Chrysler Lancer Reviews

After a major bailout by the American government, and a new partnership with Fiat of Italy, the US maker has just reported its first black-ink result since 2009. It banked $106 million on its first-quarter operations for 2010, compared with a $180 million loss for the same period in 2010. Chrysler's revenue improved 35 percent through the quarter to $12 billion as its worldwide sales - led by the successful new Chrysler 300C in the USA and the latest Grand Cherokee from Jeep - improved by 18 per cent. The result is praised by anaylsts at Morgan Stanley in the USA, which calls the results "impressive". "Chrysler Group's improved sales and financial performance in the first quarter show that our rejuvenated product lineup is gaining momentum in the marketplace," says Chrysler's chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, who took the top job as part of Fiat's buy-in to the company two years ago.

Chrysler Australia has confirmed the hot-rodded SUV is slated to top off the new Jeep Grand Cherokee fleet in the second quarter of next year. And at a price expected to undercut the $90,000 charged for the outgoing SRT8. The 346kW, 6.4 litre Hemi V8 is claimed to top 240 km/h and jump from 0 to 100km/h in around 4.8 seconds, aided by a stump-pulling 630Nm of torque fed through a permanent four-wheel drive system. As before, the SRT8 wagon is not for rock-climbing or mud-plugging. Just for getting places with a decent amount of pace. Jeep's five-speed auto, with paddle shifts, has been reworked with revised ratios; coil springs and Bilstein dampers have been fitted all round and the Grand Cherokee chassis stiffened by some 25 per cent. There's big Brembo brakes, a lockable rear differential  plus three, driver-selectable suspension modes to best keep the SRT8 at the right sort of attitude for different tasks. Until then the all-new 3.7 litre V6 and 5.7 litre V8 Grand Cherokees are keeping Chrysler Australia busy. "We can't get enough of Grand Cherokee at the moment," says Chrysler Australia's marketing manager Dean Bonthorne. "With that $45,000 starting price for the Laredo, and mixing it with the (Toyota) Kluger and (Ford) Territory, it's an absolute winner." Next wagon to roll in will be a 'bells and whistles' Overland version of the Grand Cherokee, priced under $70,000.

