Chrysler Recalls 840,000 Vehicles, Toyota 185,000 Yaris and Verso-S Models

Chrysler Group announced that it will recall 840,000 vehicle (mopstly) in the United States and other countries around the world, because of possible flaws with active-restraint head rests, airbags and electronic stability control systems. The Detroit-based carmaker issued five separate recall actions, including nearly 500,000 cars and SUVs for the head rest issue and another 282,000 minivans with possible faulty airbags. Read more »

Jeep Reportedly Readying Baby Cherokee SUV for Next Year

If you though that Jeeps wouldn’t get any smaller, Edmunds has just posted a report which says that the Fiat-controlled builder of off-road vehicles is, in fact, getting ready to add a sub-compact SUV to its range.

The new model will reportedly be built on a Fiat platform, in Italy, and will address a global audience, trying to woo buyers with its Ford Fiesta-esque dimensions, infused with all the brand-specific qualities that they would look for. It is set to be launched some time in 2014.

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Jay Leno Has Fun In New and Old Cop Cars

Little boys’ fascination with police cars does make genuine sense, but not necessarily because they believe in upholding the law or anything noble like that. I think it has to do with all of the gadgets they get, and their cool look all painted up with their specific liveries, as well as the fact that they can be driven quickly legally. Read more »

Did This Russian Driver Really Fill Up a Car With Concrete Because It Was Blocking Him?

You'll forgive us for being a bit skeptical about this bizarre incident, purportedly filmed in Russia, as it’s not every day that someone calls a concrete mixer to fill up a car because it was blocking the way…

In the video posted online, we watch the driver of a white Chrysler 300 approaching a blue sedan that had parked right in front of him. He then smashed the mirror before breaking the window – all while we hear the two people who were filming the scene giggling their heads off.

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SRT Presents the Viper GT3-R Customer Race Car, Could Be Yours for $459,000

This weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is a special one for U.S. fans, as it marks the Viper’s return to the world’s most famous endurance race. In 1998, 1999 and 2000, the Viper GTS-R won its class at Le Mans, so the bar is set at the highest possible point for the its return to the French classic. Read more »

Chrysler Caves in to NHTSA Demands and Issues Recall for Fire Risk on Jeeps

So much for the Chrysler Group's tough stance against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after the agency recommended the recall of some 2.7 million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty because the rear-mounted fuel tanks performed poorly in rear-end collisions.

On June 4, the Detroit carmaker issued a statement, in which it said: "The company [Chrysler Group] does not agree with NHTSA’s conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation. The subject vehicles are safe and are not defective."

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Dodge Brand's Future Uncertain, Says Wards Auto Report

If we’re to believe a report from WardsAuto, 2016 may be the year when the Dodge brand will disappear. In 2016, several new models and plant sourcing moves that were initiated in late 2010 will come to fruition. These moves will be decisive for long-term strategy of Chrysler, especially for the future of Dodge.

By 2016, Chrysler will see almost its entire production renewed, with more than three-quarters of production volume to be based off the Fiat-engineered C/D-Evo, or CUSW, platform. This architecture is currently used by the Dodge Dart and the will also be used by the upcoming Chrysler 100, the next-generation Chrysler 200, Dodge Journey/Fiat Freemont, Jeep Cherokee, and a new large luxury Chrysler SUV.

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Chrysler Wants to Take the Fight to the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry with New 200 Sedan

The current Chrysler 200 was the group CEO’s effort to try and keep the old Sebring (on which the 200 is based) on the showroom floor, before they gathered enough money and engineering momentum to be able to create a talented all-new replacement. It is set to be underpinned by the same CUSW platform that is found under the body panels of a Dodge Dart, or more recently the Jeep Cherokee crossover. Read more »

Chrysler Group Rejects NHTSA's Recall Request for Jeep Models – Who Would You Trust?

Most of the times, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and automakers work together and agree upon a recall when there's a problem or at least the potential for an issue with a car, but it isn't always like this.

Recently, the NHTSA issued a recommendation for the recall of around 2.7 million Jeep SUVs, including the 1993-2004 model-year Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Liberty, after assessing that the fuel tanks in these models pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear-impact collisions.

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Next Dodge Journey to be Made in Detroit from 2016, Avenger to be Discontinued, Report Says

Chrysler will reportedly move production of the next-generation Dodge Journey and its Fiat Freemont clone from Toluca, Mexico, to Sterling Heights, Michigan.

According to a report published by WardsAuto/AutomotiveCompass that was cited by the Detroit Free Press, U.S. production of the next-generation crossovers will begin in January 2016. The next generation of the Chrysler 200 sedan, which will go on sale next year, will also be made in Sterling Heights, a Detroit suburb.

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Fiat Reportedly Raising $10 Billion to Buy Remaining Chrysler Stake and Refinance Debt

Fiat is negotiating with a series of banks to borrow as much as $10 billion to buy the Chrysler Group stake it doesn’t own and refinance both automakers’ debt at lower rates.

