Autoblog

Chrysler to launch four Special Editions in first quarter of 2010

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Sedan, Hatchback, Chrysler

Much has been made of Chrysler's apparent lack of new products for the 2010 model year. Suffice it to say, while there are big things in store for Chrysler, they will take at least another year to get into production. For instance, while removing the unsightly strakes from the hood of the unloved Sebring sedan and convertible is a nice gesture, it's not nearly far enough to make the car suddenly competitive with its chief rivals in the ultra competitive mid-size sedan arena.

Not entirely surprisingly then, Chrysler is trying its best to add a few reasons to purchase its current models before the major changes happen in the next few years. Each of Chrysler's current nameplates - 300, Town and Country, Sebring and PT Cruiser - get Special Editions that will hit the market in the first quarter of 2010.

First, the 300 is slated to get a complete redesign later on in 2010, probably as a 2011 model vehicle. Regardless, the current 300 will get a Sport Edition that's targeted at the youth market before the reboot button is officially pressed. The Town and Country gets a Fashion Edition and the Sebring gets an Ocean Edition (we have no idea what that means).

Lastly, the long-in-the-tooth PT Cruiser gets a Final Edition (finally final? Promise?) and the nameplate is not scheduled to live on past the 2010 model year. So, if you want one... better hit your local dealer post haste. As a parting note, Chrysler never actually mentioned it, but take a good look at the new Chrysler 300 brochure at the top right of the image above - that doesn't look like the current 300 grille, does it? Hint, hint.

Chrysler to launch four Special Editions in first quarter of 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler to restart seven North American plants by end of month

Chris Paukert — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler

Hot on the heels of news that the Dodge Viper's Conner Avenue facility would be the first Chrysler plant to fire up after the company's bankruptcy proceedings/Fiat tie-up comes official word that the automaker will resume production at seven plants the week of June 29. In addition, Chrysler will bring the supporting powertrain and stamping plants online that supply the assembly factories listed below with parts.

According to Ed Garsten, Chrysler's manager of electronic media communications, the following assembly plants will resume production as part of a "phased production ramp-up" -

Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (Sterling Heights, MI) - Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger
Warren Truck Assembly Plant (Warren, MI) - Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota
St. Louis North Assembly Plant (Fenton, MO) - Dodge Ram
Toledo Supplier Park (Toledo, OH) - Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Brampton Assembly Plant (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) - Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger
Windsor Assembly Plant (Windsor, Ontario, Canada ) - Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan
Toluca Assembly Plant (Toluca, Mexico) - Dodge Journey and Chrysler PT Cruiser

Despite the start-ups, all Chrysler plants will again idle for two weeks in the second half of July as part of a previously scheduled summer break.

Source: Chrysler | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Chrysler to restart seven North American plants by end of month originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodbye, Routan? VW minivan reportedly not long for this world

Noah Joseph — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:22:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Volkswagen Routan - Click above for high-res gallery

That the Volkswagen Routan has been a dismal failure is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the industry, but until now, few have taken stock of just how poorly the badge-engineered minivan was selling.

The idea was fairly straightforward, if a tad ill-conceived: take a Dodge Caravan, slap on a fresh face and a VW badge and give it an unpronounceable name. The minivan is built alongside its Chrysler and Dodge counterparts at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, plant... or at least it was until Wolfsburg asked Auburn Hills to stop production. Apparently, not a single Routan has rolled off the assembly line since last December, and there are no immediate plans to resume production.

Nor should they, necessarily: Of the 22,037 Routans produced between its introduction in September and the cessation of production just a few months later, only 5,582 (less than a quarter of those made) have actually been sold. With that much back-stock, Volkswagen Group of America has been offering some attractive incentives, and dealers are likely super-motivated to sell, but the Routan's retail price is still a couple grand higher than a Dodge Caravan's, part of which goes towards recouping Brooke Shields' paycheck for that ridiculous advertising campaign. And with no sign of the remaining Routans' value going anywhere but down, there's little motivation for VW (to ask Chrysler) to resume production, much less green-light its replacement.

If there's a bright spot here, it's that the Routan actually isn't a bad minivan, particularly now that good deals are available. It's been said that it is the best-driving Chrysler minivan (with the best interior of the bunch), and that's probably true - even if the name, marketing and idea that this is a proper VW has never managed to resonate with consumers.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Goodbye, Routan? VW minivan reportedly not long for this world originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nein, danke: VW not interested in buying Chrysler minivan business

Noah Joseph — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Volkswagen

Click above to view high-resolution images from our first drive of the Volkswagen Routan

With Chrysler's fortunes swirling around the drain, it's widely expected that the only way it will survive is as individual parts swallowed by other automakers. But while the costly Viper operation may find a new home, the most likely buyer for its minivan operation, the product that put the company back on the map over two decades ago, isn't interested.

