Chrysler 300

Lancia Brings Chryslers to Geneva

If Chryslers have never quite been able to reach the level of Lincolns and Cadillacs in the North American market, they've had even more trouble crossing the Atlantic to take on stiff competition from Europe's finest. Meanwhile Fiat's Lancia division has been struggling with a weak model range. The solution, however, could come in their cooperation.

Through the marriage of Chrysler and Fiat (Lancia's parent company), the two brands have been unified under common leadership and are now beginning to integrate their line-ups on both sides of the ocean. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Lancia will unveil rebadged versions of several Chrysler models: the Lancia Thema (aka Chrysler 300), Lancia Flavia and Flavia Cabrio (Chrysler 200 sedan and convertible) and Lancia Grand Voyager (carrying the same name as the Chrysler minivan).

Lancia will also be unveiling a subtly facelifted version of the Delta, as well as the all-new Ypsilon hatchback, making this one very busy show for the Italian automaker.

Gallery: Lancia at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Tags: 2011 geneva motor show, chrysler, chrysler 200, chrysler 300, chrysler grand voyager, geneva, geneva 2011, geneva motor show, lancia, lancia delta, lancia flavia, lancia flavia cabrio, lancia grand voyager, lancia thema

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Five Non-Luxe Car Brands Hoping To Graduate To Luxe Status

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

In the early and mid 1990s, the line dividing luxury cars from non-luxury was simple: $30,000. Today, most people would say it was $40,000, but they would get an argument.

After all, when a loaded Chrysler Town and Country or Honda Odyssey minivan crests $40K, can we really use that pricing standard? A luxury minivan?

Then, there is the discussion about brands. BMW is a luxury brand. Volkswagen and Hyundai aren't. Right? Not so fast. A Volkswagen Touareg SUV starts at $44,000 and climbs North with options to above $60K for the Hybrid version. Hyundai's new Equus sedan starts at $58,000.

Here are five brands seeking credibility with luxury car buyers and the products they are reaching with:

Chrysler: As Italian automaker Fiat restructures the Chrysler brands it has acquired after the U.S. automaker went through bankruptcy in 2009, it is hoping to position Chrysler as a kind of "value luxury brand." The Chrysler 300 sedan is the linchpin in the effort. While the base model starts below $28,000, the two other trim levels, Limited and 300C, easily reach between $44K and $48K when the technology, safety and luxury option packages are checked. "The 300 is for the successful person who doesn't forget whey they came from," is the way Chrysler brand CEO Olivier Francois puts it.

The new 300 is the second generation design of the car that captured the attention of the hip-hop community when it first came out in 2004. Snoop Dog and Jay Z were among those who praised the "gangsta" design of the car. That has been toned down in the new design in part to try and reach a broader audience--let's say, more the Black Eyed Peas and Linkin Park crowd than P Diddy and Cee Lo Green.

Tags: buick lacrosse, BuickEnclave, Chrysler 300, hyundai equus, Hyundai Genesis, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Overland, luxury cars, Volkswagen Touareg

Continue reading “Five Non-Luxe Car Brands Hoping To Graduate To Luxe Status”

Chrysler To Expand Overseas Under the Lancia Name

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Chrysler To Expand Overseas Under the Lancia Name

Chrysler may be known as the "other" luxury marque here in America, but overseas it's hardly known at all. So with a new roster of vehicles on offer, Chrysler is changing it strategy for foreign markets. Teaming up with industrial partner Fiat, Chryslers will be sold overseas under the Lancia name.

The range – including Lancia versions of the 200 and 300 sedans and the Town & Country minivan – are anticipated to be unveiled, along with the new Ypsilon premium hatchback, at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March.

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Tags: 2011 geneva motor show, chrysler, chrysler 200, chrysler 300, chrysler town and country, Chrysler Town Country, geneva, geneva 2011, geneva motor show, lancia, lancia ypsilon

Chrysler Unveils New 300 Flagship Sedan

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Limo drivers may think of Cadillac and Lincoln as the two American luxury marques, but we wouldn't could Chrysler out of the running just yet. The company is making a comeback, and has just revealed its new top-of-the-line model.

Like the model it replaces, it's called the Chrysler 300. A slew of improvements have been made over the outgoing model, including a restyled exterior with LED headlamps and even more chrome than before for a classier look.

The car will be officially unveiled next month at the Detroit Auto Show, after which sales will open with a choice of Pentastar V6 or Hemi V8 engines driving the rear wheels or all four.

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Tags: 2011 chrysler 300, 2011 detroit auto show, 2011 naias, 2011 north american international auto show, 300, chrysler, chrysler 300, detroit auto show, naias, North American International Auto Show

300 Celebrities at Golden Globes sign a Chrysler for Haiti Relief

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Charity

When disaster strikes like it has in Haiti, it's hard to find the silver lining. But if there's one to be found, it's how people come together to lend a hand.

At the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday, Chrysler showed up on the red carpet with one of its top-of-the-line 300C luxury sedans and invited the celebrities attending to sign it. Among the 300 celebrities who put their names down for the cause included Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Sigourney Weaver and Neil Patrick Harris,

The car was equipped with such eco touches as cork and bamboo interior, donated personally by Chrysler brand CEO Olivier Francois (pictured above) and was specially branded for the cause. It's is set to be auctioned at an event soon to be announced to raise funds for the American Red Cross in its relief efforts in Haiti.

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Tags: american red cross, AmericanRedCross, celebrity, chrysler, chrysler 300, chrysler 300 c, Chrysler300, Chrysler300C, diaster relief, DiasterRelief, Golden Globe Awards, golden globes, GoldenGlobeAwards, GoldenGlobes, haiti, haiti earthquake, HaitiEarthquake, red cross, RedCross

Chrysler Presents Upgraded 300 S in Detroit

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While waiting on a new generation of shared platforms with its new corporate partners at Fiat, Chrysler is holding on with a series of special packages for some of its most popular Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler-brand products. Among them, at the top of the line, sits the new Chrysler 300 S, unveiled at this year's Detroit auto show.

The new trim is mostly an appearance package, available in both S6 (with the 250hp 3.5-liter V6) and S8 (340hp 5.7-liter Hemi V8) guises. Both get a new grille, darkened headlamp bezels, sleeker door panels, side mirror housings and polished 20" wheels. Inside there are new leather sport seats, carbon-fiber trim, red top-stitching and 300 S logos stitched into various surfaces. The new package should help the five-year-old 300, based on the old Mercedes E-Class platform, carry on a few more years until its replacement arrives.

Gallery: Chrysler 300 S8