Chrysler (Page 33)

Sales numbers are in from February 2011 and for the second month in a row, the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, each by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1.

According to comments made by Jeep CEO Mike Manley, the Trail Rated American automaker is working on a new sub-compact “B-segment” sport utility vehicle based heavily on modified, existing architecture from the Fiat brand that we can expect to see hit the market for the 2013 model year.

The Chrysler Group and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that almost a quarter million 2010 model year vehicles from Dodge and Chrysler are being recalled to address an issue with the ignition cylinder that can cause the engine to stall – vastly increasing the risks of a crash.

Starting March 12, Japanese SUV shoppers will have their first chance to buy the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and when the popular ute hits Japan’s shores, Chrysler is hoping that it will be popular enough to boost company sales in that region by 21%.

This past Friday, Chrysler Group LLC issued a 300 page report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to the first full calendar year of the automaker under new parent company Fiat and included in that SEC filing was the new that Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne received no cash payments in 2010.

Since August 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Defect Investigations has been looking into a large number of fuel spillage complaints relating to the 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler but the NHTSA has closed the investigations – citing that no recall is necessary.

Today at a media event at the Chrysler Tech Center, Fiat brand CEO Laura Soave stated that the US brand rollout is behind schedule as we rapidly near the date that the company had hoped to have the bulk of their new Fiat dealerships up and running.

Over the coming year the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich will offer a series of rotating exhibits featuring pairings of rare vehicles along with the privately held vehicles of other remarkable models from the company's lines

Earlier today, we brought you the news of the Jeep Grand Cherokee making its debut when the Geneva Motor Show opens next month and although few expect to see the diesel Jeep in the US, a pair of CRD-badged test mules out roaming the Michigan roads suggests that the oil-burning SUV could show up at North American Jeep dealerships.

Three major events have been on the agendas of Detroiters all winter: The North American International Auto Show, the Super Bowl and the Autorama with the Ridler Award. This year’s Autorama will be February 25, 26 and 27.

Sixty-four Chrysler dealerships from thirty states have filed a lawsuit against the US Treasury Department for a violation of the dealership owner’s 5th Amendment right stemming from the government-assisted closure of almost 800 dealerships in 2009.

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all skipped the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and as the planning is well underway for the 2011 show being held in December, General Motors and Chrysler have both turned down the invitation and Ford has yet to decide one way or the other.

The Chrysler Group has used their massive headquarters building alongside I-75 as a billboard several times in the past year, with the 2011 Grand Cherokee and new Ram Heavy Duty adorning the outside of the skyscraper and now the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 200 has taken its place on the company digs in Auburn Hills.

The U.S. may have become the world’s largest producer of natural gas, but it will take the smaller manufacturer, Chrysler Group operated by Fiat SpA, to bring it to fruition in the Ram truck brand.

When the 2011 Geneva Motor Show opens next month, the Lancia brand will feature a spread of new vehicles including rebadged versions of the 2011 Chrysler 300, 2011 Chrysler 200 and the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country all sporting Lancia model names.

You can take General Motors out of bankruptcy, but cannot take the bankrupt mentality out of General Motors management with its latest bonus offerings before paying off its government loans.

Hard as it may be to believe, but Chrysler is on a major push to get its dealerships to have weekend hours, with a special emphasis on Sunday service openings coming in 2012.

Chrysler announced yesterday at the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association in Daytona Beach Florida that they were increasing their reimbursement program value to $1,000 for those consumers who require the assistance of items like wheelchair lifts or hand-controlled throttle and brake mechanisms.

The Chrysler Group has been tossing around the idea of a performance oriented version of their popular minivans for some time and with the introduction of the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T, company CEO Ralph Gilles’ vision of the “man van” materialized into a production vehicle.

Earlier this week, TorqueNews reported that General Motors would be paying their hourly workers an average bonus of around $3,000 for the 2010 year and today rumors are soaring that the salaried employees could see bonuses as high as 50% of their annual pay.

Chrysler’s official blog RedLetterDodge announced yesterday that Robbie Gordon Racing have partnered with Dodge Motorsports to run 2011 Dodge Charger stock cars for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

February is Ram Truck Month and to celebrate this featured month in what brand CEO Fred Diaz is calling the Year of the Ram, Chrysler’s all-truck brand is offering free Hemi upgrades on all applicable 2011 Ram 1500 pickups.

Dodge debuted the new 392 cubic inch Hemi in the 2011 Dodge Challenger at the LA Auto Show, followed by the reveal yesterday of the Charger SRT8 at the Chicago Auto Show and if internet rumors prove to be true, the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 could make its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

This afternoon at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Chrysler’s Ram brand introduced the newest trimline for the half ton pickups – the 2011 Ram 1500 Tradesman, due in dealerships in the second quarter of 2011.