Chrysler has been rebadging its Town & Country minivans as Routans for Volkswagen in a deal struck by Wolfgang Bernhard, a former top exec at both automakers. But while Chrysler sold 232,000 of its Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans last year, Volkswagen sold a paltry 3387 Routans, which may go a long way towards explaining why Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, says they're not interested. The weak sales come despite a costly ad campaign featuring Brooke Shields: If they spent $1 million on the commercials - including Brooke's big fat paycheck (the only time "fat" and "Brooke Shields" ever belong in the same sentence) - that means the advertising cost $294 per Routan sold. Which is more than what we'd pay for a badge-engineered minivan being passed off as German engineering.

Still, for your viewing enjoyment, we've included a video of Brooke's Routan mocumentary/commercial after the jump, because we'll take any excuse to watch Brooke Shields talk about making babies. Just be prepared to yell "but it's not German engineering!" at your computer screen repeatedly.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan

[Source: Business Week]

Continue reading Nein, danke: VW not interested in buying Chrysler minivan business

Nein, danke: VW not interested in buying Chrysler minivan business originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Dodge EV sports car, range-extended Town & Country, Wrangler previewed

Alex Nunez — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:08:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Performance, SUV, Green, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

CNBC's Phil Lebeau got a sneak peek at the new EVs Chrysler is developing, and it looks like Auburn Hills is pulling a Tesla, among other things. The yellow Dodge EV you see here is basically an electrified Lotus Europa. Presumably equipped with lithium ion battery power, the Dodge EV has a reported operating range of 150 - 200 miles and can be plugged in to household 110 or 220 outlets. Figure a four-hour charge on the latter, and 8 or so on the former. Zero-to-sixty is said to be under 5 seconds. Like we said, this is basically Chrysler's Tesla, right down to the Lotus-sourced donor vehicle.

We'll see the Dodge EV introduced formally later this afternoon, along with range-extended EV versions of the Chrysler Town & Country (can you say, "killer app"?) and Jeep Wrangler. With regard to timing, Chrysler says it would like to have "at least one" of these vehicles on the market by the end of 2010, the unofficial official year of the electric/plug-in car.

Look for all three prototypes to head to D.C., where they'll be showcased for Congressional leaders who have a say in whether or not Washington will show Detroit the money they've been asking for.

For now, you can watch the preview unveiling of the cars on CNBC by watching this video. Chrysler's got something planned for 1PM today, so we expect to have a lot more info and photos then. Stay tuned.

UPDATED: Full details now posted here.

Gallery: Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV

[Source: CNBC]

Breaking: Dodge EV sports car, range-extended Town & Country, Wrangler previewed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Minivan/Van, SUV, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Earnings/Financials

Click above high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

Now that General Motors and Ford have completely abandoned the minivan market for good, the American originator of the species faces only Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and soon Volkswagen as manufacturers that also offer competitive choices. Perhaps you'd think that Chrysler would be benefiting as the only domestic automaker currently playing in the segment, but it seems that sales are down this year by 13 percent for the Chrysler Town and Country while the Dodge Grand Caravan is down an alarming 35 percent. High gas prices are the obvious reason why the minivan market is seeing such a harsh downward trend, and likely the culprit behind Chrysler's impending move to idle its St. Louis South minivan plant as early as December, which would leave some 1,500 employees jobless.

Utility vehicles have been the biggest gas-price casualties, and slow sales are said to be forcing the Jefferson Avenue assembly plant in Detroit where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander are assembled and the Toledo, Ohio North assembly plant which builds the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro into extended shut-downs, as well.

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Chrysler plans to idle minivan plant in St. Louis originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2008: Road and Travel names 2008 International Car Of The Year winners

Dan Roth — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc., Audi, Buick, Chrysler, GM, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo

Road and Travel Magazine crowned the winners of its 2008 International Car Of The Year at 12th annual NAIAS-eve ceremony last night. Honda's newly-ginormous Accord took the coronation on the car side, while Chrysler's revamped Town and Country used its slick new features to win the truck category. RTM's judges are a veritable who's who of heavy-hitting auto journos, including Ann Job, David E. Davis, Jr., Denise McCluggage and Autoblog's own John McElroy. The pundit firepower lends real credence to the selections, even if you don't agree 100%. Results were sorted by JD Power and Associates, and General Motors had the most vehicles named to the overall list. GM was also presented with the first Earth Angel award, honoring the environmentally-friendly efforts of the automaker. The full list of winners is included in RTM's press release, posted after the jump.

