Marchionne Chooses U.S. Soil to Get Back at Germans

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has accused the VW Group of taking advantage of its overseas profits to undercut its rivals in the European market and, thus, create a “bloodbath” for their sales.

Despite VW calling for his resignation as president of the ACEA, the European Auto Manufacturers’ Association, they subsequently made up, with VW CEO Martin Winterkorn and Marchionne settling the issue during the Paris Auto Show.



Marchionne was also re-elected today for a second two-year term as ACEA president. Apparently, though, despite being “good friends” with Winterkorn, he hasn’t buried the hatchet and wants to get back at VW.

Europe is a no-no, as VW is dominant, with a 25 percent share and Fiat is simply fighting to stay alive. In the United States, though, it's a whole different game: the Chrysler Group has an 11.4 percent market share and VW, despite its four brands (VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini) posting a 31 percent increase in sales, commands only 4 percent of the market.

Marchionne has decided to take advantage of this role reversal in the States by offering US$1,000 rebates to current U.S. VW owners if they buy a Fiat or Chrysler vehicle – and the best part is that they don’t even have to sell their VW.

So, the Fiat-Chrysler CEO has found a way to give VW a taste of its own medicine. We’ll have to wait and see a) if it works and b) how his German frenemies will react.

 

 

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Chrysler Creates Separate Ram Commercial Truck Division, will Launch New Large Van Next Year

Some two years after the Chrysler Group split Dodge's lineup into two different brands, one for the firm's passenger vehicles under the Dodge nameplate, and the other comprised the Ram truck models, the Detroit carmaker is now creating a separate sub-division for Ram's commercial trucks and vans.

The new Ram Commercial division will include the 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks and 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs in Tradesman trims, the Ram C/V van, and from next year, a brand new model named the ProMaster that was announced at the LA Auto Show.

The 2014 ProMaster is the North American version of Fiat's Ducato full-size van series and will go on sale in the third quarter of 2013.

"The Ram ProMaster further strengthens our commercial lineup, offering a full line of work trucks and vans," said Fred Diaz, head of the Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico.

"We feel that from a product-feature and launch timing standpoint, the all-new Ram ProMaster van is going to be a home run with commercial customers,” he added. "Our relationship with Fiat, one of the world’s foremost commercial truck makers, has given us access to great products and technology that will resonate with our U.S. and Canadian Ram Truck customers."

Another model that will be added to the Ram Commercial lineup is the previously announced,North American-specification of the Fiat Doblo that will arrive in dealerships early next year.

 

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You've Been Donked: Watch Florida Cops Surround this Pink Chrysler 300

Some people lower their cars and dress them up in absurd aero parts to mimic the feel and look of racecars, while others prefer to leave their rides just the way their makers envisioned them, and then there are those who just can't live without a hefty dose of bling, ridiculous sound systems and huge spinners. To each his own, we guess.

Those owners who take the extra step or two it when it comes to customizing their rides, undeniably do it to draw attention upon themselves, though, sometimes, the attentionmay come from the wrong people.

We can't say for sure if the Florida police officers surrounded the flashy, pink-colored Chrysler 300 for being loud and obnoxious, for bad taste or simply because they ran the license plate and discovered something about the driver, but fact is, they did and you can watch it happen in the video after the break.

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Fiat Won't Offer its Pure-Electric 500e in Europe

At the 2012 LA Auto Show that begins with the press days on Wednesday, November 28, Fiat will display a trio of new models for the American market including the 500c Abarth with a foldable cloth top, the 500L five-door minivan, and the battery-powered 500e.

While the two first models are already available in Europe, the 500e will make its world premiere in LA. According to a report from Autonews, Olivier Francois, global chief creative officer for Fiat and Chrysler, stated that the Italian brand will not sell its electric car in Europe, without elaborating further.

Very few details have been released about the zero-emission model, which is based on the regular 500 featuring an electric motor and a battery that allows for a driving range of around 100 miles or 160 kilometers.

The car is expected to go on sale initially in California only with a price tag of somewhere around $35,000. We'll have full details once the 500e makes its motor show debut.

 

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Latest Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger Sedans

The tuning industry never fails to deliver when it comes to creating unique projects, even if that means chopping off the roof from a perfectly good car like the latest iterations of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans. If that's what clients want, that's what they're going to get.

Case in point, two fresh tunes from Florida's Drop Top Customs, which you guessed it, specializes in convertible top services. You may remember the company from some of its previous conversions such as the Camaro Convertible in 2009 and the Cadillac CTS Convertible in 2010.

No need to explain, a lot of work goes into transforming a four-door sedan into an open-top model, especially if you choose to skip on a center post above the car's doors.

Drop Top Customs says it adds extra "substructure during conversion such as reinforcing the trunk with strut bars" to make up for the loss of the roof, which is replaced with a fully automatic cloth top.

A photo gallery of its Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger drop top models follows below.

 

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Rebadged Disasters: Eagle Premier

Lehigh Valley is establishing itself as a haven for supercar lovers.

Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, is the latest location to host a Cars & Coffee meet, and last weekend a range of exotic supercars gathered at Saucon Valley for a morning of high revving and hot lattes. As Ferraris and Porsches mingled with Nissan GT-Rs, Mustangs and BMWs, onlookers lusted over an array of sexy sheetmetal and engine soundtracks. This up-and-coming area of the Great Appalachian Valley attracts those with a penchant for exquisite automobiles, and so we expect Cars & Coffee meets here to become a regular event.

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Hennessey Launches Supercharger And 2013 Chrysler Group SRT-8 Models

John Hennessey and his Hennessey Performance Engineering tuning outfit have prepared a little something for owners of Chrysler Group SRT-8 cars and SUVs from the 2011 to 2013 model years fitted with the brand's 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine.

These include the SRT-8 editions of the Dodge Challenger and Charger, Chrysler 300C and Jeep Grand Cherokee models, with Hennessey offering a supercharger kit in two states of tune.

The first one is named HPE600 and includes a raft of upgrades highlighted by a TVS2300 supercharger system, an ECU recalibration, new fuel injectors and a custom air induction system to boost output from 470bhp to 600bhp at 5,500 rpm.

For an extra charge, customers can opt for the HPE650 kit that comes with a slightly more aggressive tune, which adds new cylinder headers and high-flow catalytic converters, allowing the 6.4-liter V8 to produce 650bhp at 5,800 rpm.

If that's not enough, there's always HPE's twin-turbo conversion for the HEMI engine, which pushes out 800bhp at 6,200 rpm.

All engine conversions can be accompanied with a raft of optional upgrades for the transmission, exhaust and braking systems as well as the exterior and interior of the SRT-8 models.

 

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