Chrysler

Ford's new F-150 takes aim at Ram's highway mpg crown

3:51 pm U.S. ET | July 29, 2014

Ford hopes to regain fuel economy bragging rights in big pickups by offering a special “SFE” package on the aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150. The Super Fuel Economy package -- or SFE -- will come on the XL model. It will be powered by the company's newest engine: a lightweight and compact 2.7-liter twin turbo V-6 equipped with stop-start....
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Chrysler sued over Jeep ignition-switch failures

4:02 pm U.S. ET | July 29, 2014

Chrysler was sued over allegedly faulty ignition switches in Jeeps, in a follow-up to more than 120 lawsuits General Motors faces over the same defect. Both automakers are accused of employing ignition switches that can be unexpectedly turned off, cutting power to brakes, steering and airbags and causing potentially deadly loss of control....
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GUIDO REINKING

Fiat would find a safe haven in VW

4:59 am U.S. ET | July 29, 2014

Reports that VW may buy Fiat-Chrysler sound improbable, but the idea has appeal. It would allow VW to overcome its weakness in North America and offer Fiat Chrysler a safe haven....
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CLASS WARFARE

Ford, Ram quarrel over heavy-duty pickup towing title

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014

Ford Motor Co. is threatening legal action if Ram keeps claiming that its pickups offer "best-in-class" towing. Ram's response? In so many words, it's telling Ford to go pound sand....
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Fiat investors advised to vote for Chrysler merger

July 28, 2014 11:26 CET

Proxy adviser Glass Lewis has recommended that Fiat investors vote for a merger with Chrysler despite concerns that the voting rights of Exor, Fiat's main shareholder, could potentially increase with a deal....
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Fiat investors urged to vote against Chrysler merger

2:59 pm U.S. ET | July 23, 2014

Proxy advisor ISS has recommended that Fiat investors vote against a cross-border merger of the Italian carmaker and its U.S. unit Chrysler at a meeting on Aug. 1, saying it would reduce shareholder rights....
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Chrysler recalls older Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees for ignition switch

4:15 pm U.S. ET | July 22, 2014

Chrysler Group will recall as many as 792,300 2006-07 Jeep Commanders and 2005-06 Jeep Grand Cherokees globally to fix ignition switches that could be knocked out of the “on” position, causing a stall and possible loss of power to the airbags. Engineers are still developing a fix, and the company says it is initiating a recall “out of an abundance of caution.”...
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Hot, new cars help sell older cars

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 21, 2014

Hot, new product always sells the older new and used product....
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Ford, Ram escalate towing war

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 21, 2014

Ford launched a salvo in the escalating heavy-duty pickup towing rivalry last week. And Ram promptly fired right back....
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Hyundai's Sprinter fighter?

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 21, 2014

This lightly disguised Hyundai being tested in the California desert shows the Korean automaker preparing a move into the newly crowded commercial van segment against the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster....
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Muscular Challenger bulks up its interior

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 20, 2014

The 707-hp SRT Hellcat will generate the most smoke at the drag strip, but it's the rest of the re-engineered Dodge Challenger lineup that likely will fire the interest of consumers....
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LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Let's hope for a litter of Hellcat kitties

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 19, 2014

Spend a few minutes with Chrysler's new monster power plant -- the 707-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 -- and you will be left, as I was, with one overriding question....
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Chrysler tells supplier to boost hitch output

5:23 pm U.S. ET | July 18, 2014

Chrysler Group ordered a supplier of trailer hitches to boost production dramatically a day after the company was accused by federal safety regulators of dragging its feet on the recall of older Jeeps....
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EDWARD NIEDERMEYER

Hungry VW wants to devour Fiat Chrysler

2:28 pm U.S. ET | July 18, 2014

What appears on the surface to be just another twist in the ego-driven soap opera between VW's visionary leader Ferdinand Piech and FCA's scrappy boss Sergio Marchionne may actually presage the next round of auto industry consolidation....
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Fiat, VW deny report that they are in merger talks

5:49 am U.S. ET | July 17, 2014

Volkswagen AG, Fiat S.p.A. and Fiat's controlling shareholder all denied a German magazine report today that the German and Italian automakers have discussed a possible merger. Volkswagen has approached rival Fiat about a possible merger, Germany's Manager Magazin reported on its website earlier today, citing unnamed company sources....
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Chrysler accelerates Jeep repairs

8:22 am U.S. ET | July 17, 2014

Chrysler Group told federal safety regulators it could add trailer hitches to recalled Jeep SUVs by March, much sooner than the several years estimated by regulators who had urged the automaker to quicken the pace of repairs....
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Jeep promotion peeves participants

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 14, 2014

Jeep's Australian affiliate lit an online firestorm with its “Jeep Remote Dealership” promotion....
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LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Minivans: So practical, so maligned

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 14, 2014

The minivan is simultaneously one of the most practical yet wrongly maligned vehicles on the road today, and therein lies the challenge facing Chrysler Group as it redesigns its minivan for a new generation of drivers....
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Chrysler recalls 895,000 Grand Cherokees, Durangos for potential fire hazard

10:19 am U.S. ET | July 11, 2014

Chrysler Group said today it is recalling 895,000 SUVs for faulty wiring in vanity mirror lights that can short circuit and set fire....
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LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Minivans are too practical to have the reputation they have

3:13 pm U.S. ET | July 9, 2014

If all vehicles represent compromises to necessity, I would argue that minivans are the least compromised of any segment....
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Agnellis may tighten grip on Fiat after Chrysler merger

July 8, 2014 11:43 CET

Fiat's founding Agnelli family may see its voting rights rise to 46 percent as part of a scheme to reward long-term investors after a merger with Chrysler and a listing in New York, a U.S. regulatory filing showed....
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Delphi latest in fight over offshore U.S. tax shelters

2:47 pm U.S. ET | July 8, 2014

Delphi Automotive plc is in the crosshairs of a battle between the IRS and many large American companies over the use of offshore tax shelters. Delphi is the latest corporation in dispute with the federal government over its tax practices. The IRS notified the supplier last month it would be taxed as a domestic corporation, despite its previously established tax domicile in the United Kingdom....
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Detroit 3 to shorten, eliminate summer break at some plants

3:45 pm U.S. ET | July 7, 2014

Summer vacation will be shortened or won't come at all for some Detroit 3 assembly plants in the United States as light truck and SUV sales continue to heat up....
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Larry P. Vellequette

Replacing the Wrangler is a puzzler

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 7, 2014

The Wrangler -- Jeep's own mud-encrusted halo -- is being redesigned for 2017, when it must comply with more stringent fuel economy requirements....
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