According to a report from Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter, Fiat wants to buy the 41.5 percent of Chrysler held by the United Auto Workers’ retiree health-care trust with money borrowed from banks including Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas.

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Elon Musk Replies to Chrysler: You’re not American, You Still Owe $1.3 Billion

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is not one to back down from a public dispute. The latest one started with Tesla’s announcement that it had repaid in full its government loan, with the release adding that it is the first American carmaker to do so. This made Chrysler respond with a statement in which it said it was the first U.S. carmaker to have repaid the U.S. government loan in 2011, not Tesla.

Did you think Musk was convinced by Chrysler’s statement and stopped right there? No, he replied to Chrysler’s release on Twitter by saying the Detroit-based carmaker is no longer American, as it is owned by Fiat, and it still owes money to the government.

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Chrysler to Tesla: Not So Fast, We Were the First to Repay Government Loan

After Audi, it's Chrysler's to turn its guns on Tesla, only this time, it's not about a sales report from a news agency, but it regards a press statement made by the maker of the battery-powered Model S.

On Wednesday, Tesla announced that it paid off in full a $465 million loan that the Energy Department made in 2010, nine years earlier than scheduled. In the statement, the California-based company also added, "Following this payment, Tesla will be the only American car company to have fully repaid the government."

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Inside Sources Say Next Dodge Challenger SRT8 Coming in 2014 with Supercharged V8

Adding to the many rumors about the replacement to the current Dodge Challenger that have been going around for the past year, is a report from Chrysler enthusiast site Allpar and Autonews, that the next SRT8 will come with a supercharged 6.4-liter HEMI V8 called the "Hellcat".

While a Chrysler spokesman declined to comment about the existence of the engine, company engineers reportedly confirmed the story to Allpar. The supercharger system is believed to help bring the V8's output closer to the 640hp of the Viper's V10, up from 470hp of the current Challenger SRT8.

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A 72-Year-Old CEO's 2013 Chrysler 300 is "Amazing" and "Like No Other"

Each decade has its own style and flavors, and even though certain fashion trends come back in style from time to time, we think that some things are better left in the past. Of course, that's our opinion and you may freely disagree with it.

We're told this 2013 Chrysler 300 sedan that we found on eBay was "custom factory built for a retiring 72 year old entrepreneur" and CEO, who obviously had some fond automotive memories from the 1970s and 1980s.

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Sergio Marchionne Apologizes for Racial Slur against Italian Americans

The Italian American One Voice Coalition, which is the largest Italian American anti-bias organization in the U.S., announced it has received a formal written apology from Chrysler/Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne, for his use of a pejorative term, offensive to Italian Americans, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

You probably remember that, at a press conference at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, Marchionne commented on the long-delayed introduction of the new generation Alfa Romeos to the U.S. saying: “I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won’t. I won’t put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it needs to be a wop engine. There are some things that are well-done in Italy."

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Chrysler’s Quality Chief Says Vehicle Quality Rivals Toyota

When it comes to quality, Chrysler isn’t the first car brand that comes to mind. However, in recent years, the U.S. automaker says it has improved quality and closed the gap between its vehicles and those of Japanese automakers. In fact, Chrysler’s quality chief says the gap has become so small that it no longer should matter to consumers.

"We still benchmark Toyota," Doug Betts, Chrysler's senior vice president of quality, told Automotive News in an interview. "Toyota's very good at reliability. I believe that we have gotten close enough on reliability to Toyota that it shouldn't be a reason for somebody not to buy our cars."

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Chrysler Group Announces Production of One Millionth Jeep Wrangler JK

As far as American automotive icons, there’s only a handful of cars which can actually touch the Jeep Wrangler, because most of the world is familiar with its shape from World War II, and they have been smart over the years to really retain the look everybody knows and recognizes.

This coupled with the fact that it has always been one of the more capable off-road machines are now culminating with Chrysler announcing the building of the one millionth Wrangler of the JK generation (2007 – present) through their Facebook page.

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2014 Jeep Cherokee's Production Launch Delayed for a Month

Chrysler said that the production launch of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee has been delayed for about one month, due to “a wide range of issues.” However, Chrysler assured dealers they will have sufficient inventory of the SUV by fall.

“We did start with an initial scheduled plan of the third week in May, and now we are into mid-June,” said Mark Chernoby, Chrysler’s senior vice president of engineering, according a Detroit Free Press report. “That is just due to a wide range of issues.” He added that these issues are common when launching an all-new car or truck and that the automaker is ironing them out.

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Fiat Responds to Talk About Moving HQ to U.S., Says It's "Not Currently on the Agenda"

The Fiat Group issued a press statement to address a report that originated from Bloomberg about the company mulling to transfer its headquarters from Turin, Italy, to Detroit, USA, due the success of Chrysler, and which cited insiders from the Italian carmaker as the source.

For some reason, Fiat felt the need to remind us that the report noted the automaker was simply considering the move and that means, "there's no news to report", yet on the other hand, the statement says the issue on hand "is not currently on the agenda", which one could interpret as an admission that it may be in a future agenda…

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