Chrysler 300C News

... 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 renewal work makes it more elegant and stylish, including a considerable quality tweak in the cabin, but it still has the chunky body and hunkered-down look which has made it a global winner for Chrysler. But don't expect the all-new 300C in Australia any time soon, even though Carparazzi has caught three production-ready cars with its cameras.  A production switch for the new 300C means there will be no right-hand drive cars until 2012. Chrysler Australia has stocked-up on the existing model, with around 400 cars in the pipeline, to carry it through the drought but is not making any promises on the sales start for the new model.  It could have trouble clearing the backlog, based on the latest Carparazzi pictures. They show a car which looks a little shorter than the current 300C with styling taken from the 200C motor show concept car.  The shape of the new-look headlamps is obvious and so is the front fascia, including LED daytime running lamps. Cut-outs in the Chrysler camouflage along the front bumper and mudguard reveal a new sensor that Carparazzi sources say is for a frontal-collision warning system, adaptive cruise control and a blind spot/side assist system. On the sides, the 300C shows new rocker panels, a body crease that sweeps downwards toward the nose and new chrome-capped side mirrors.  The rear doors have also had the black plastic square at the rear swapped out in favor of more glass. In the rear there are LED tail lamps and a bumper with integrated chrome exhaust tips.  There are huge changes inside, with the test cars revealing a solid, leather-stitched dash top similar to the one in the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee now in production. There is also a large analogue clock for a bit more class and a massive navigation and entertainment screen. Carparazzi sources say there will be lots of LED lighting and a 500- watt Alpine premium audio system.  The new 300C rides on an updated version of Chrysler's LX chassis and comes with the new Pentastar 3.6-litre V6, also fitted to the new Grand Cherokee. There are also 5.7-litre and 6.4-litre Hemi petrol V8s and a diesel engine. Chrysler is aiming to start production at it's Canadian factory in Ontario during the last week of December, 2010, pointing to an official unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November.

The American maker is now controlled by Fiat, which is helping to develop a fleet of new vehicles which use its engine and chassis technology for sales from 2012. But that has not stopped Chrysler group rushing new features, extra equipment and better quality into 15 re-worked vehicles for 2010."Our local product team is working closer than ever with the factory to come up with revised or all-new models for our market which we're hoping to see in the near future," says Jerry Stamoulis, spokesman for Chrysler in Australia. As the top performing right-hand drive market for Chrysler, there has been a strong emphasis placed on our market to help lift international sales over the next five years."He says the first of the updated models is already in showrooms and the most important, the all-new Grand Cherokee, will be revealed this year ahead of sales in 2010. "The Grand Cherokee will be the first vehicle in Australia to be available with the all-new Pentastar V6 petrol engine," Stamoulis says. The Jeep Patriot has already had an interior update and similar work will be finished soon on the Dodge Caliber, which comes in the third quarter of this year."Other immediate changes to our line-up are that all Dodge Journey models receive, as standard, active head restraints and the 5.7L Hemi V-8 in the Chrysler 300C receives variable valve timing and an additional 15 kiloWatts, which lifts power to 265kW," Stamoulis says.Apart from the Pentastar V6, various Chrysler models will also get a six-speed, Fiat dual-clutch gearbox. It will be seen first in a re-worked Chrysler Sebring, which also gets updated body styling, a new interior and revised suspension for better ride and handling. The Jeep Wrangler also gets a styling tweak this year, as well as stop-start technology on its diesel engines.

