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In a stringer piece for the Detroit News , Rex Roy makes the observation that automatic transmissions are finally beginning to catch up to stick shifts in fuel economy. While we say "it's about damn time," considering automatics make up more than 90% of the US new vehicle market, we simultaneously lament that same fact. Also, we think photog-cum-journo Roy misses out on an important component of the improvement: The interface between engine and transmission and the technologies that make the entire powertrain system more efficient. Join us after the jump for a look at why it's not just the two extra gears in your slushbox doing all the work. The first thing that had to happen for automatics to get closer to manuals in fuel economy was an improvement in automatic transmission design. Advances like variable line pressure and the addition of more than four forward gears were far too long in coming to mass-market vehicles in this country. But, five- and six-speed autoboxes...
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Chrysler's design chief, Trevor "Apollo" Creed, has announced his retirement, staggering out of the ring and sending in Chrysler 300C and 2009 Dodge Ram designer Ralph Gilles as his Rocky-like replacement. A 23-year Chrysler veteran, Creed was responsible (in a managerial role) for production knockouts like the Dodge Challenger and the Chrysler and Dodge minivans. On the concept side, he was ring-side to hit the bell for the Dodge Demon and the Hemi-powered Tomahawk. But, it wasn't all positive boxing metaphors. Creed's taken more than a few blows to the face as of late with the new Chrysler Sebring, Jeep Compass and Dodge Avenger. While they don't make or break his resume, they certainly tarnish his proud time spent with Chrysler in all three of its forms — independent company, German conquest and now as a Las Vegas poker chip. In any case, the 63-year-old Creed fought hard for the design team, and we're sure Chrysler Chairman Bob "Ivan Drago"...
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Last month's review of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 may have seemed to some a blinding orgy of Detroit love. Having just moved from Detroit to New York City, I was homesick and was seemingly in need of a shot of Motor City muscle. Still, I offer no apology, because despite the rose-colored glasses, I managed to outline the three glaring issues with the low-volume '08 model year Challenger SRT8 — the outdated interior, the weight and most importantly, the automatic transmission. After spending a day this past week driving the new 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, SRT8 and SE on the roads of New York City and on the Raceway Park track at Englishtown, NJ, Dodge has fixed at least one-third of the Challenger's problems. That's a good thing for Dodge, because I left the rose-colored glasses back in Detroit. galleryPost('2009ChallengerSRT8Burn', 6, '2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Turns Tires To Smoke For Your Pleasure'); galleryPost('2009ChallengerRTRed',...
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These two 60's-era Chryslers were rolling ahead of the Woodward Dream Cruise and parked around the corner from each other at Duggan's Irish Pub, the place where we saw the same company unveil the Chysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 . The contrast in awesomeness could not be more poignant. The wagony goodness of the New Yorker and the impossibly complex curvature of the Imperial were causing heart palpitations amongst the assembled. There's even a flaming eyeball on the New Yorker. How cool is that? More pics below. galleryPost('60chrysler', 15, 'Imperial and New Yorker');
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Chrysler revealed its latest special edition vehicle ahead of this Saturday's Woodward Dream Cruise this morning at Duggan's Irish Pub on Woodward Avenue — the 2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5. As the name suggests, it's the 5th version of the PT Cruiser to be revealed at the Woodward Dream Cruise. And, like the others, this one offers up all the same PT Cruiser features and options 1.3 million people have found when snapping one up, all while wearing a very serious billet grille. The rest of the car's got a two-tone paint job to go along with the substantial bug-smasher (seriously, it's thicker than any aluminum grille we've ever seen), with tone #1 being the brightest white ever available on a PT and tone #2 giving it a sort of mutated Mini Cooper look. Additionally, the PT Cruiser 5 gets Neon SRT-4 wheels with a new finish, fancy synthetic material on the seats and... er... a Dream Cruiser badge. Press release and more pics below. We're going...