The Lonsdale engine plant might be unrecognisable and Tonsley Park has little signage left, but there's plenty of examples of Chrysler's production history still running hard. The Chrysler Charger legend was born in 1971 and for years was the fastest-accelerating Australian-built car. Tony and Karen Lennell have strong connections to the breed, with family working for the company at the time of the Charger's production. But it wasn't always Chryslers that sat in the Lennell garage - Holdens and later HSVs were under the the roof as well. "I was a Holden man but had family ties to Chrysler here - Karen's dad was an engineer there, they've grown on me over the years so we decided to buy one," he says. The couple - under the pretence of a weekend away in Sydney - found what they were looking for just over a year ago at Australian Musclecar Sales in Sydney. The couple's car is a pretty rare beast - a 1971 three-speed manual VH E37 Charger R/T, powered by the famous 265-cubic inch (about 4.3-litre) in-line "Hemi" six-cylinder engine. When it left the factory in 1971 priced at $3935 new, there was 248 horsepower on offer - 185kW and 415Nm - thanks to triple Weber carburettors. It's one of only 135 R/Ts built and one of just 18 painted in the hot mustard colour - while Mr Lennell was coy about how much he paid for the car, pristine examples have sold for as much as $100,000. "We flew to Sydney for a weekend away, and I happened to just say that we were going to stop off and look at a car - four hours later we owned the car," he says. The E37 has been returned to factory-spec after the long and expensive task of sourcing parts and getting the car to the right automotive people for the serious work. Friday nights have become known as shed night with work continuing into early hours of Saturday morning. "We got to work on researching the original parts and equipment, it needed a three-speed gearbox, Mark at Brighton Service Centre put that in for me - he sourced the gearbox for me." Mr Lennell said the floor, interior trim and the cabin have been returned to how the car was as it left the line at Tonsley Park 40 years ago. "The engine and diff have been given the once-over as well, the 3.23:1 LSD is back in there, it's got new original-spec extractors and the triple carburettors have been put back to rights by West Torrens Dyno Centre," he says. Although registered on historic plates, the E37 isn't a molly-coddled museum piece - the Lennells drove it to Renmark for an award-winning appearance at a recent club event and more recently braved locusts and native fauna to enter the car in the Chrysler on The Murray event at Albury-Wodonga. "We were just at Chrysler On The Murray, where we won the best VH Charger .... we were one of more than 150 Chargers up there for the 40th anniversary," he says. The couple received plenty of "Hey Charger" salutes on the trip to Albury-Wodonga. "Every time we stopped for fuel it took about half an hour to leave as people wanted to have a look at the car, it hardly used any oil and cruised at 100km/h all the way. "We were driving down the Hume with Leo Geoghegan's car next to us, E49s, E38s - they got a group shot of 150 of these cars together, it was fantastic." The job is not done yet as the couple have plans to pull the engine out for another re-build - as well as a taking it back to its original colour - re-painting the engine bay and re-building the front suspension in preparation for next year. "It was a fun drive and we're going to do it again next year - we're going to take it up to Bathurst next year and take it up The Mountain," he says. About the Chrysler Valiant Charger The Chrysler Valiant Charger is an icon of Australian motor vehicle manufacturing and the VH started it all. The company started manufacturing in 1971 and built 17,918 VH Chargers - at one stage accounting for half of the total Valiant production by Chrysler. Overall, around 1300 were R/T models, and of these, but R/T E37 Performance models numbered only 135. The R/T had a 3.23:1 differential (rather than the 2.92 standard in other Chargers), as well as a tachometer, oil pressure gauge, six-inch rims, a front anti-roll bar and a three-speed manual gearbox. At the time the company claimed a stock E37 could complete a quarter-mile sprint in 15.7 seconds, but that number fell if the optional "six-pack" package was added, which put three two-barrel Weber carburettors on the straight-six engine and upped the power to 248hp (a 30hp increase) and 306 foot pounds. The base-model car was priced from $2795 but the R/T was priced $3395 - now these cars can fetch anywhere between $60,000 and $110,000. The R/T high performance pack came about from a desire to go motor racing, adding black stripes, a black radiator grille, driving lights, model-specific steel wheels, a sports instrumentation pack and a two-spoke aluminium steering wheel.

So when a pristine 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood limo was offered for sale by a New South Wales funeral director fallen on hard times Mike was quick to name his price. And for $30,000 scored a big and handsome American machine to park alongside his aquamarine 1966 Ford Mustang convertible and yet-to-be-loved 1967 Mustang coupe. "The bloke bought a PT Cruiser convertible from me a while back because his wife had one she wouldn't let him drive," says Mike. "Six months ago he fell into a bit of strife and tried to sell the Cruiser back. That didn't work out and I asked about this Cadillac he'd told me about. "He reckons he'd spent $87,000 on the Cadillac but how do you research a price on something like this? I offered him $30,000 and he drove it up one day while we were out. We raced back and did the deal." The long-standing Brisbane dealer also bought a black 1972 Cadillac hearse, since onsold, from the Ballina funeral director. But it's the gold-painted and chromed Fleetwood limo that's now taking up some time and space in Mike's shed. Originally black, the Cadillac was brought in from San Francisco where it was owned by a man with an interest in a Reno casino; he was chauffeur-driven the 350 kilometres between the two North American cities. Here it was converted to right-hand drive, rebuilt and resprayed in Cadillac Pale Gold. The 6 litre V8 and three-speed transmission were rebuilt to General Motors' specifications while the eight-seater's internal trim was remanufactured in the USA. Standard Cadillac equipment here - all operational - includes ducted air-conditioning, power windows and front seats, glass divider behind the front seat, power brakes, steering and radio antenna. All that's been added to the original comfort and convenience features is a CD stacker and 600 watt amplifier, tucked tidily away in the boot, plus a cassette radio under the dashboard. Mike allows the Fleetwood 'is a bit of a beast to drive'. "It'd be okay out on the highway, probably cruise pretty well. Around town the brakes are either on or off and she's a bit long," he notes. But with daughter Rachael's wedding approaching in May, someone will be driving the bridesmaids in the Cadillac. The bride? She wants to go in the Mustang convertible. About the Cadillac Fleetwood Cadillacs were the favourite transport of the King, Elvis Presley, who owned a string of them from the 1950s to the 1970s. For these were the Rolls-Royce of the States, favoured by presidents, celebrities and gangsters. Less than 1000 Cadillac Fleetwood Imperials were built in 1956, priced close to $7000. Almost six metres long, the Cadillac weighed in around 2.3 tonne and rode on a 3.8m wheelbase with 15 inch wheels. The V8 produced 285 horsepower with one four-barrel carburettor; 305 horsepower with the option of an extra four-barrel carb. And for 1956 the Cadillac's three-speed Hydra-Matic transmission was claimed to smooth out shifting qualities. Other models in the 1956 line-up included a Fleetwood sedan, DeVille four-door hardtop and Eldorado Seville two-door hardtop.

