Larry P. VellequetteLARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Dodge Dart posts best sales month yet despite Avenger discounts 4:08 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 3, 2013  Chrysler Group's new Fiat-based compact sedan posted its best-ever sales month in December, more than a half-year after the 2013 Dodge Dart began showing up on dealer lots. The 6,105 Darts that dealers sold last month came as the four-door made the final cut on several Car of the Year lists and boosted its total U.S. sales for 2012 to 25,303 units.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE I'm not the only C-Max driver disappointed with its mpg 7:53 am U.S. ET | Dec. 27, 2012  Apparently, it wasn't just me. A lawsuit seeking class-action status has been filed against Ford for what the suit alleges are inflated mileage claims for the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The suit, filed this month in California, is on behalf of consumers who -- like a growing list of automotive media testers including Consumer Reports -- have been unable to get anything close to the C-Max Hybrid's promised fuel economy.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE What's next in Marchionne-Piech tussle -- a bounty? 4:27 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 4, 2012  One of Chrysler's lesser-advertised incentives unveiled this month is steeped in so much personal pique it should come with its own dueling glove.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Fiat taps sex, supermodels to sell its cars 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Most everyone agrees that sex sells. Chrysler Group will soon find out whether sex tinged with bawdy humor sells Fiats Larry P. Vellequette covers Chrysler Group for Automotive News.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Tapping supermodels and sex, again, to sell Fiat's expanding line 11:25 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Most everyone agrees that sex sells. Chrysler Group will soon find out whether sex tinged with bawdy humor sells Fiats.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Ford takes Ram's bait with an empty hook 3:44 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 21, 2012  Ford Motor -- whose absolute dominance of the profit-producing pickup segment is now measured in geological terms -- is throwing a hard elbow at the rival Ram 1500 and its claim of best-in-class 25 mpg highway fuel economy. The Blue Oval's marketing campaign doesn't mention the Chrysler Group offering by name, but delivers a stiff jab to an area where the Ram 1500 lags the F-150.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Will Jeep lovers blaze a new trail for diesel? 4:00 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 9, 2012  Even though fuel prices have generally fallen in recent weeks -- outside of areas ravaged by superstorm Sandy -- there are more than a few consumers out there who would line up to gladly pay $1 more per gallon or more to get what they want.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE So where's the 47 mpg on my C-Max? 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 29, 2012  Every day since I bought my 2013 Ford C-Max hybrid this month, I keep waiting for something close to the C-Max's promised fuel economy number to appear magically in the blue digits. But so far my faith in miracles is being put to the test Larry P. Vellequette covers Chrysler Group for Automotive News.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE The automotive view from Ohio, electoral ground zero 11:37 am U.S. ET | Oct. 24, 2012  With less than two weeks to go before the election, this is how bad things have gotten on the public airwaves in northern Ohio: Viewers pine for crazy car dealer ads as sweet relief from an onslaught of political advertising.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE It’s time to uncouple the electric vehicle’s virtual coal tender 3:59 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 18, 2012  Forget for a moment the freight car full of political baggage attached to the bankruptcy this week of battery maker A123 Systems. Instead let’s consider the real reason electric vehicles and their miraculous mpgs aren’t swamping the nation’s roadways. The issue is not how many more miles of range drivers can squeeze out of a battery. The problem is the battery itself.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Why Chrysler's new onboard navigation system makes me chuckle 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 1, 2012  The advances in onboard navigation systems have come at a breakneck pace in recent years. But sometimes, it's what gets overlooked -- and what doesn't -- in the hurly-burly rush for the latest and greatest mapping software that gives me cause to chuckle.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Why it's time for auto advertisers to throw a flag on the NFL 2:56 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 25, 2012  Allow me to read the mind of nearly every automotive marketing chief today because I think they're all having the same thought: “Do I really want to be associated with this?” I'm talking about the NFL, its ongoing lockout of league referees and the disastrous results that the lockout is having on what had been the premier marketing venue for automakers in the United States.