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While we've previously reported on the Chrysler/Nissan small-car/pickup-truck mind meld, the Wall Street Journal now says the two companies are discussing collaboration on a mid-size vehicle platform. The report states that the agreement currently under consideration would have Nissan building mid-size sedans that Chrysler would then market under its own nameplate in the US. There's no specific mention of a platform or nameplate likely to be used, but it's not hard to speculate that the much-maligned Sebring could be replaced by the end result of such a collaboration. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Anyone complaining about Chrysler's lack of upcoming models isn't paying attention to the news. The company appears to be actively seeking tie-ups, particularly with Nissan, that will provide it with fresh new vehicles without having to actually engineer and build them. It's as if Chrysler is moving toward a future as a vehicle marketing company rather than an actual auto manufacturer...
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The Detroit News reports today on the marriage of Chrysler and Cerberus Capital Management, which took place one year ago this week. Robert Nardelli, former head of Home Depot, beat out Tom LaSorda and Wolfgang Bernhard for the top job at the new Chrysler, joining an already troubled automaker just at the edge of what would become the country's worst auto sales period in 20 years. What the hell was he thinking? More importantly, what's he thinking now? A Chryslerberus freshman report card after the jump. Sales: D Under Nardelli and Cerberus, Chrysler has only topped DaimlerChrysler year-over-year sales numbers in one month: December, 2007. So why not a solid "F?" Because product that the new Chrysler management team had any control over the design of is only now coming to market. What they've done with their inheritance has not been impressive, but what happens in the next 12 months is going to be a more accurate assessment of Chrysler's new sales strength. Product...
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Chrysler July sales dropped below the 100,000 unit mark as consumers began to show signs that they've lost confidence in the company, reports Automotive News . While Chrysler's announcement that it would suspend leasing August 1 caused a last-minute flurry of shoppers, more ominous was a report by Complete.com that Chrysler's June "shopper count," its number of online product inquiries on major automotive Web sites, fell to the company's second-lowest on record. Hmm; loss of customer interest and no leases. Where could this be going? Jalopnik Snap Judgment : Though Chrysler's last-minute leasing bubble looked good on paper, the net effect will be to front-load shoppers, not unlike the GM "employee pricing for everyone deals" from a few years back. Combined with news of the lack of product research being conducted by potential buyers, the bad news for Chrysler is that everyone who may have been interested in driving a Chrysler probably picked one up...
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The Jeep Compass (the Jeep MK platform for the ladies) and Patriot (the Jeep MK platform for the boys) will be getting revised interiors with softer lines for 2009, according to a first look at some Mopar dealer catalogs scanned by the Chrysler forum fan-boys at Allpar . Gone are most of the hard-edged "plastic box" features that made up the first-gen mini-Jeeps, replaced by a more fluid-looking motif still using the same basic layout. Compass pictured above; Patriot interior after the jump. We're going to assume that, since this came out of a Mopar accessory catalog, the photo depicts seat warmers. But with Chrysler's interior track record, we're not ready to declare anything for certain. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Two things to think about: First, Chryserberus is obviously listening to consumer complaints about its interiors. Second, if Compass and Patriot are getting a refresh, ecxpect Caliber to get one as well (if it survives), possibly vaulting the three (or maybe...
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Following the suspension of leasing by Chrysler Financial, Chrysler LLC has announced a new strategy to lower vehicle purchase payments to about the same price point that consumers were accustomed to with leasing. In addition to a model year-end promotion called "Shop 'Til You Drive," Chrysler will be expanding the vehicles eligible for 72-month loans, expanding cash incentives, in some cases to as much as $2,000, and providing additional cash incentives to customers coming off-lease. Automotive News reports that some Ram trucks will be getting discounts of as much as 40% off sticker price in an effort to clear inventory, and that Chrysler dealers will be encouraged to "think in terms of the kinds of clearance sales that department stores have." Full release below the jump. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: As we expected, Chrysler is going to try to bring the monthly cost of purchasing down to the same level at which leasing used to be. The key word is "monthly."...