Ford is posting huge profits and knows where it is going with everything from the Focus to the upcoming Escape and Explorer, and General Motors has trimmed for growth as well as previewing the Barina sedan and a couple of classy American hopefuls in motown on Monday morning.But when Chrysler chief Olivier Francois got up to introduce the all-new 300C he talked openly about a company, and an industry, that is pulling itself up off the ropes to answer the bell for future sales."It's time. Time for Chrysler to come back onto the automotive stage like this," says Francois. "It's time for a car that makes a bold statement without saying a word. It's time for the torch of the most awarded car ever to be passed. And we did this with only one objective - to make it even better."Chrysler says it spent more than $1 billion on the impressive looking new 300C and it's the standout American car at this year's Detroit show. But there is, as always, a lot more to see and understand at the first major show of the year. When Hyundai turns the spotlight on its all-new Veloster and the Curb concept it gets a predictable reaction, but then it also talks reinventing the brand in the USA.Then Kia, which is using a couple of months of extra lead time on all the joint models it shares with Hyundai to do a better job, rolls the adventurous KV7 concept onto its stand.The combined impact is great news for buyers but an awful effort for Japanese carmakers, since Korea is now doing a better job of Japanese-  style vehicles and including the emotion that's missing from contenders from the other country.Honda does its best in Detroit by previewing the all-new Civic concept - it's basically the production car and far more punchy than the underdone CR-Z hybrid - but it could be too little and too late for Japan, since Toyota has nothing new and Nissan is not even at the show.And BYD of China makes a splash as well, although its cars are still early-Korean standard when you get up close.Detroit has plenty of eye candy, from the race-bred Porsche 918 RSR to the plug-in electric SLS in safety vest yellow on the Mercedes-Benz stand and the huge selection of Boss 302 Mustangs on the Ford stand. It seems every carmaker also has some form of plug-in electric car, hybrid or alternative energy vehicle, from the hybrid RSR on down.But the company with the single most impressive exhibit, once you drill down a bit, is Ford. It is using the all-new Focus as the base to show what can be done in a One Ford world where spin-offs from a basic platform satisfy just about every showroom shopper. There is everything from an all-electric Focus battery car to a hybrid, a C-Max mini people mover, the upcoming replacement for the Escape and more."There are 10 different models, top hats, off the one platform. All on the one production line,"  says Ford's CEO, Alan Mulally. "Henry Ford, back in 1925, advertised opening the highways to all mankind. Making it affordable. We're accelerating Henry's original vision."The news in Detroit is more than just concept cars and new showroom contenders. Opel confirms a plan that will put its cars into Australian showrooms from 2012, not as part of the Holden lineup but as a separate brand under its own banner."This is not just an Australian play. It's important for Opel. It's an important brand statement," says Opel chief, Nick Reilly.Ford leaks news that the Falcon could go front or all-wheel drive, with the potential loss of local production. "Don't hold your breath," says global design boss, J Mays.Mercedes-Benz talks for the first time about a huge safety push on its C-Class starter car, Chrysler confirms a 12-month delay on Australian deliveries of its impressive new 300C, and there is endless hopeful banter at General Motors on the future prospects of the Commodore and a born-again export program to the USA.Gover's opinion ...The overall vibe at Detroit 2011 is more positive than recent years, but not nearly as upbeat as the years before the global financial crisis. There are far fewer concept cars and dream machines. The concepts that are presented are, mostly, based on real production cars with some extra bling for the spotlights.What comes through clearly is that the GFC has forced all carmakers to re-think their business.Most have dumped the old 'push' model, where factories ran at capacity and dealers were force-feeding buyers using huge incentives, for a 'pull' program where production is matched to the real demand in showrooms.There are still some exceptions, but GM Holden boss Mike Devereux talks openly about building "one fewer car than customers want" in Australia.It's a policy that worked brilliantly for Enzo Ferrari and one that is being adopted more and more in the post-GFC motoring world.