[Source: Road and Travel]

Continue reading Detroit 2008: Road and Travel names 2008 International Car Of The Year winners

Detroit 2008: Road and Travel names 2008 International Car Of The Year winners originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dodge-based VW minivan caught on dealer TV - too little, too late?

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Dodge, Volkswagen

After teasing fans with a modern interpretation of the classic Type 2 micro-bus a few years ago, Volkswagen decided it wasn't an economically viable project. It ultimately decided to strike a deal with DaimlerChrysler to use the Caravan/Town and Country minivan platform as the basis for a VW van. Unfortunately for VW, the minivan market is shrinking as they finally get their own unit to market.

A poster on the VWVortex forums has reportedly caught the first image of the new Chrysler-based VW van on a VW dealer TV screen and had his camera phone ready. No one should be surprised that from the rear quarter angle it looks like a 2008 Dodge Caravan with Touareg taillights. The question remains whether or not by the time it appears in VW dealerships in the summer of 2008, will anyone still care?

In addition to the new van, the dealer TV system also gave timing for some other new products, most of which we already know about. VW had previously confirmed that the Jetta TDI and Tiguan were coming in the first half of 2008 and the Touareg diesel was coming in the fall of 2008. What hadn't been confirmed previously was the Passat coupe also coming in the fall of 2008.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: VW Vortex forums]

Dodge-based VW minivan caught on dealer TV - too little, too late? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler prices 2008 minivans well below outgoing models

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Dodge

While it's hard to argue with the industry minivan leader, the new-for-2008 Chrysler minivans had us scratching our heads a bit. Their styling appears to take a page from the Chevy Venture book of design, which had us wondering if Chrysler could could keep them on top. Well, it looks like the Chrysler Group might have a few tricks up its sleeve to keep the crown, like offering better vehicles with more standard features for a lot less dough. They just announced the U.S. pricing for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country and the new minivan kings appear to be incredible values.

According to the press release, the new vans will start arriving in dealerships in the fall "...with 35 new or improved features," along with the new 4.0L V6, six-speed transaxles, standard all-row side curtain air bags and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), all for about two grand less than the outgoing models. The Grand Caravan SE will start at $22,470 and the Grand Caravan SXT at $27,535. Over at Chrysler, the Town & Country will be $23,190 for the LX, $28,430 for the Touring, and $36,400 for the Limited.

Full press release with more details can be found after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Chrysler prices 2008 minivans well below outgoing models

Chrysler prices 2008 minivans well below outgoing models originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler Group recalling 270,000 minivans to fix airbag sensors

John Neff — Fri, 11 May 2007 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Recalls, Safety, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge

The Detroit News is reporting that DaimlerChrysler has recalled 270,000 units of the 2005 Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minvans to fix airbag sensors that could corrode and fail to activate. The recall, however, only affects minvans that were sold in 20 states and Washington D.C. where lots of salt is used on public roads to melt ice and snow. Apparently these UF sensors have brass bushings that may corrode from road salt and crack, allowing to water to reach the sensor, which causes it to fail and illuminate a warning light on the dash.

So if you own a 2005 Dodge Caravan and live in Florida, you're probably safe. If you live in Buffalo, NY, however, you might want to visit your local Dodge dealer this weekend. The number of vehicles affected includes as many 270,958 minivans built from April 24, 2003 to February 2, 2005. We've included a list of the 20 states affected after the jump along with the recall report from the NHTSA. DaimlerChrysler will notify owners in each state and replace the brass bushings with steel ones to prevent the sensor from failing in the future. If you live in a different state than one on the list, DCX will offer you lifetime free replacement of any UF airbag sensor that fails on your minivan. If you have more questions, you can contact DCX at 1-800-853-1403.

[Source: The Detroit News, NHTSA]

Continue reading Chrysler Group recalling 270,000 minivans to fix airbag sensors

Chrysler Group recalling 270,000 minivans to fix airbag sensors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2007 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Chrysler minivan

Erin Mays — Wed, 10 May 2006 09:06:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge

KGP Photography and The Car Connection managed to snap a shot of the next Chrysler minivan just before it was wrapped up by engineers at Chrysler's pilot production facility. The snazzy new Mom-mobile will be a bit boxier with a near-vertical D-pillar, and the sliding doors evidently have roll-down windows, which puts the vehicle in the same league as its Japanese competition when it comes to window retraction. Such an important selling feature, that window retraction.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Spy Shots: Chrysler minivan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 May 2006 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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