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Yeah, we just heard Chrysler Financial will no longer be offering auto leases. We're just as stunned as everyone else. Hit the jump for the full report and our analysis including what this means for Cerberus-owned GMAC. Follow up on WSJ report that Chrysler will no longer offer auto leases through its lending arm As mentioned at 14:24, Chrysler has started telling dealers it will no longer offer auto leases through its lending arm Chrysler Financial, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Chrysler is expected to brief dealers formally later today in a conference call, these people said. The move comes as auto makers and their financing units have been piling increasing losses stemming from leases, mainly as a result of falling resale values of trucks, sports-utility vehicles and other less fuel-efficient models that many consumers now shun. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: We'd heard Chrysler Financial was having a tough time as of late what with all of those default loans and oh...
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Chrysler LLC revealed a $515 million first-quarter 2008 loss, despite the fact that the privately held firm isn't required to discuss earnings. So what gives? Ex-lover Daimler spilled the beans Thursday, stating that its 20% stake in Chrysler lost about $105 million in value. The Detroit News did some quick math, multiplying Daimler's loss by five, and a Chrysler spokesperson eventually confirmed that the number was in the half-a-billon dollar neighborhood. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: A little more math, based on the fact that Chrysler really has nothing besides the Ram truck coming out this year, tells us Chrysler is on track for a $2-billion-plus loss for the year, breaking their previous record of $1.6 billion. As Rebecca Lindland, auto analyst at Global Insight, said, "From a product perspective, you can't point to a light at the end of the tunnel." Ouch. So Chrysler's survival will depend upon how deep owner Halliburton Cerberus Capital Management's pockets...
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In 1989, it was increasingly clear a new revolution was coming to the truck market, but what shape it would take was still a mystery. With the staggering success of large body-on-frame SUVs and light trucks just a gleam in the eyes of automakers, GMs design team continued down the path of car-based pickups with the Chevy XT-2 Concept Truck. Although we now know car-based pickups and SUVs lost the battle to large SUVs shortly thereafter, it appears the XT-2, an essentially ignored concept here in the United States, may end up winning the design war. galleryPost('89chevyxt2', 12, 'XT-2 To XTC'); The American SUVs on the market in 1989 were quite a bit different than the generation that would take over in just two years' time. We tend to focus on their crudeness and lack of creature comforts, but more importantly, nearly all "mid-size" SUVs before the 1990s period were two-door models. The exception was the Jeep Cherokee XJ , which was developed with extra doors...
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We're constantly harping on American companies for not bringing over their European cars, but with news that Ford is doing just that , the question has new immediacy. The British Motor Show is a good place to start. The show will witness the debut of the Ford Focus RS , which speaks to a rally heritage we don't have but sorely need. Maybe it's the technology, or maybe we just want the diesel versions of cars we already have. Given how long we've lusted after Mondeos and notchbacked Insignias , we're almost at a loss to think of what we'd want first. That's where you can help. What European cars do we need and want most? We'll count the American arms of European car companies to expand the field a bit.
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Chrysler's latest survival scheme? Fancy toys in budget models. It used to be, that if you wanted heated seats and other fancy interior amenities in your Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Avenger , you had to plop down more cash for the 3.5-liter V6-equipped models. Now, as the company struggles to stay afloat amid high gas prices and a weak economy, it's rethinking that approach and now looking to offer high-spec in its four cylinder models and dropping the highest trim level as part of a plan they're calling "Fight Back." At what? Hit the jump for the answer. Auto Analyst Mike Wall explained the decision to the Detroit News : "Given where fuel prices are at, I'm not sure that people are following the old progression that the higher the trim-level, the bigger the engine...(Chrysler) needs to hit what the customer wants, and that may be a 4-cylinder engine with leather seats and a navigation system." This is actually the most sensible thing we've seen Chrysler...
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