Chrysler News

Fiat-Chrysler is the latest carmaker to reveal its 2013 SEMA concepts, ahead of the Las Vegas aftermarket expo’s official opening next week. The Italian/US partnership will unveil no less than 20 Mopar-equipped concepts from its suite of brands, matching the efforts of fellow US giants Ford and General Motors.Five of these concepts have been teased this week, representing the Jeep, Ram Trucks, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands.Jeep has created the 2014 Cherokee-based Trail Carver, which features a unique decal package and roof basket, mud-terrain tyres, and orange-coloured tow hooks. The interior is covered in Katzkin Amaretto leather, and includes several Mopar optional accessories such as a wireless phone charger.

Chrysler majority owner Fiat has announced that the US cluster of car brands will not launch a public stock offering this year. In a statement yesterday, Fiat said Chrysler's board has decided an initial public offering would be "not practicable" this year.Instead, Chrysler Group LLC will keep working towards an IPO in the first quarter of next year. Fiat holds 58.5 per cent of Chrysler's shares, with the rest owned by a United Auto Workers union trust fund. The IPO would consist of the trust's shares.The CEO of both car groups, Sergio Marchionne, is keen to avoid an IPO and have Fiat buy the trust's shares so the two companies can be fully combined, allowing him to spend Chrysler money on Fiat operations."I'm not selling anything and nor do I think we need to do so," Marchionne said in October. However he filed the paperwork for an IPO as he and the trust have been in conflict over the price for a sale of the trust's share to Fiat, with no agreement reached.Last month, UBS AG set the value of the trust's stake at $US5.6 billion ($A6.1 billion). Fiat has gone to court seeking a judgement on the price, but the trial date is set for next September.While Fiat stepped in as a perceived 'saviour' to shore up the struggling Chrysler by buying into it two years ago, Chrysler's profits have been propping up Fiat on the balance sheet during 2013 as the Italian carmaker struggles in the European economic slump.Chrysler earned $US464 million last quarter on US sales of the Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee, its ninth-straight profitable quarter. The results boosted Fiat, which earned $US260 million in the third quarter. Without Chrysler's contribution, Fiat would have lost $US340 million.

The all-new Chrysler 200 is unveiled at the Detroit motor show with plenty of technology and quality, as well as impressive promises. But only for the USA.Just like the smaller Dodge Dart - and despite an ongoing series of promises from Chrysler headquarters that stretches back to the 1900s - the 200 has not received the crucial right-hand drive development work needed to bring it to Australia.Chrysler has invested the extra to get right-side steering into the latest Jeep Cherokee but, even though the 200 shares the same basic building blocks from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, it has missed the boat.“I want to send the 200 to Australia, but …,” the president of Chrysler Brand, Alistair Gardner, tells Carsguide. “I need a good business case. We don’t have that. Can we do it? Yes. Have we done it? No.”He makes no apology for the decision and says it comes down to dollars and sense, because medium-class cars are not popular enough in Australia and other right-hand drive countries including Britain and India.But Chrysler is bullish about the chances of the 200 in North America. “Make no mistake, this is our new flagship. It will re-define the brand. From bumper to bumper, the new 200 had to be flawless,” says Gardner.Development of the car cost an estimated $800 million and Chrylser has spend another $1 billion on a factory at Sterling Heights to build it, including more than 1000 new robots. The Chrysler 200 is fitted with the same 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 used in the Grand Cherokee in Australia, as well as a nine-speed automatic with a Jaguar-style rotary shifter, and an available four-wheel drive system. There are 60 safety and security features up to automatic emergency braking.The body shape cuts through the air with a 0.27 drag co-efficient and the overall look is a total reverse from the angular gangsta style of the 300C. Quality is claimed to be up another level from the Grand Cherokee that re-set the bar for Chrysler products.“It had to have an emotional design impact. Call it a wow factor,” says Gardner. To put the Chrysler 200 right into perspective, particularly against Australian medium cars including the Toyota Camry that starts at $30,490, the base price for the 200 is $21,700.