It's the make-or-break Chrysler 300C that cost the bankrupt corporation more than $1 billion and must work to give Chrysler some much-needed leverage in its global partnership with Fiat.The 300C will eventually also wear Lancia badges in some countries but, as it is revealed today in Detroit, is a new hero for Chrysler.  It looks good and tough, is suitably lightweighted and technologically loaded, and is promised at value prices.The bad news for Australia is that right-hand drive production is a low priority and the new 300C will not land until 2012. Until then, Chrysler Australia has 12-months' stock of the outgoing car.Chrysler has a totally new take on the 300C, which retains some of its gangsta impact but is more modern in everything from the front-end styling to slimmer pillars and windscreens that drop away much more dramatically than the upright glass of the current car.It retains rear-wheel drive but has much-improved suspension and steering, the key engine is the new-generation Pentastar V6 already fitted to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and pricing in the USA starts as low as $27,995.  Chrysler has done a lot of work on touchy-feeling stuff, from better shaping in the seats to heated-and-cooled seats and cupholders, a 20cm touch-screen infotainment system and a dual-plane sunroof.The new 300C can roll on 20-inch alloys and there is more than two metres of acustic insulation and underbody paneling to smooth airflow and cut drag and fuel economy.The new 300C is displayed at Detroit alongside a revamped Voyager minivan and massively-updated 200 sedan that both reflect the new styling direction from Chrysler's hero car.

... with everything from vital new cars to $12 billion profit promises, at the opening of the 2011 North American International Auto Show.Ford, Chrysler and General Motors are all running in the black after the disasters of the global economic crisis and also have new models to tap potential demand in the USA and around the world.Chrysler has its new 300C flagship, Ford has the C-Max minivan and GM has a Buick Verano luxury concept as the obvious contenders for the opening day in Detroit.There is much more to be revealed on the new-metal front but the real key to their success is the companies' financial turnaround.Ford is doing best because, under canny chief Alan Mullaly, it was never driven into the bankruptcy that nearly killed GM and forced Chrysler into a new global alliance with Fiat.The blue oval brand is battling in Australia but in the USA it is climbing the quality rankings and is on-track for a $10 billion profit on its operations in 2010.GM is also doing well after reporting a $4.2 black-ink result to the end of September and even Chrysler, which was lagging last year, is heading towards a share float and an operating profit in 2011.Demand for new vehicles in the USA is likely to rebound by around one million in 2012 - the total number of vehicles sold in Australia last year - after tanking in 2009 and showing only mild signs of improvement last year.Sales in China now lead the world and the Big Three have been overtaken by Toyota, which is now global leader in showrooms, with Volkswagen planning to trump the lot to become worldwide number one by 2018.

The second-generation 300C is Chrysler's hero car for the 2011 North  American International Motor Show in Detroit, promising updated  styling together with the cabin quality and general refinement missing from the original car. But there is a giant 'but' for Australia. Right-hand production is not scheduled for at least six months and that means the first supplies of the updated car will not land until 2012. Chrysler Australia says the delay is normal on an all-new model and it has over-stocked with the existing 300C to take it through 2011. "Historically we've always had a six to nine-month window to get right- hand drive. We're actually loooking at a similar timeframe," says Chrysler spokesman, Dean Bonthorne. "The on-sale timing is quarter one of 2011 in North America. The  current plan is very early in 2012 for Australia." Chrysler knew about the delay in the final quarter of last year and that's when it started to stockpile the existing 300C. Around 400 cars were landed before the end of the year, but supplies of the $39,990  model - with a 3.5-litre V6 - are already running short. "There are still a handful of the 3.5-litre V6 petrol cars. We also have the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 and the 6.1-litre SRT V8. The Touring was discontinued some time ago," says Bonthorne. "We allowed to maintain a planned sales volume through the major part  of 2011. And we've got some great deals on those models until the 2012  version arrives." Chrysler is promising big things with the 300C, its first major model since the American company began a new partnership with Fiat of Italy. The basic body is similar to the existing car, although the windscreen is swept back by around six centimetres with slimmer door pillars to improve visibility. It is also fitted with daytime LED running lamps  to emphasise the new front-end look. Bonthorne makes no apology for the long wait on the 300C, which is essential to ensure the car gets a fast start in the USA. "They have pushed ahead to get the North American car ready." He promises the drought of new models in 2011 will be broken early in 2012. "Come 2012 and 2013 we have a huge number of new models coming," Bonthorne says. A new direction for Chrysler The new direction at Chrysler Australia is obvious from the top down. Clyde Campbell, formerly a senior staffer at Mercedes-Benz Australia, is the new managing director and occupies a desk in Dandenong. The new office site is part of the Iveco trucks' facility and reflects  Chrysler's move out of the Daimler family and into its new relationship with Fiat. Chrysler and Fiat operate totally separately in Australia, partly because the Italian brand is represented by Ateco Automotive as it independent importer. Chrysler is headed for a relatively quiet showroom year in 2011, with just three models on sale - the soon-to-be superseded 300C, the Grand Voyager people mover and Sebring Cabrio. But it does have the strength of Jeep, including the all-new Grand Cherokee.

