Chrysler

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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Fiat Hopes To Attract Luxe Buyers To $17,000 Fiat 500 With Style

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Can a car priced between $15,500 and $17,500 be of much interest to the typical luxury buyer?

It can if it's Italian and will soon be offered as a convertible and electric vehicle.

The new car is the Fiat 500, and it will start showing up in Fiat "Studios" any day now, starting in Los Angeles, and extending to 130 dealerships by the end of the year. Fiat USA's website has a full list of dealer locations.

The 500, of course, is the U.S. version of the Fiat Cinquecento that is offered today in Europe. The car seats four, has a 1.4 liter multi-air engine and comes offered in ten exterior colors and ten interiors. If you want to have a totally unique Fiat 500 in your neighborhood even if you aren't the only one, then it will be more than possible.

The entry-level car, the 500 "Pop," comes with a manual transmission, as does the mid-level version, the 500 "Sport." if you must have the automatic transmission, then you'll have to go for the top of the line "Lounge" edition.

The automatic was perfectly adequate during Luxist's drive of the car around San Diego, CA. But the manual will provide more driving enjoyment for those who like and can drive with a clutch and shifter.

The 500's EPA ratings are 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on highway. That's for the manual.
Cars equipped with the six-speed self-shifter will only achieve 27/34 mpg.

Fiat is making its re-entry to the U.S. after a 27 year hiatus. The Italian automaker in 2009 took control of U.S. automaker Chrysler as part of the company's bailout from the U.S. government and subsequent bankruptcy reorganization. Fiat is leveraging the Chrysler dealer network to re-introduce Fiat to American consumers, though the Fiat studios are, in many cases, in separate buildings from the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep lineups.

Tags: alfa romeo, Chrysler, design icons, Ferrari, Fiat, Fiat 500, Lancia, Maserati, MINI Cooper

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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

Fiat Ponders Selling Alfa Romeo to VW

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Italian automaker Fiat and American automaker Chrysler, busies himself with fixing Chrysler and taking the mostly government-owned automaker into the public markets next year, he is wrestling with the dilemma of whether to sell Fiat's beloved, but money-losing, Alfa Romeo brand to Volkswagen.

The companies have been negotiating the possible sales, according to industry sources, confirming a report in Automotive News.

Volkswagen supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech has recently taken the unusual course of publicly stating that VW would like to buy Alfa, and that it believes as a company that it could turn the Italian brand around to profitability more easily than Fiat. That move was probably meant to inform industry analysts, and thus pressure Fiat to sell.

VW, of course, has made a business the last decade or more of collecting brands. Today, the VW Group includes not only VW, but Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Skoda, Seat and most recently, Porsche.

Tags: Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo 159, alfa romeo giulietta, alfa romeo spider, AlfaRomeoMito, chrysler, sergio marchionne, volkswagen

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Classic Car Auction To Aid Chrysler Museum

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Two years ago the Walter P. Chrysler Museum Foundation, with just 70 cars and six full-time employees at the time, switched to non-profit status and asked Chrysler dealers for $5,000 donations to assist with expenses. We aren't sure what's transpired in the interim, but whatever it was doesn't appear to have done the trick. It is now being reported that the museum will auction 20 of its vehicles in order to help its own bottom line, and they'll go on the block during the Classic Car Auction of Michigan, overseen by RM Auctions.

The RM catalog doesn't break down which cars are being offered by the museum, but they will include a 1904 Rambler Model L Tonneau, and a celebrity-owned 1964 AMC Rambler Coupe – for those of you who count former Michigan Governor George Romney, father of ex-GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a celebrity.

The auction takes place next Saturday and Sunday at The Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Michigan with a preview day on Friday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.

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Tags: auction, chrysler, classic car auction, classic cars, michigan, museum, rm auctions, Walter Chrysler Museum

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

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Tags: 2010 naias, 300, 300 c, 300 s, 300 s6, 300 s8, 300C, 300S, 300S6, 300S8, chrysler, chrysler 300, chrysler 300 c, chrysler 300 s, chrysler 300 s6, chrysler 300 s8, Chrysler300, Chrysler300C, Chrysler300S, Chrysler300S6, Chrysler300S8, detroit, detroit 2010, detroit auto show, naias, north american international auto show

Chrysler Exec Jim Press Faces Pressing Financial Trouble

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Auto executives are not immune to financial turmoil. Chrysler Group Deputy Chief Executive Jim Press seems to be having his own personal economic crisis. Various sources are reporting that he owes $947,410 in back taxes to the IRS and has also defaulted on $609,286 loan. The Wall Street Journal has a letter from Press to the Western Federal Credit Union last November that has Press telling the bank that he was having a cash flow issue at the time but would pay his bills.

