Chrysler CEO Talks Trucks, Engines and Europe
Chrysler made a series of big announcements today at its Mack I Engine Plant in Detroit.
Part of today’s announcement centered on Chrysler’s award-winning Pentastar V6 engine. The company is investing nearly $200 million to produce them at Mack I. Right now they’re manufactured at Chrysler’s plant in Trenton, Mich. and at another facility in Mexico.
To build even more of these in-demand engines it is expanding operations in Trenton. Chrysler is spending some $40 million to add a flexible line that can do double duty making both the Pentastar V6 and the company’s new Tigershark four-cylinder.
Beyond manufacturing, the current version of this powerplant displaces 3.6-liters, but more sizes are coming. Marchionne said Chrysler is “working diligently on other variants of it.” He’s likely referring to a 3.2-liter version of the engine that’s rumored to be in development. He also said “you’re going to see a downsizing of engines across the fleet,” which seems to confirm a smaller six is in the works.
As for the economic situation in Europe, which has been hammering automakers, he said “fundamentally the system is not stable.” His prescription for what ails the industry is relatively simple, in fact it’s been done in the U.S.“Europe needs to do exactly the same thing,” he said. Automakers need to restructure and close plants to make capacity meet demand.
According to Marchionne, “Fiat has other businesses that generate cash,” a plus side for Chrysler’s corporate dance partner. He was referring to their premium brands including Maserati and Alfa Romeo as well as Fiat’s components businesses. Another advantage for them, “we’re the biggest automaker in Brazil,” he said.
Marchionne is proud of the 2013 RAM 1500 pickup, which features a lot of advanced new features including an air suspension and an eight-speed automatic transmission. He said, “I think we have the best lineup of pickups on the market.”
And customers seem to be noticing because he said “we’re seeing very stable demand on the truck side.”
Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
More by Craig Cole
Comments
Join the conversation