Overall, auto sales have been on an upward trajectory for several months, however cash incentives are not the reason for the success. Incentive spending was at a five- year low in April, according to Automotive News, down 14 percent to an average of $2,320 per vehicle.

Auto industry legend Bob Lutz may no longer be in the employ of the Big Three, but that hasn’t ever stopped “Maximum Bob” from giving his two cents on what the industry could do improve upon At the New York Auto Show, Lutz held court for a handful of journalists and expanded on what he felt were the key failures of the domestic manufacturers.

According to a tweet from Ward’s Auto, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionee has confirmed the existence of two new models in the pipeline, the Dodge Charger Super Bee and a Gucci-branded edition of the Fiat 500.

Proving that you might actually be able to stop a train wreck that’s already in progress, under the stewardship of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler has posted a profit. Blaming high interest rates on its government loans for not climbing into the black earlier, Marchionne today reported a net income of $116 million, compared to a net loss of $197 million in Q1 last year.

UAW President Bob King said that the union may abandon their tactic of targeting one automaker during contract negotiations and negotiate with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors at the same time.

In a statement from the auto maker, it says “Chrysler Group intends to complete the repayment during the second quarter of 2011 from proceeds of a new term loan facility and newly issued debt securities to be offered and sold to institutional investors in a private offering exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933.”

Chrysler is preparing to pay back $6.6 billion on government loans, but the company will do so not from its own cash but by re-financing existing debt.

Even Eminem can’t make the rebadged Chrysler Sebring cool, and that means the brand is sorely lacking in the mid-size (D-segment) category. Worse still, with rising gas prices and increased interest in small cars, the automaker literally has nothing on offer in the compact (C-segment) or sub-compact (B-segment) classes. And if recent reports are correct, Chrysler isn’t getting anything either.

It’s just a concept right now, but Ram‘s Heavy-Duty based Long Hauler, is already making waves. Based on a Class 5 Heavy Duty Chassis Cab, it features an 8-foot long dually pickup box and extra fuel provisions – a 60 gallon resevoir mounted between the cab and the bed, plus a further bed mounted fuel tank that holds 50 gallons.

Hot on the heels of the firebreathing Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8, Chrysler saw fit to stuff the same 6.4-liter HEMI V8 into the newly-redesigned 300 for the 2012 300C SRT8.

The snobby older brother of the Charger SRT8, Chrysler has revealed a high performance version of its full-size sedan, the 300 SRT8. Powered by the very same 6.4-liter V8 engine it makes 465-hp and an outrageous 465 lb-ft of torque to deliver a 0-60 mph time below 5.0 seconds.

Features unique to the “S” model are as follows: unique front grille with an S model-only Chrysler winged badge with a black background, body color mirrors and door handles, black background headlamps, distinctive 18-inch aluminum wheels with dark painted pockets and “S” badging.

Dodge has released their 2012 Avenger R/T, a slightly hotter version of their mid-size Avenger sedan, with a stiffer chassis, R/T badging and a Pentastar V6 good for 283 horsepower.

Rumors had indicated that Jeep would unveil a high-powered version of its Grand Cherokee at the New York Auto Show this week, and a new report by Automotive News seems to confirm as much. But the Grand Cherokee SRT8 won’t be the only heavyweight to hit the stage in New York, with the Chrysler brand also preparing to unveil a more potent version of its 300 sedan.

The Dodge Viper ACR does it again. On Monday, April 11, Kuno Wittmer drove a production spec ACR to a new lap record at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah; in the process breaking the 2-minute mark for the very first time.

The Big Three U.S. automakers are poised to add 36,000 new manufacturing jobs by 2015 according to economist Sean McAlinden of the Center for Automotive Research. Speaking after a lecture at Wayne State University, McAlinden told reports that the current workforce employed by the GM, Ford and Chrysler is currently working at near maximum capacity and that the added Tier 2 hourly workers will be needed.

China has taken the step of suspending imports of current model Jeep Wranglers as a result of a series of fires.

Chrysler has announced two debuts for the upcoming New York Auto Sho w, however, details are scarce. In a brief press release the automaker says one will be a production vehicle while the other will be a ‘race-inspired’ concept.