Fiat has announced it has signed a deal to buy out the rest of Chrysler, paying US$3.65 billion ($4.09b) for the 41.46 per cent holding owned by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union's Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association trust.Chrysler will make a separate payment of US$700m ($784m) to the VEBA trust, which is set up to cover health care benefits for retired UAW members.Fiat says the deal -- expected to finalise before the end of January -- means there would no longer be a need to raise extra capital with a public stock launch. A public launch was a move CEO Sergio Marchionne was keen to avoid, but which was threatened by the UAW last year after their dissatisfaction with the price Marchionne was offering at the time.“In the life of every major organization and its people, there are defining moments that go down in the history books,” Marchionne said in the official statement. “For Fiat and Chrysler, the agreement just reached with the VEBA is clearly one of those moments.”Since becoming CEO of Fiat 10 years ago, Marchionne has been keen on making the Italian brand a global giant with the acquisition of other stables. He said last year full ownership of Chrysler would make the joint brand the world's seventh largest.Fiat first bought into Chrysler in mid-2011, buying shares held by the United States Treasury as the Detroit brand floundered. However the tables turned with the recent European economic crisis, and in 2013 it was booming Chrysler sales that supported the Italian brand as it struggled to make sales in Europe.The operational joining of the two brands in Australia has seen a strong rise in sales for its cluster of brands over 2012, with Fiat up 598 per cent -- the little Fiat 500/Abarth itself up 331 per cent -- Alfa Romeo 156 per cent, Chrysler 134 per cent and Jeep 21 per cent. The only lagging brand is Dodge, down 22 per cent with a lack of product as models trail off.The local HQ declined to comment on the buyout deal but said they were pleased with the year's results so far."We are thrilled with the sales performance across the Fiat Chrysler stable this year," Fiat-Chrysler spokesperson Karla Leach said. "Our dealers have performed amazingly to smash nearly every sales record for the group in 2013.  Of note is the continued strength of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the massive growth of the much-loved Fiat 500, and the sassy Alfa Romeo Guilietta."This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Carmakers spend up big on the annual Super Bowl commercials, with a 30-second in-game spot costing $3.7m and even slots at the start and end of the game commanding premium prices. It's money well spent if they can attract attention – and turn it into sales. And a good ad can go far beyond the game day, turning viral and getting millions of views. Volkswagen's Darth Vader from the 2011 Super Bowl and the hot Adriana Lima commercial from the 2012 Super Bowl are just two of the stars that went on to become global successes.So which were the big contenders this year? Mercedes-Benz was early out of the gates with a teaser featuring swimsuit model Kate Upton 'washing a car slowly'. The shapely Ms Upton didn't actually get her own hands wet – except to blow a bit of foam around – and her role seems to be mainly distracting the footballers who are doing all the hard work. Merc followed up with what must have been a costly exercise for the CLA, with a pact offered by Willem Dafoe as Satan, and the Rolling Stones 'Sympathy for the Devil' as the soundtrack.Watch the Mercedes-Benz Kate Upton car wash adWatch the Mercedes-Benz Soul adWe reckon Coke filched ideas from two top Aussie movies. Their Coke Chase ad featured a gang of Mad Max baddies and a crew of showgirls in a pink Priscilla bus, vying with a Great Escape motorbike, a posse of cowboys and a camel-leading Arabian sheik – all in a race to a giant Coke bottle. The ad was the key creative in an online campaign that lets viewers vote to let three of the teams reach the bottle first – or delay the other teams by watching linked 'sabotage' videos. Watch the Coke Chase adThe early teaser for Toyota's 'Wish' spot featured The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco – it looked like fun and was backed up with the 'Careful What You Wish For' full ad, which gained much from Cuoco's perky personality as Penny.Watch the Toyota Wish teaser ad Watch the Toyota RAV4 Wish adKia's Space Babies teaser shows some fantastic CGI, and an even more fantastic answer to kids asking where they come from. The ad works well nearly right to the slightly lame ending, but it's doubtful it stacks up as something to rival their viral stars, the Soul Hamsters.Watch the Kia Space Baby adBut the Kia ad that had everybody talking -- including motoring journos -- was 'Hotbots', where a robotic motor show stand attendant (we don't call them booth babes here) gets revenge on a grubby guy.Watch the Kia HotBot adHyundai went all-out for the Super Bowl with several spots. The 'Team' one for Santa Fe was an early favourite, with some great performances from child actors -- and a very scary mum.Watch the Hyundai Santa Fe Team adThe 'Playdate' took you on an extreme day out of having fun and upsetting security guards, bikies and police, with the Flaming Lips providing the soundtrack.Watch the Hyundai Playdate adThe Genesis was talked up in 'Excited' with Hyundai touting its advantages over high end, and particularly German, luxury cars.Watch the Hyundai Genesis Excited adAnd then there was the aversion therapy of 'Stuck', showing some of the worst vehicles you can be stuck behind in traffic -- unless you have a Hyundai Sonata to overtake them, of course.Watch the Hyundai Sonata Stuck adVolkswagen ditched the Star Wars theme, and instead drafted reggae legend Jimmy Cliff for their 'Get Happy' teaser – and then got into a little hot water with the full ad, which shows Caucasian men taking off Jamaican accents. Perhaps it's still a Star Wars link ... the movie franchise faced similar accusations of racial stereotyping with the Jamaican-sounding Jar Jar Binks.Watch the VW Get Happy adWatch the VW Jimmy Cliff adVW then followed up with a low-key but effective 'bad dog' ad, showing what to do when the dog eats your car keys.Watch the VW Bad Dog adAudi tapped into every adolescent boy's fantasy with a lad heading off to prom night alone being tossed the keys to his dad's Audi S6, kissing the football jock's girlfriend and generally making it a night to remember.Watch the Audi Prom adFiat has launched a trio of ads for the 500L, all aimed at emphasising how much larger it is than the garden variety 500. Date, Sisters and Wedding are all flavoured with Italian dressing and – while not as scorching at the Catrinel Menghia Abarth ads – still manage to be cheeky.Watch the Fiat 500L Date adWatch the Fiat 500L Sisters adWatch the Fiat 500L Wedding adThe Chrysler group turned on the patriotism for their slightly saccharine ode to a farmer and Whole Again ads.Watch the Dodge Ram Farmer adWatch the Jeep  Whole again adAnd even snack food Doritos has got in on the car act, with one of the finalists for its Crash the Super Bowl ad playoff featuring the perfect solution to a back seat dog problem.Watch the Doritos Road Chip ad 

