for the first quarter of 2010 proved that the automaker is far healthier than most may have predicted.

In the recent reporting, Chrysler posted a $143 million operating profit and showed positive cash flow. These favorable figures will reportedly be used to bolster Chrysler’s lineup, with nearly 16 all-new or facelifted vehicles just this year.

“This positive operating result in the first quarter is a concrete indication to our customers, dealers  and suppliers that the 2010 targets we have set for ourselves are achievable,” said CEO Sergio Marchionne. “We are also generating cash to finance the investments being made in our product portfolio and brand repositioning,”

Among the new vehicles arriving in showrooms soon will be the highly anticipated 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Following the new Jeep will be an all-new version of the once sought after Chrysler 300 sedan.

“There has already been an uptick in customer traffic in our dealerships in Q1 and we are confident that Chrysler sales will continue to increase as we launch new products in the second quarter, beginning with the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Moreover, later this year, Chrysler will launch 16 all-new or refreshed products including the all-new Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, E-CUV, the iconic Fiat 500, and the Sebring replacement.”

Mentioned briefly by CEO Sergio Marchionne was the E-CUV, which is presumably Chrysler’s first foray into the electric vehicle segment. Although Chrysler has been working on electric vehicle for some time, there are no firm details just yet on what to expect with this new crossover.

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As the automotive industry moves past one of the worst recessions in recent history, new strategic partnerships are forming everywhere hopes of cutting costs when it comes to innovation. One of the most recent was the alliance between Renault-Nissan and Daimler AG which was announced just last week. Not to be completely left out, Chrysler is also finding partners, but interestingly enough not in the automotive industry. Instead, the Detroit automaker has entered a three year partnership with NASA to share information and technology related to several areas of mutual interest including space exploration and automotive technologies.

Chrysler has been falling behind other automakers when it comes to advanced hybrids and electric vehicles. However, Chrysler remains committed to bringing eco-friendly technology to consumers, and its new partnership with NASA will likely facilitate that goal.

“This is a great opportunity to share knowledge and data in areas where both Chrysler Group and NASA have a vested interest,” said Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President, Chrysler Engineering. “We value the opportunity to work with NASA and will implement what is learned to further improve our Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck products.”

As unusual as this pairing may sounds, this isn’t the first time Chrysler has teamed up with NASA. In 1961 NASA sought the help of Chrysler to help build the Redstone rockets that sent the Mercury Project and the first American into space. Chrysler also helped build rockets for the first two Apollo capsules and the Saturn series rockets of the 1970s.

“The investment in NASA technologies has led to hundreds of applications here on Earth for several decades now, and this collaboration with Chrysler promises to continue that tradition,” said Mike Coats, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

One of the major areas that Chrysler and NASA will collaborate on will be battery systems. Not only are these systems crucial for traveling into space, but efficiently storing vast amounts of energy will be necessary in developing the next generation of electric vehicles.

Chrysler’s first EV is slated to be launched in the U.S. in 2012. Based on the Fiat 500 minicar, this new EV will be powered by batteries from large scale battery maker A123Systems.

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Although Chrysler has had its fair share of difficulties, you wouldn’t know it by asking Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne. Not only did he assure journalists ahead of the New York Auto Show that Chrysler was making money, but more recently he said that the restructuring efforts that are underway there are already producing “positive results.”

Showing confidence in the automaker’s slow, but consistence process of turning Chrysler around, Marchionne is feeling better how the automaker’s outlook now than a year ago.

“In terms of the market share numbers coming out of the U.S., it’s a slow, gradual process, a re-making exercise. You need to give it time,” Marchionne said at a conference in Parma, Italy.

While Marchionne says the outlook is positive, Chrysler’s sales tell a different story. In the first quarter of 2010, Chrysler’s domestic sales fell about 5 percent, during a time when other automakers were reporting substantial sales increases. In a desperate attempt to maintain foot traffic in showrooms, Chrysler has also offered substantial incentives on its vehicles that undercut the incentives offered by its domestic counterparts.

Another factor working against Chrysler is of course a price war that has been spurred by Toyota. Offering incredible financing and even free maintenance, Toyota is forcing automakers such as GM and Ford to come up with aggressive offers themselves, and this activity is simply leaving Chrysler in their dust.

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