In a joint statement Fiat and Chrysler have announced that the Italian automaker has now solidified a 30 percent stake in the American brand, up from the 25 percent share previously held. The increased ownership comes as Fiat achieved its latest milestone in resurrecting Chrysler after saving the company from bankruptcy in 2009. Fiat is looking to further grow its interest in Chrysler, with a goal to control 51% by year’s end.

It’s only been out for a month, but now, thanks to the efforts of veteran racer Dave Thomas; the 2011 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak (Mopar’s spelling not ours), has blazed into the history books.

While Ford and General Motors have both seen plants shut down due to the natural disasters in Japan, and the resulting impact on the country’s auto parts industry, Chrysler‘s vehicle production has remained unaffected by these events.

Fiat is set to increase ownership in Chrysler, from 25 to 30 percent, within the next few weeks, assuming regulatory bodies are satisfied with Fiat’s ability to meet specific demands for Chrysler.

Gas prices are getting higher and Chrysler would like to sell you its Fiat 500 EV that uses no gas for $10,000 below cost.

It’s becoming somewhat of a tradition. The Moab Easter Safari, an annual get together for Jeep fans is also a good opportunity for the brand to showcase upcoming vehicles and ideas.

Chrysler will have a short 2011 model year, as its revamped efforts for this year haven’t even finished arriving, while ordering for the 2012 model year cars will begin in just over a month.

It’s still speculation right now, but there are rumors that Chrysler might be planning to shoehorn a version of the new 392 cubic inch (6.4-liter) Hemi V-8 into, of all things the Jeep Wrangler.

Fiat may currently own a 25-percent stake in Chrysler, but that’s not enough for them: by the end of the year, says Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, the Italians will increase their stake to over 51% and own more than half of Chrysler.

The California New Car Dealers Association is accusing Chrysler of operating a factory store illegally in the Los Angeles area. The showroom, dubbed Motor Village L.A., was designed to boost Chrysler’s profile and show off their revised product lineup, as well as the new Fiat brand.

Maserati‘s new GranTurismo MC Stradale might be using a nifty new single-clutch automated manual gearbox in its home market of Europe, but North America will get a ZF-built 8-speed automatic.

In an attempt to capitalize on Chrysler’s ‘Imported from Detroit,’ ad slogan, a group of Jeep Dealers  made up their own printed slogan ‘Imported from Toledo,’ complete with a stylized image of a classic Jeep nose.

Allied Systems Holdings, the carrier company that is responsible for taking vehicles out of the Windsor factory is in dispute with Chrysler over proposed wage cuts, when Allied workers were asking for a wage increase.

Jay-Z and Chrysler nearly inked a deal on a Jay-Z Edition Jeep Commander, which would have featured 22-inch chrome wheels, a unique shade of blue paint, and a digital entertainment system filled with the rapper’s entire discography.

The money spent on that Super Bowl ad was well worth it. Now, Chrysler is running with the success of the ad that featured Eminem, and their Imported from Detroit merchandise line is sporting a new logo.

For all the hype surrounding the Fiat 500, Ford‘s CEO, Alan Mulally, has become one of its most prominent detractors, condemning the car to failure before it’s even launched.

The Tweet heard round the world has claimed more than just one job. Chrysler has just announced in a followup to the firing of the social media representative who used the F-Bomb in an official Chrysler tweet, that it will not renew its contract with the individual’s employer New Media Strategies.

Bringing commercial vans from Europe to North America seems to be a growing trend among Detroit Automakers. It first began with the Dodge Sprinter (a Mercedes in all but name), then Ford followed with the tiny Transit Connect.

Chrysler’s official Twitter handle, @ChryslerAutos, issued a swear-laden message regarding the state and sanity of the Motor City’s motorists. The tweet was deleted, but not before it was picked up by thousands.

Since Daimler and Chrysler went their separate ways, the latter faced somewhat of a dilemma in the commercial vehicle segment, since the Sprinter van was essentially a Mercedes vehicle.

Chrysler announced a recall of 248,000 Dodge Journey, Grand Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country models for a chance that the key could slip out while driving, shutting down the engine without warning.

Although Chrysler initially planned for an ambitious 165 dealer roll-out for their Fiat brand, so far only 12 dealers nationwide are operational, 8 more expected by the end of the week.