All the signs are positive after a strong run through 2010 on everything from new models and new technology to the price of cars and petrol and even motorsport.Last year produced a million-plus result in showrooms, only the third on record and a huge turnover in a country with a population of just over 22 million people. And the sales total for 2011 is likely to be even bigger.The fuel for the sales growth will come, as usual, from the importance of cars in Australia and the incredible number of new models that his showrooms each year. No-one can underestimate the sense of freedom that Australians tap with their cars, or the genuine needs of people who rely on cars for everything from day-to-day commuting to long-distance nomadic work.Car companies are currently doing all they can to clear their backlog of 2010 stock in readiness for the first arrivals of 2011, which means great buying for at least another month. Cars are like horses, because they all get a year older on the same day, and anything in a showroom now with a 2010 build date is out-of-date.But there is nothing out-of-date about the lineup for the first major motoring event of the year, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It opens next week with the unveiling of everything from a Hyundai Veloster and the next Honda Civic to a new Porsche supercar.There will be lots of news from Detroit, perhaps including Holden's plans to revive Commodore exports to the USA and the potential future of the Ford Falcon. Chrysler will show its new 300C, which will take more than a year to reach Australia, and Chinese brands are promising another new wave of technology and small cars.Chinese cars will be one of the big stories in Australia in 2011, with Chery, Geely and Great Wall all planning to start passenger car sales down under. Great Wall is already doing well with its value-priced utes and SUVs but it's Chery that is looking for the big breakthrough with baby cars that undercut the Korean price leaders.On the motorsport front, the Dakar Rally is already blazing through South America - with Bruce Garland doing his best for Australia in an Isuzu D-Max - the V8 Supercar championship will be another boomer, and Mark Webber will be looking to improve on his 2011 season in another year with Red Bull Racing.Melbourne will be motoring central again this year, not just because it is home to the three local carmakers - Holden, which has the local Cruze this year; Ford, which is about to go with the updated Territory; and Toyota, which has an all-new Camry for 2011 - but also thanks to everything from the Australian Grand Prix to the latest running of the Australian International Motor Show.The organisers of the show have confirmed this year's dates as July 1-10, with the promise of a truly world-class event. Moving the date is planning to bring more people indoors to look at the shiny new metal and, more importantly, open up a new position on the global motoring calendar to allow the Australian show to become a major Asian motoring event each year.

The 200 is a small sedan that rides on the same underpinnings as its ill-fated predecessor but has a new skin, a revised interior and a reworked engine.All metalwork from the A-pillar forward is new. The nose is neater and has an attractive grille with blades that mirror the design of the new Silver Wing emblem.The biggest change is Chrysler's new Pentastar V6 - to be seen first in Australia in the Jeep Grand Cherokee - with 211kW and 353Nm.Chrysler will retain its aging 2.4-litre four cylinder and four-speed automatic which, together, gets only a 6 per cent better fuel economy than the V6 and its six-speed auto.  The 2.4-litre four-speed auto 200 is unlikely to make it to Australia.However, Chrysler says it plans to unveil an optional six-speed dual-clutch transmission for the four-cylinder.