The gang at AutoWeek talked Dodge into letting them video a tour of the Detroit-area warehouse where Dodge keeps the family jewels, from Le Mans-winning Vipers to Power Wagons and even the original Neon concept. But why is the big-wheel Hemi there?
Toronto-based TD Bank will purchase Chrysler Financial for $6.3 billion. Despite being named Chrysler Financial, the company is no longer owned by the automaker, but held by former owner and destroyer of worlds — Cerberus. If you do the math, Cerberus paid $7.4 billion for 80% of Chrysler, then easily shed it in the…
In December, Chrysler's official blog posted this paid-by-Chrysler USA Today ad thanking America. The post received hundreds of negative comments. Today, after links from Jalopnik and Digg, Chrysler's pulled the entire post off their site.
Earlier, we told you Italian automaker Fiat will take a 35% stake in the still-partially-German-owned U.S. automaker Chrysler, creating what they term a "Global Strategic Alliance." At least it's not a "Global Strategic Axis."
We love CNBC's Jim Cramer for taking on Cerberus yesterday, calling the private equity firm "the absolute worst" for buying up Chrysler. The best part? This t-shirt of Bob "The Builder" Nardelli. Epic. [via CNBC]
Chrysler just announced plans to stop production for at least a month. Did anyone else notice they wouldn't commit to coming back?
Chrysler was the last of the not-so-Big Three to reveal their plan for long-term viability with an ask of $11 billion to sustain operations into the new year. But for what?
On top of yesterday's news Chrysler plans to shut down the Delaware SUV plant that makes the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen a year early is news this morning the automaker plans to cut 25% of their 18,500 white collar staff starting next month. In his memo to staff announcing the cuts, Chrysler CEO Bob "The Builder"…
The WSJ reports today (via Automotive News) Cerberus and GM are moving full-steam-ahead in their efforts to get a GM-Chrysler deal done by the end of October. Today also brings news Renault may have their hand in the cookie jar too, negotiating for one or more parts of Chrysler and leading to speculation the Auburn…
The Financiapocalypse continues. We just received a copy of an e-mail that went out at GMAC, the lending arm jointly owned by GM and Cerberus, from Barbara Stokel, GMAC's EVP of North American Operations. Here's the most salient detail: you'll now need a minimum 700 credit bureau score to get a car loan at dealer…
Daimler was obviously unimpressed by Chrysler's electrically motivated press reveal yesterday, as word comes today the German automaker is in talks to sell Cerberus its remaining 19.9% stake in Chrysler. If terms are agreed upon, the sale would mark the end of Daimler's involvement in the Auburn Hills automaker a mere…
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…
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…
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…
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"…
According to Automotive News, Cerberus is engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with both Tata Motors and Fiat regarding sales and manufacturing linkups. Chrysler wants to use Tata to gain a foothold for its Jeep Wrangler in Indian and Asian markets. More intriguingly, the company is reportedly talking to Fiat about the…
Come Halloween, Chrysler will idle its St. Louis South minivan plant indefinitely. And, just so the 1,500 employees at St. Louis South are clear about the meaning of "idle indefinitely," co-president Tom LaSorda said, "We see no intent to rerun this plant. We're idling it and it will likely be fully closed."
The new Dodge Challenger is hitting showrooms. The 2009 Dodge Ram launch is scheduled for fall. But it's the sounds of silence after that when it comes to product. What's going on? One influential industry study, the Merrill Lynch "Car Wars" report (yes, that's it's real name), states Chrysler's lack of new product…
Former chairman Lee Iacocca gave a closed pep rally to Chrysler employees yesterday in Auburn Hills, once again sharing the stage with a K-car, a minivan...and rumors of Chrysler's imminent bankruptcy. While current CEO Bob Nardelli was praising Iacocca as "Chrysler's most dynamic leader" and "a great American,"…
As further evidence that Cerberus bit off far more than it expected with its purchase of Chrysler last fall, an internal memo revealed to the Free Press shows that the last few months have been even worse than Chrysler expected. In fact, June numbers are showing an industry-wide disaster looming, with total U.S.…
