Chrysler (Page 28)

In March, we reported that Chrysler was suing a Detroit-based clothing manufacturer for the use of their “Imported from Detroit” slogan introduced during the Super Bowl and reports are now coming out that the judge has ruled against Chrysler in their attempt to make this other company stop selling knock-off products.

Chrysler has announced that when the 2012 Ram HD trucks hit the market later this year, they will feature a new optional 6-speed automatic transmission for models with the Cummins Turbo Diesel for those who don’t care for the standard 6-speed manual transmission.

Chrysler's redesign of the Dodge Durango SUV and Charger sedan earn "most improved" awards from Consumer Reports, but other updated models are still not up to snuff.

Even though American models like the Ford Focus and Chevy Cruze are flourishing in the US market, the Dodge Caliber has never received a great deal of respect – a problem Chrysler hopes to fix that when they unveil the next generation of the Caliber at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The folks from the Chrysler Group and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced of a wide variety of 2011 model year vehicles from the Chrysler Group, affecting 12 vehicles across the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says he is not willing to risk the Italian automaker's credit rating to take over ownership of Chrysler.

The Center for Auto Safety is demanding that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration force the Chrysler Group to recall all Jeep Grand Cherokee models from the 1993 through 2004 model years – claiming that these vehicles post a significantly high risk of fire in the event of a rear-end collision.

Employees, suppliers and affinity partners of the Chrysler Group will get the chance to check out the all-new and significantly-refreshed lineup of 2011 models during the 2011 Chrysler Road Tour, which kicks off this week. With 95 stops on the extensive 19-week tour that provides employees the opportunity to talk, where they work, with product specialists about the 2011 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram Truck models, as well as the 2012 Fiat 500 model.

Earlier today, rumors surfaced about the next Maserati GranTurismo and Quattroporte losing their Ferrari-built V8 in favor of Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar V6 with a set of turbos – and TorqueNews.com has an inside line of our own that supports these rumors.

Today the folks at General Motors posted a video on YouTube of the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 on the famed Nürburgring race course in Germany – a video in which the ZR-1 turned a stunning lap time of just 7:19.63, effectively destroying the record held by the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR since August 2008.

According to Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, when the next generation Chrysler minivan hits the market it will feature the return of the popular all wheel drive system along with a new crossover variant – building on Marchionne’s comments at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show that one of the two top-selling minivans from Chrysler would be seeing a significant redesign in an effort to end inter-company redundancy.

According to the folks at USA Today, the Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang outsold all hybrid models sold in May by a margin of almost 10%.

Chrysler has just announced that the Street and Racing Technology division will be split off into its own cross-brand unit, moving former Dodge brand CEO Ralph Gilles to the head the new high performance brand but along with this move, Chrysler has made a handful of other management changes with an impact across North America.

Just as Dodge trucks were split off from Dodge to form the Ram brand, now SRT--Street and Racing Technology--becomes a brand of its own, with performance enthusiast Ralph Gilles transferring from president and CEO of Dodge Brand to the new Street and Racing Technology Brand.

Chrysler has shown a great deal of pride in their new Pentastar V6 since introducing it, as they have installed it in the engine option list of every vehicle and starting in 2012, the Ram pickups will also pack Pentastar power.

Due to some legal sour grapes by some California Chrysler brand dealerships, the Chrysler Group may be forced to sell their stake in the spectacular Motor Village dealership in LA which features the company’s plans of having all five brands under one roof with salon style accessory and aftersales offerings joining the sales, service and parts for every vehicle under the Chrysler umbrella.

When Fiat SpA announced that they intended to purchase the final 6.6% of Chrysler owned by the US federal government, it was expected that the Italian automaker would also pursue the final 1.7% owned by the Canadian federal and provincial government and now we have the first reports of Fiat’s offer to the Canadian governments.

Late last night, Fiat SpA reportedly came to an agreement with United State Department of Treasury to purchase the final 6.6% of the Chrysler Group held by the US government along with the feds remaining options in Chrysler for a total price of $560 million.

When this GM president was kicked out of office, he bought the Jefferey car plant in Wisconsin, changed the car to his name and merged with Kelvinator refrigerators.

May 2011 was not a month of great sales as nearly every major automotive group showed a decline compared to May of 2010 but the Chrysler Group was among those showing growth – making them the only American manufacturer to show positive growth in May.

Twenty five years ago, you could waltz into a Jeep dealership and drive off in what would today be known as a Jeep Wrangler pickup. For years Jeep fans have been asking for another but Chrysler has been quiet save for a few concepts and some promises.

The numbers from the major players in the rear wheel drive performance segment and even though numbers are down across the board, for the fifth straight month the Chevrolet Camaro has posted a comfortable lead in the segment over the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger and the Nissan 370Z.

The Obama Administration reported Chrysler has repaid all of its loans, and General Motors has paid back approximately half.

President Obama will be in Toledo for about five hours on Friday to meet auto workers and to talk about the importance of keeping the auto industry strong. His itinerary includes a 1:05 p.m. tour of the Chrysler Group LLC’s Toledo Supplier Park and an opportunity to talk with the people who assemble the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into problems with the Jeep Wrangler that could cause the driver’s side airbag not to open in the event of a collision.

As a result of the “bailout loans” of 2008 and a variety of previous dealings, the Canadian government was left with a 1.7% stake in the Chrysler Group after the Fiat-run Chrysler paid off the balance of those loans but depending on how much Fiat pays for the last chunk of Chrysler owned by the US government, the Canadian government may be willing to sell their final 1.7% to Fiat.

When Fiat SpA paid off $7.6 billion dollars in debt to the US and Canadian governments this week, they effectively raised their ownership of the Chrysler Group to 46%, leaving the US government to own 6.6% while the Canadians now hold 1.7%; but according to a statement filed to the US Treasury department Fiat plans to purchase the 6.6% held by the US government before the end of 2011.

While the 2011 Dodge Avenger Heat features a revised interior and a subtly altered exterior, the biggest news for the new midsized Dodge sedan is the improved suspension system and the new premium engine option.