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Chrysler's success is taking its toll 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 17, 2012  The term "dog years" is used to describe the short life span of man's best friend relative to human life. Frankly, I'm starting to wonder whether we should introduce a new term into the lexicon: Chrysler years Larry P. Vellequette covers Chrysler Group for Automotive News.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Chrysler's latest treat wears a silver suit 3:58 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 5, 2012  Chrysler has made a habit of leaving little “Easter eggs” in its designs -- the 2013 SRT Viper, for instance, has racetrack layouts in various spots. Now, the automaker has left one in the advertising for the 2013 Dodge Dart, at least for the aging nerds who might still be living in their parents' basements.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Will Chrysler dealers regret getting their way? 11:30 am U.S. ET | Aug. 22, 2012  Chrysler Group may make automobiles, but right now, it’s selling its dealers rope by the yard. Chrysler’s decision to abandon the traditional punishment-reward cycle for monitoring how its dealers treat their customers in favor of a more collaborative approach has drawn many kudos in online comments posted this week on autonews.com.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Jeep's middle child rides off into the sunset 1:19 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012  Next Thursday, Chrysler Group will end production of its Jeep Liberty SUV, ending an 11-year production run that included two makeovers, but little love.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE It’s time to call a halt to the race for more in-vehicle screens 10:13 am U.S. ET | Aug. 2, 2012  The information age has arrived in force in an automotive cabin near you -- and a race is on to see how many electronic screens automakers can jam into their designs. Welcome to your own mobile multiplex.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Dealers can’t count on locals for used-car sales anymore 11:31 am U.S. ET | July 17, 2012  The Internet has done many things for auto dealers and made more than a few changes to the way they do business. But while new-car pricing and lead-generation sites like TrueCar.com dominate the headlines, the Internet’s bigger threat to dealers’ bottom lines may be on the other side of the lot.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE The rap against the Wrangler is a wobbly argument 2:58 pm U.S. ET | July 6, 2012  If the English-speaking world changed the name of the common cold to “fatal sniffles,” the ubiquitous ailment would sure get a lot more attention from drug companies and the media -- but the symptoms would remain.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Second-half math will get tough for Chrysler 3:50 pm U.S. ET | July 3, 2012  On July 17, 1941, one of the most impressive streaks in baseball history ended when New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio went hitless before a record crowd in Cleveland. DiMaggio had at least one hit in the 56 previous games. Over the last few years, Chrysler has been tearing through sales in the United States like Joltin' Joe tore through opposing pitchers in 1941.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Can consumer knowledge of new product cycles impact sales? 12:29 pm U.S. ET | June 29, 2012  Auto industry innovation has accelerated so much in the past three years that for consumers, buying a vehicle feels much like buying a computer did a decade ago, or like buying a smartphone does today. But does having knowledge of upcoming product affect purchasing decisions?... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE How to keep young drivers' hands on the wheel 1:42 pm U.S. ET | June 21, 2012  Distracted driving is a plague upon our highways -- an indiscriminate disease that can destroy the lives of those that do it and the innocent bystanders they hit.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE After 35 years, Click and Clack hang up the wrenches 2:53 pm U.S. ET | June 8, 2012  Two distinctive voices of American car culture will fall publicly silent this September when “Car Talk,” NPR's successful do-it-yourself mechanic show, stops producing original programming.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Sergio Marchionne's remarkable eight-year run 11:55 am U.S. ET | June 1, 2012  Eight years ago today, Giuseppe Morchio, CEO of Italian automaker Fiat S.p.A. resigned, four days after the death of Fiat chairman and family patriarch Umberto Agnelli. In Morchio's place as CEO, Fiat's board installed a 51-year-old accountant and lawyer, who was CEO of Geneva-based SGS S.A. His name: Sergio Marchionne.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Would Wrangler design tweaks rile the Jeep faithful? 3:06 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2012  Though I am no Martin Luther, I’d like to nail a note on the door of the Church of the Most Holy Jeep Wrangler. The design orthodoxy of the Wrangler -- the gospel of Jeep, as it were -- needs a tweak or two before the 71-year-old vehicle’s next makeover.... Read More »
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