The IRS has filed a lien against his Birmingham, Michigan home which is on the market for $3.15 million (pictures in the gallery below). He bought the six-bedroom home in June 2008 and took out a $2.2 million mortgage. Press owns four homes total including a Manhattan home which was on the market for $15.7 million but is now longer on the market and has been rented for $35,000 according to Streeteasy.com. He also owns a home in Southern California and another one in New Orleans. Press who was at Toyota for over 20 years and made it through Chrysler's bailout, is expected to leave the company at the end of this year.

MLive.com says that Press earns $2.4 million a year from Chrysler and received a $50 million compensation package when he joined the company but that package diminished when Chrysler went into bankruptcy. Press is also said to have been spending $56,000 in child and spousal support to his ex-wife.

Gallery: Jim Press in Birmingham

Tags: chrysler, jim press, JimPress

Lee Iacocca To Lose Company Car And Pension In Chrysler Bankruptcy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's trendy lately to rage against the cushy deals that retired execs get but it saddens me a little to learn that Lee Iacocca, the car executive who turned Chrysler around n the 1980s, may lose a major part of his pension and a guaranteed life-long company car as part of the fall-out from Chrysler's bankruptcy deal. Reuters reports that Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli told a U.S. bankruptcy court that Iacocca's pension would be among the obligations Chrysler won't be paying if it gets bankruptcy court approval to sell itself to a "New Chrysler" to be owned by its union, the U.S. and Canadian governments and Fiat. Iacocca's retirement was part of a supplemental executive retirement plan including non-IRS qualified pension funds that are therefore subject to bankruptcy. Chrysler is also stopping a program that gave company cars for life to former executives and directors including Iacocca (shown above in 2005 with a Mercedes Maybach).

Iacocca, who was the president of Ford in the mid 1960s, came to national attention in the 1980s when he starred in the Chrylser commercials touting the quality and durability of his American-made cars. The gallery below traces Iacocca's career including his ill-fated adventure in selling electric bicycles. In a commercial from 1984, placed after the jump, it's interesting to see how Iacocca dealt with the bankruptcy facing his company over two decades ago. His straight talking approach and focus on hard work appealed directly to the American people buying his cars. As he says in the commercial: "I have one, and only one, ambition for Chrysler, to be the best."

Gallery: Lee Iacocca Through The Years

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Tags: bankruptcy, chrysler, lee iacocca, LeeIacocca, pension

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Barack Obama's Cars Then and Now

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

President-elect Obama's new ride, the Cadillac Presidential Limousine was officially revealed just around the same time another Obama car his 2005 Chrysler 300C Hemi went back up on eBay. Obama leased the car in 2004 and traded it for a Ford Escape Hybrid in 2007. The car was bought by Tim O'Boyle who first tried to sell it on eBay in December. He took it off the site after his accountant told him it was wiser to own the car a year for tax purposes. Now it's back on eBay with a starting bid of $100,000 and a buy-it-now price of $1,000,000. The Kelley's Blue Book value for the car is $15,750. O'Boyle says he received a private offer of $150,000 the last time the car was up for auction and that he has a number in his head of what he wants. The 2005 330C has less than 21,000 miles on it and O'Boyle says it is in like-new condition.

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, cadillac, chrysler, inauguration

The Imperial, The Luxury Car That Never Was

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Gas prices and the worldwide fuel situation are now officially responsible for the decision Chrysler just made to put the kabosh on plans for the new Imperial. The Imperial concept was first introduced last year at the Detroit Auto Show, and if built the Imperial would have fallen into the Chrysler line up at the very top -- above the 300C. But there will now be no Imperial, with Chrysler mentioning that the increasing costs for fuel and the ever tightening fuel economy standards would make production of the Imperial "irresponsible" at this time.

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Tags: 300C, auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, car, cars, chrysler, fuel, fuel economy, FuelEconomy, imperial, the imperial, TheImperial, wheels

Frank Sinatra's Last Car

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

This 1985 Chrysler Town and Country would normally be worth less than $1,000, but throw in the fact that it belonged to Frank Sinatra and suddenly the price leaps to close to $40,000. The car has 77,777 miles on it and is currently located in England. The current owner bought it in Palm Springs in 2004. This car is considered prized to collectors because it may have been the last car Sinatra ever drove. It's probably also the least sexy car he ever drove. It is being sold by the Autotrader in England.

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Tags: car, celebrity, chrysler, frank sinatra, FrankSinatra