CarsNext » Chrysler

IED Turin Students Envision the Common Future of FIAT and Chrysler

L.K. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:10:13 +0000

Back in February, well before Fiat and Chrysler worked out the final deal, a group of second-year students at the Turin-based IED (istituto Europeo di Design) were asked to design a vehicle capable of combining to the best advantage the technical know-how, the platforms and the values of the two brands. The students worked individually and among the designs presented, the team that oversaw the project picked out 13 proposals, including those of Vasily Kurkov and Roberto Testolin that were then selected to be produced as 1:4 scale models.
First up is the Biov that is the work of by Roberto Testolin. The idea behind the small pod-like automobile is the creation of an affordable and ecological vehicle positioned in the A segment that’s aimed at young and eco-conscious buyers. The vehicle’s body panels are made of lightweight plastic materials that are said to reduce the car’s “production complexity” and “engineering costs”.

The second and comparatively more realistic proposal is the Jeep Pygmy by Vasily Kurkov. The odd-looking three-door SUV is based on the platform of the Fiat Panda Cross 4×4. According to the designer, the exterior styling blends European and American aesthetics while the interior that can seat two, is said to combine retro features with high-tech details.

The best car brands named

InMyCar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:57:21 +0000

United States Agency J. D. Power and Associates has published a reliability rating of automobiles, which is based on the results of a survey of more than 80 000 drivers. And it turned out the Americans recognized the Lexus as the best mark this year. Porsche is in the second place, while the top three winners closes Cadillac.

It should be noted that in this case not only the number of breakdowns per 100 vehicles were take into account. Drivers were asked to evaluate his car on 228 criteria. Including indicating problems with the ergonomics, deceived expectations of the owner and so on. In general, absolutely all the criticism and the whims of drivers were taken into account.

According to experts from J. D. Power and Associates, this year there was a serious leap forward in improving the quality of vehicles. Whereas in the past year for every 100 cars on the industry average was 118 criticism, it is already 108 this year. And ten points in just one year is a lot. With regard to the leaders, we can note the progress of Lexus. Even last year, the brand was assessed in 99 reprimands, and this year it is already 84. Due to this Lexus was able to get ahead of Porsche (90 problems per 100 vehicles). Moreover, Lexus LX model received the least amount of criticism among the models – only 52.

In addition, experts note the brand Suzuki – the company has committed a real jump from 32th to 9th place overall.

It’s worth noting the principal losers of the rating of J. D. Power and Associates. It is not strange, but in most of the claims the Americans had against the Mini – about 165 criticisms. Land Rover with 150 overall criticisms does not look too good as well. American drivers are not satisfied with such brands as Smart, Saab, Jeep, Hummer, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Jaguar, and Dodge.

Alfa Romeo Sedan will be an internationalist

InMyCar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:30:37 +0000

The new flagship of the company Alfa Romeo can be called “an American of Italian descent”, as Fiat Group bought shares of automaker Chrysler.

According to Western media, the new Alfa Romeo 169 sedan, the release of which is scheduled for 2011, will share a platform with the American model Dodge Charger. The Italian car will net be manufactured in its home country, but in a Canadian plant in Brampton. The value of the future Alfa Romeo new items will be approximately $ 62 thousand, but it is impossible to tell if the machine with the Italian design and American chassis will have a great demand or not. It is only a matter of time.

Italian company Fiat also announced that it intends to develop a CD-release Kára Fiat 500 in the Mexican factory of Chrysler, located in the city of Toluca. By 2015, Fiat plans to sell about 25 thousand copies of the model in the North American market.

Fiat can start production of Dodge Viper

InMyCar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:40:46 +0000

One of the main Jewels of auto manufacturer Chrysler is the legendary supercar Dodge Viper, which could transfer into a “garage car” and the production of which can stop forever if the Italian Fiat, which plays an important role in a new alliance, do not take the fate of famous models in their own hands .

The head of Chrysler Bob Nardelli has received an official letter from one of the congressmen, in which the official expressed his concern about the fate of Dodge Viper model.

The reason why Congress is so interested in the sale of rights to manufacture this car are not clear, and the company refuses to comment on this issue.

Nardelli only said that the Dodge staff did not succeed in finding a buyer for this model and the plant where it will be produced. License price for Dodge Viper was $ 10 million. The maximum offer received by the producer, does not exceed half of the required amount, writes Finam.RU. Taking into consideration the position of Chrysler, it is strange why the president of the bankrupt company did not mention the proposal of unknown company to buy Viper factory for $ 35 million.

Nardelli advises the U.S. Congress to seriously think about selling Dodge Viper to company Fiat, which also produces Ferrari, which is the major competitor for Viper.

The New York based financial company Lazard Ltd held a detailed assessment of the value of the brand as a whole, and all its technology. Previously, Nardelli announced that Chrysler has already received proposals from three interested organizations to participate in the development of the Viper.

Panoz Auto Development Co., based in Georgia, could also become a corporation a potential buyer.

Viper is equipped with a 8.4-liter V10 engine capacity of more than 600 hp. The first serial car was released in 1992 and became the most expensive model in a series of Dodge.

During the seven months of 2008 682 copies of Viper were in the United States, which doubled the number of supercars sold for the same period in 2007. But was insufficient for the model to be recognized as commercially successful.