Tag: Chrysler (Page 6 of 10)

Driving with Dodge in San Francisco

Gerardo Orlando of Bullz-Eye.com had the opportunity to drive some of the new Dodge vehicles in San Francisco! Find out what he had to say on some of the rides.

I was invited by Chrysler to join other bloggers in San Francisco for the opportunity to drive some of the new Dodge vehicles. As you can see from the photos above, we had a beautiful day in the city by the bay, and I had a great time with this impressive new lineup.

The Dodge Charger is the flagship vehicle for the Dodge brand, and the Charger has been completely redesigned from the ground up for the 2011 model year. The iconic feel of the vehicle remains, but you can see the new, sleeker design in the first photo above and in the other Charger photos. It offers a sport sedan that I think will have huge appeal for guys looking for performance, aggressive styling and value. The car was a joy to drive through the winding roads in the Bay area, as the new suspension lived up to the promise. For a car that starts at $25,995, buyers will get tremendous value.

The real treat of the day was the 2011 Dodge Challenger. I had the opportunity to drive one of the Inaugural Edition versions of the 2011 Challenger SRT8 392. This car is beautiful as you can see from the slideshow above, with the white paint and the blue racing stripes, and it’s the ultimate American muscle car. Frankly, I can’t remember a car I enjoyed driving more than this one. The car is a torque monster – the 392 Hemi is rated at 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. I drove the automatic version, and this car is a beast! When you hit the gas at any speed, this car does exactly what you want it to do as it respond with a muscular roar. It handles beautifully as well, and any car enthusiast will fall in love with this 2011 Challenger.

While the Challenger and Charger stole the show, I was equally impressed with the other vehicles in the Dodge lineup. Dodge brought back the Durango, and this full-size SUV should be a real hit. The 2011 Durango has all the luxuries customers are becoming accustomed to in the crossover segment, but this SUV is the real deal as it still leads its class in towing capacity. Meanwhile, the handling is much better than previous versions of the vehicle, so you don’t feel like you’re driving a big truck.

Read the full article.

Fiat moving toward 51% ownership of Chrysler

Fiat could very likely own 51% of Chrysler in the next few years. If that happens Sergio Marchionne might have made the biggest and smartest one sided bet of the great recession!

From Detroit Free Press:

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, told analysts Thursday that Fiat plans to raise its ownership of Chrysler from 20% to 35% by the end of 2011 “barring unforeseen circumstances.”

Marchionne’s comments came in a conference call after the Italian automaker reported third-quarter earnings of 170 million euros, or $236 million.

Fiat can increase its Chrysler stake in 5% increments by meeting three objectives. The first objective, to be achieved early next year, is the launch of a 1.4-liter four-cylinder MultiAir engine built at its Dundee, Mich., factory, in the Mexican-assembled Fiat 500 minicar.

Read the full article.

Fiat to have separate dealer network

The upcoming Fiat 500 will be sold with other upcoming Fiat’s in a separate dealer network. To get things started, Fiat dealerships will be located in roughly 125 U.S. metropolitan areas that Chrysler has found to have high small-car registration and grow from there. It will be interesting to see how many Chrysler/Dodge stores apply to be a Fiat dealer as well.

From the Detroit News:

Detroit — Chrysler Group LLC will set up a separate dealership network to sell cars made by Italy’s Fiat Group SpA when they are reintroduced in the U.S. later this year.

The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker said existing Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealers will get a chance to apply to sell the Italian Fiats, but they must be able to operate separate facilities with different sales and service teams in order to win a franchise.

Fiat, which last sold cars in the U.S. in the 1980s, will return to the country in December with the debut of the Fiat 500, a highly efficient, very European-looking small car. Other Fiat models are likely for the U.S., but the company has not made announcements beyond the 500, known in Italy as the Cinquecento.

Read the full article here.

Chrysler gears up for 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with second shift added to an existing plant

Chrysler is gearing up for the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee by hiring 1100 new employees at the Jefferson North Plant in Detroit, Michigan. This is a really big deal for Chrysler and bringing in new hires will make this vehicle launch even more complicated as these are not experienced auto workers so Chrysler better be focusing on Quality like a laser beam.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne today said the company would hire 1,100 workers for a second shift at Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit over the summer.

The factory builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Marchionne’s remarks were made at a celebration to launch production of the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Chrysler’s first all-new vehicle since it emerged from bankruptcy nearly a year ago.

Marchionne said “nearly all” the new jobs for the second shift, which will start July 19, will be new hires and not existing UAW workers on layoff.

Read the full article here.

Fiat to fill in the blanks for Chrysler

Chrysler Chairman Sergio Marchionne will lay out the companies five year plan Wednesday which will more than double Chrysler’s annual sales from 1.3 million last year to 2.8 million by 2013. The question is “will anyone believe him”? Plans can sound good but delivering is another matter. They way I see it is that everything really hinges on how well the North American market warms to Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo products.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Chrysler’s chances of ending its sales decline and returning to profitability should become clearer Wednesday, when Fiat is to lay out a five-year business plan.

The strategy for the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands is expected to reveal new details about the vehicles Chrysler’s North American factories will build. Also expected are details of Alfa’s return to the U.S. market, plus future product lines for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and the new Ram commercial-vehicle brand.

Read the full article here.

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