The last time the Jeep Grand Cherokee was sold in Japan, only 88 units found homes among Japanese buyers. After a hiatus for 2010, Chrysler is re-introducing the SUV on March 12, and is ambitiously targeting sales of between 500 and 1,000 units.

When Chrysler went through its unpleasant bout of restructuring in June of 2009, it shut down 789 dealerships in an effort to reduce its dealer network by 25%. Now, 64 of those dealers are filing suit against the United States Treasury Department, claiming that the government terminated those dealerships and violated the U.S. Constitution.

A Chrysler worker, claiming to have been fired after ending a relationship with the son of a United Auto Workers official, is now suing the UAW for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

After a wildly enthusiastic reception to the Ram Runner, the dune-bashing variant of the Ram pickup, Chrysler engineers have decided to go back to the drawing board and make the upgrade kit street legal, giving Ram loyalists a weapon against the Ford F-150 Raptor.

There are few places in the world where you can get a 5.7-liter V8 for the price of a well-equipped Civic Hybrid. But Chrysler has appealed to cheap truck fans with the Ram Adventurer, a base-model Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 for the low, low price of $23,830.

The Routan was not much different from the Town and Country, even sharing the same mechanicals. It was also more expensive and lacked the ‘Stow and Go’ seating that made the Chrysler vans such a hit.

Now that Eminem has made both Detroit and driving a Chrysler cool again, the automaker is capitalizing on the new found popularity that its Super Bowl ad has delivered.

Last year, the Obama Administration heavily backed Detroit’s automakers with a big helping of government funding. The bail-out money that was partly provided to General Motors and Chrysler, was for these companies to develop and sell hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles. The end result was the hardly amazing Chevrolet Volt.

While speaking to Motor Trend, Fiat USA head Laura Soave told the magazine that in addition to new variants of the Fiat 500, there will be a new subcompact car arriving sometime around 2013, with a focus on the needs of the United States market.

Having just introduced an all new Dodge Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300 for 2011, all three models are set to get an important update for 2012 under the hood. The engine will remain unchanged, but models equipped with Chrysler Corp’s new 3.6L Pentastar V6 will get a significant jump in fuel economy and notably improved drive quality thanks to the addition of an 8-speed automatic.

As for the R/T and 300C models, they will retain the current 5-speed auto-box, as will a budget-priced Challenger SE model.

Chrysler is expected to add a higher-gear transmission to its V8-powered models in the future as well, replacing the current 5-speed unit. There’s also a solid chance the new 8-speed could be used in vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango.

[Source: Allpar]

Fred Diaz, current President and CEO of Chrysler’s Ram truck division has gone on the record as saying that beyond government funded programs, Hybrids are not part of the brand’s strategy moving forward.

As a part of Fiat’s control of Chrysler, the company will breath new life into its Lancia division by re-launching it using rebadged versions of Chrysler products – including the new 2011 300.

Each spring, a jury of 66 automotive journalists from around the globe get together to pick a winner for the World Car of the Year title. The journalists are asked to vote by secret ballot, selecting the winner from 10 cars that have made the final cut.

It’s pretty hard to make the Dodge Challenger even more eye-catching, but a new color, dubbed “Green With Envy”, should help it attract the attention of bystanders and the ire of other motorists.

The Dodge Journey R/T is the kind of vehicle we really can’t see a point for, but it’s here to stay and could end up in the hands of an eccentric few customers.

It’s perhaps hard to grasp as concept. For most guys, the idea of driving a minivan, means the days of carefree driving are well and truly over; the sports car sacrificed for sensible family motoring.

Chrysler’s Sebring Convertible might be the butt of more jokes than the Pontiac Aztek, from its tremendously ironic name to its lackluster, well, everything. And yet Chrysler has continued to sell quite a few of them, so when it came time to redesign and re-name the Sebring sedan, execs made the call to stay the course on the convertible model as well.

The Chrysler Group of brands is set to unveil several new models at the Chicago Auto Show later this week, with rumors pointing towards a new commercial vehicle for the Ram truck brand. According to Automotive News, the vehicle will be, “a truck aimed at carpenters, plumbers and other tradesmen.”

Mere months after workers at Chrysler’s Jefferson North factory were caught drinking and smoking marijuana on their lunch breaks, three employees were arrested by law enforcement agencies after Chrysler tipped off police regarding workers who continued to abuse substances while on the job.

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