Up to nine Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models could be axed or redesigned by 2012, according to details leaked of a new Chrysler-Fiat business plan.  However, Chrysler Australia is taking a wait-and-see approach to changes proposed this week by new Chrysler-Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne.Marchionne is heading up one of the biggest product shakeouts in Chrysler's history to resurrect the embattled US carmaker.  But Chrysler Australia's general manager marketing and product strategy, Craig Bradshaw, says it is too early to assess the local fallout any proposed changes.  Chrysler Australia is taking a "wait and see" approach, he says."We have to wait to assess the impact on our local market," he says.  Bradshaw says the company has no advance information of Marchionne's proposed changes.  Some of the proposed changes have been already leaked by the Wall Street Journal in North America.  It says that Chrysler's North American model lineup will be slashed to make way for more Fiat-based cars.Some new Chrysler models will share Fiat platforms in an effort to cut costs and harmonise production processes.  The cars expected to die are the Chrysler Sebring, PT Cruiser, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Avenger as well as three Jeep off-roaders, the Compass, Patriot and Commander.The survivors are said to be the Chrysler 300C sedan, Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler.  Although the list of Chrysler's facing the chop is long, some like the Sebring and Avenger, are expected to morph into new Fiat-based cars.Under the new Chrysler-Fiat regime, known as Chrysler Group LLC, Alfa Romeo and Fiat are expected to return to America as soon as 2012.  Fiat was phased out in North America in the 1980s because of poor quality and reliability problems. Alfa Romeo discon tinued marketing cars there in 1995.Chrysler will continue to build its performance cars and pickup trucks while Fiat is expected to build a range of smaller fuel-efficient European-style models for the US market.  Locally Chrysler Australia is a factory owned distributor but still shares some backroom operations with Daimler.Daimler severed its ties with Chrysler in 2007 and the US carmaker was subsequently purchased by private equity group Cerberus Capital Management before Fiat stepped in last year.Chrysler's Asia-Pacific business, including Australia, is one of the few bright spots, despite Chrysler and Jeep sales being down 30 per cent this year.  Australia is Chrysler's largest right-hand-drive market and the No.1 Jeep Wrangler market outside North America.

ANTHONY Field spends up to seven months of every year on the road.  When he pulls on the blue skivvy as the Blue Wiggle, he becomes an international celebrity with the world's weenie-boppers.So it's no surprise his favourite drive is the run home from Sydney airport to his wife, Miki, and their three children, Lucia, 5, Maria, 3 and Antonio, 18 months.  But Field, 45, is taking on even more work and now hosts Channel 7's RSPCA Animal Rescue, a documentary series that follows the tough cases the RSPCA inspectors and veterinary staff face every day.He says he is tired of being a passenger in the Big Red Car and jokes if money were no object, he'd buy it, pimp it up and charge Murray Cook (red Wiggle), Jeff Fatt (purple Wiggle) and Sam Moran (yellow Wiggle) to ride in it.What was your first car?A 1973 yellow Volkswagen Kombi. I bought it from my dad for $900 in 1981. It was a great car. I would sleep in it after big Cockroaches gigs. We took the seat out and I practically lived in it. I had it for three or four years until the accelerator cable broke. I figured it was getting a bit rusty and it was time to move on.What do you drive now?Ironically, I have a Volkswagen sponsorship now and I have a black EOS convertible.  We also have a family car, a Chrysler 300C sedan.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I am away six to seven months of the year so my favourite drive is the one from Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney to home with my wife Miki.How far would you drive in a year?Only about 8000km, but my frequent-flyer points are phenomenal.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I have driven in the celebrity race at the Australian Grand Prix and the greatest thing about that was meeting some really great people and becoming friends. I was always down the bottom end of the pack so I don't think I'll be chasing a career in motorsport.What would you buy if money were no object?I would buy one of the most famous cars in Australia. I've been a passenger too long. I would buy the Big Red Car. I'd pimp it up and charge the other guys to ride in it.What music is playing in your car?Carlos Gardel. He's Argentinean and he was the king of tango.How much is too much for a new car?It's what you can afford, but petrol is going to cost the most, so you have to keep in mind how much it is going to guzzle. It's up to each person what they can afford.What should be done to make driving safer?The steps are already there with random breath testing, speed monitoring and ensuring people wear seatbelts -- that's all you can really do.Are you sponsored by a car company?Yes, Volkswagen. Miki loves it. I hardly get to drive the car.

The Chrysler presentation at the show was delivered with an Italian twist. Jim Press, the company's vice-chairman and president, drove onto the stand in . . . a shiny blue Fiat 500. The unusual arrival was intended to highlight the growing tie between Chrysler and Fiat which is the key to the American company's survival. Fiat has taken a stake in the US brand and there is a plan for it to also supply the cost-effective small cars Chrysler has not been able to develop on its own. Press had nothing new to reveal on the Chrysler-Fiat deal but he did - briefly - show the interior of the make-or-break new Chrysler 300C during a video presentation.              

The wholesale restructuring of the US car industry has yielded some little gems of information, some of them from Chrysler.

This means motorists may have long delays to convert their car to running on LPG which costs less than 70 a litre.