Yet another model has been added to the Chrysler 300 range, this one tagged as the 300S, has just landed in Australia. With a price tag of $47,500 (plus on-roads) the 300S slots between the existing 300C ($46,500) and the upmarket 300 Limited ($51,000).Black on black is the theme. Aimed at the sporty buyer - hence the 'S' - the Chrysler 300S has a new design of 20-inch alloy wheels with a gloss black finish. These carry the same Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tyres as on the hot SRT8 models. There's black-chrome grille with platinum surround, black headlamp surrounds, body coloured door handles and door mirrors. At the rear there's a boot lip spoiler and black-accented '300S' and 'Chrysler' badges.The interior of the Chrysler 300S has a fashionable piano black finish on the centre console, steering wheel and door panels. There are sports pedals and heated sports front seats. If you find the black is on the overpowering side, 300S seats are available as a no-cost option in red leather trim with contrast white stitching.  Matte carbon accents, replace the traditional burl wood found in the Chrysler 300C. Chrysler's Uconnect 8.4-inch touch screen display gives access to navigation and reversing camera.ENGINE / TRANSMISSIONUnlike the others in the standard 300 range, the Chrysler 300S is sold only with a V6 petrol 210 kW engine. There's no diesel option, nor does it come with the big 6.4-litre hemi V8 - pity.The Chrysler V6 petrol engine produces its 210 kilowatts, 280 horsepower, at 6350 rpm. Peak torque of 340 Newton metres doesn't arrive till 4650 revs, but there's plenty of grunt from not much above idle.PRICESChrysler 300 range:300 Limited 3.6-litre petrol four-door sedan: from $43,000 (automatic)300 Limited CRD 3.0-litre diesel four-door sedan: from $48,000 (automatic)300C 3.6-litre petrol four-door sedan: from $46,500 (automatic)300C CRD 3.0-litre diesel four-door sedan: from $51,500 (automatic)300S 3.6-litre petrol four-door sedan: from $47,500 (automatic)300C Luxury 3.6-litre petrol four-door sedan: from $51,000 (automatic)300C Luxury CRD 3.0-litre diesel four-door sedan: from $56,000 (automatic)300 SRT8 Core 6.4-litre four-door sedan: from $56,000 (automatic)300 SRT8 6.4-litre four-door sedan: from $66,000 (automatic) 

Chrysler majority owner Fiat has announced that the US cluster of car brands will not launch a public stock offering this year. In a statement yesterday, Fiat said Chrysler's board has decided an initial public offering would be "not practicable" this year. Instead, Chrysler Group LLC will keep working towards an IPO in the first quarter of next year. Fiat holds 58.5 per cent of Chrysler's shares, with the rest owned by a United Auto Workers union trust fund. The IPO would consist of the trust's shares. The CEO of both car groups, Sergio Marchionne, is keen to avoid an IPO and have Fiat buy the trust's shares so the two companies can be fully combined, allowing him to spend Chrysler money on Fiat operations. "I'm not selling anything and nor do I think we need to do so," Marchionne said in October. However he filed the paperwork for an IPO as he and the trust have been in conflict over the price for a sale of the trust's share to Fiat, with no agreement reached. Last month, UBS AG set the value of the trust's stake at $US5.6 billion ($A6.1 billion). Fiat has gone to court seeking a judgement on the price, but the trial date is set for next September. While Fiat stepped in as a perceived 'saviour' to shore up the struggling Chrysler by buying into it two years ago, Chrysler's profits have been propping up Fiat on the balance sheet during 2013 as the Italian carmaker struggles in the European economic slump. Chrysler earned $US464 million last quarter on US sales of the Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee, its ninth-straight profitable quarter. The results boosted Fiat, which earned $US260 million in the third quarter. Without Chrysler's contribution, Fiat would have lost $US340 million.  

You know you're getting old when car comfort is more important than a stoplight sprint. Either that or, like me, you've recently spent too much time with doctors and comfort suddenly becomes the single most important thing in your driving day.I love the Ferrari 458, but right now I would hobble straight past the rip-snorter Italian thoroughbred on the way to a cushy Jaguar XJ limo. It would be the same situation for my first-choice funster, the Porsche Cayman.I've recently driven a race-prepared Fiat 500 Abarth and the pain was almost - almost - worse than the pleasure of romping the pocket rocket around the high-speed swoops and curves of Phillip Island. I was more than happy to slide back into the cushiness of a Chrysler 300 for the drive home, even if the seats in the motown monster don't give as much support as I normally like.The ride back to the airport got me thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of a number of vehicles that have recently passed through the Carsguide garage, focusing on how they make you feel in the body instead of in the head. Every week there are emails to CarsGuide from people of age, asking about upgrading - from a conventional passenger car into something in the SUV style that's easier on the hips and legs at mounting and dismounting time.An SUV can look like a good idea on the comfort front, but lots have bench-flat seats, crappy ergonomics and nowhere near enough suspension compliance. The Subaru Forester has a nice ride, but I prefer the seats in the Toyota RAV4. On the car front, the new Nissan Pulsar has seats that do nothing for me, but the Renault Clio is surprisingly comfy for a little, affordable car.My top favourite seat is a Recaro racing bucket that is almost shrink-wrapped to my shape, like a bathtub full of jelly that provides perfect support. But it's just about the toughest seat to get into or away from. So, right now, the first-choice comfort car is a Range Rover. It's stupidly expensive, but everything works for me, from a body that drops down on its air springs for easy access to beautifully-shaped front buckets finished in lovely leather and even a user-friendly automatic gearbox that means my left leg never has to move out of its comfort zone.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Want to know if a Jeep Cherokee can climb stairs. Yes, us too. So Chrysler puts them over the obstacle as part of durability testing at the carmaker's Chelsea Proving Grounds in Michigan. Part of four million pre-production test miles -- about 6.4 million kilometres -- the 2014 Jeep Cherokee underwent, the torture included the usual rough tracks plus the stairs to mimic boulders and ledges, a lateral load track of twisting corners, wheel lift mounds for suspension articulation, and rollers that echo a slippery or icy surface. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott Watch the 2014 Jeep Cherokee torture test video here.

Fiat-Chrysler is the latest carmaker to reveal its 2013 SEMA concepts, ahead of the Las Vegas aftermarket expo’s official opening next week. The Italian/US partnership will unveil no less than 20 Mopar-equipped concepts from its suite of brands, matching the efforts of fellow US giants Ford and General Motors. Five of these concepts have been teased this week, representing the Jeep, Ram Trucks, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands. Jeep has created the 2014 Cherokee-based Trail Carver, which features a unique decal package and roof basket, mud-terrain tyres, and orange-coloured tow hooks. The interior is covered in Katzkin Amaretto leather, and includes several Mopar optional accessories such as a wireless phone charger. The Ram Sun Chaser dual-cab truck will represent the Ram Trucks brand, with Vibrant Orange Blast and Brilliant Black two-tone paint, the Sun Chaser asserts its presence with chunky wheelarch flares to cover big mud-terrain tyres on bead-locked rims. The Sun Chaser’s roof rack has been specially designed to carry four surfboards, and features a portable shower system for post-surf wash downs. Chrysler will display a more discreet take on the 300 sedan, with menacing black paint  replacing all chrome work and tinted lighting and windows, with a dropped stance over 20 inch alloys. Dodge has created a stormtrooper-like Durango SUV, with black detailing contrasting with a stark-white exterior, and red highlights to accompany the Dodge badge detail.    A relative newcomer to the US market, Fiat will show the 500L Adventurer, which expands on the standard 500L tall-boy hatch with wheelarch flares, 18 inch wheels and a roof basket. A Dodge Challenger-based concept is also set to appear, but the brand is keeping its appearance close to its chest until the show’s November 5 opening. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn