Car NEWS log

posted by admin on Feb 27

General Motors and Chrysler undoubtedly are paying close attention to labor negotiations taking place at Detroit supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, as their truck production is at stake if workers strike. The contract between American Axle and the United Auto Workers union expires at midnight Monday.

American Axle supplies axles and driveline components for GM’s full-size pickups — the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra — and SUVs, including the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. It also supplies Chrysler trucks. In 2004, a one-day strike at American Axle affected output at a few GM truck plants.

As was the case in negotiations between the Big Three and the UAW last fall, American Axle is looking for a break from the union as it struggles with overcapacity and profitability; the union seeks to maintain the standard of living and job security for its members.

Michael Simonte, the company’s chief financial officer, said during an analyst conference in December, covered by Dow Jones, that American Axle wants to “reduce the fully loaded labor-hour cost” for U.S. hourly production workers. He said American Axle’s all-in cost — which includes wages and benefits — is about $65 an hour, and he said the company wants to get closer to $27 an hour, or $35 an hour including skilled trades workers.

The company also has said it wants flexibility on things such as job classifications and work rules that improve plant efficiency.

Tensions between the supplier and the union have increased with American Axle’s idling of its plant in Buffalo, N.Y., and its decision to build axles for GM’s Chevrolet Camaro in Mexico.

posted by admin on Feb 24

Chrysler has been on the look-out lately for dancing partners for anything from vehicle platforms to alternative propulsion, and the Pentastar has extended its outsourcing to IT services. Chrysler and Tata Consultancy have teamed up on a $120 million, multi-year contract that sources Chrysler’s dealer website work to India. The deal effectively continues the partnership formed between Tata and Chrysler in 2002, but the new deal means even more work goes to India.

Chrysler points out that the IT services were previously performed by contractors that weren’t Chrysler employees, but the Auburn Hills automaker declined to mention which company lost the work. IT workers at Chrysler are still nervous about the possibility of more IT outsourcing, however, and it’s hard to blame them. Chrysler is strapped for cash and looking to free up money for new products, and IT isn’t exactly a core automotive function. It will be interesting to see if Chrysler and Tata will one day expand the partnership to include more vehicles, but this time it’s just bits and bytes.

posted by admin on Feb 19

Chrysler LLC is still in court battling it out with Plastech over tooling in which Chrysler claims ownership over. In fact, Chrysler already has suppliers lined-up to take Plastech’s business (Decoma unit of Magna, Continental Plastics, Mayco Plastics).

If Chrysler wins in court tomorrow, it is prepared to shutdown all of its assembly plants for a week while it moves the tooling equipment and gets its new suppliers online. Plastech’s work for Chrysler was the assemblies and molded parts, such as the center consoles and bumper fascias.

Plastech is contending that if the equipment is removed it will be unable to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

posted by admin on Feb 18

After a five-day shutdown due to a mechanical glitch at Chrysler’s Belvidere stamping plant, the facility will again be able to resume building the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot. In the short term, Chrysler will keep the assembly facility running smoothly by outsourcing stamping to other nearby plants. The shutdown came only weeks before the Belvidere plant permanently drops one shift, which will result in the indefinite layoff of 1,000 workers. With a tough economy in which automakers are struggling to sell units, it’s unlikely many people will have difficulty finding a Caliber, Compass, or Patriot as a result of the temporary shutdown.

posted by admin on Feb 15

2011 Chrysler 300, duck Charger to remain rear-roll drive

season novel CAFE regulations have put many automakers’ futurity rear-roll conveyance plans forward clinch — including catholic Motors – Chrysler’s 300 and duck Charger will warrior forward accompanying a rear-roll drive setup end their 2011 pattern year makeover. season consumer claim for rear-roll drive vehicles is forward the a, The Car Connection says the conclusion to keep the vehicles forward their popular platform truly is owed to a want of funds to develop a novel front-roll drive architecture. (Read the full post about ‘2011 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger to remain rear-wheel drive’…)

posted by admin on Feb 13

Standing up to the Chrysler’s motto “Engineered Beautifully,” the Chrysler Crossfire carries a unique style with its low-cut design and delicate lines that go seamlessly with the vehicle’s exterior. The Crossfire’s wide body, smooth curves, and expanded hood make it look like it can run at great speeds, even when not in motion. On top of that, the model is equipped with technological features and auto parts including the Chrysler Crossfire ignition coil to add to the exceptional driving experience.

A Chrysler Crossfire cannot go anywhere without the proper auto parts installed in it. In fact, it cannot even start without a Chrysler Crossfire ignition coil. The ignition coil or spark coil serves as an induction coil in the car’s ignition system. In an internal combustion engine, this autotransformer works with the contact breaker to increase the voltage from the usual 12 volts to 40 kilovolts to ignite the spark plugs.

In the past, vehicles used one large coil supplying all the spark plugs through the ignition distributor. Today, vehicles like the Chrysler Crossfire have an electronically-controlled ignition with smaller ignition coils in either one or two spark plugs. Ignition coils may be secluded or mounted above the spark plug known as direct ignition. Using the “wasted spark” system, one ignition coil can supply two spark plugs. It is more dependable than the single coil with distributor set-up. It also costs less than direct injection. The Chrysler Crossfire ignition coil. is similar to an electrical step up transformer that contains heavily-insulated copper with primary and secondary twisting circuits. The secondary circuits have more coils and are oiled to keep them cool.

Damage resistant with an extended spark period, the Chrysler Crossfire ignition coil is the core of the car’s ignition system. If the car shows signs like lack of power, increased fuel consumption, and increased exhaust emissions, a trip to the mechanic and possible replacement of the ignition coil is recommended.

About the AuthorAnthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

posted by admin on Feb 12

With rival Tata Motors only months away from taking over at Jaguar and Land Rover, Mahindra & Mahindra is desperate to find Western partners.

Rumours have started on the Internet today suggesting that Mahindra is in talks with Chrysler for collaboration with its iconic Jeep brand.

Read more…

Despite what many believe, Jeep and Mahindra have had a long history together, the Indian company distributed Jeeps in India and even based its first cars on the Willys platform.

Given the recent break-up of Daimler Chrysler and the takeover of Chrysler by Cerberus, it’s unlikely that Jeep will be sold of, so any deal signed would still leave the brand in American hands. Either way Mahindra is determined to find Western allies.

“Will we do more car projects, doubtless. Will we do it with someone else, yes, may be. But it’s certain we won’t do cars on our own. The auto industry of the future will be collaboration-driven for the benefits of scale and synergy and that’s in the DNA of Indian companies.” M&M vice-chairman and MD Anand Mahindra said

When asked about a possible deal with Jeep, Mr Mahindra said, “We are talking to automakers around the world to discover whether there are opportunities.

The Indian company, best known to the west for its tractors, has been buying out break-through engineering technologies in order to “leapfrog into the global league as an iconic vehicle maker.”

“Small pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, like our acquisition of an Italian design company recently, add up to a quantum leap in technology,” Mr Mahindra said.

Mr Mahindra also noted that its bidding war with Tata Motors over Ford’s luxury brands didn’t continue because the company “…will never match irrational bidding with irrational bidding”.

posted by admin on Feb 8

When Chrysler introduced its Dodge Challenger SRT Wednesday at the Chicago Auto, it went straight into talking about power. The car was designed to outperform the classic 1970’s Dodge muscle car of the same name.

But after touting the Challenger’s 4.9 second 0-to-60 miles per hour speed, Chrysler vice chairman and president Jim Press reminded the audience of journalists and industry executives that Chrysler features a full line of more practical vehicles.

“This is a great car but its not all we’re building,” Press said. “We’ve got Journey crossover which gets 28 mpg, and the Durango hybrid (sport utility vehicle), those are our vegetables. We’ve got our Ram, which is our meat and potatoes. But you’ve got to have desert, don’t ya’? Trust me, (Challenger) is sweet.”

With a price tag of nearly $38,000, you could also say the 2009 Challenger is rich. However, this initial release is a limited edition and the vehicle’s next model will feature a wider range of prices, the company said.

The updated Challenger embraces its history as a drag-racing favorite, with electronic dashboard gauges that display the vehicle’s 0-60 speed, its quarter-mile driving time and measures the amount of gravitational force the driver is experiencing.

Chrysler’s executive vice president of product development, Frank Klegon, summed up the vehicle up by saying, Challenger is “built by gear heads for gear heads.”

posted by admin on Jan 24

Robert Nardelli, Chrysler CEO, spoke to the Automotive News World Congress last night in Detroit’s iconic Renaissance Center. He didn’t say much that he hasn’t said before but did hit on the following points:

• Chrysler plans to set up “Centers of Excellence” in foreign countries, combining design, engineering and maybe manufacturing into global regions, beginning with Mexico and China. Nardelli stated that, “it’s very important to be insular.”
• The importance and advantages of being private. Chrysler is attempting to transition from being just another division of Daimler to an iconic, brand driven company. Mr. Nardelli razed the name of Harley-Davidson as an example of the power of a private company, even joking that he would get a Pentastar tattoo. He stated that, “The job of bringing back ‘The New Chrysler’ is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
• He also reaffirmed the company’s move to invest $500 million in 260 product enhancements, as well as its new UAW labor agreement.

I’m actually starting to warm up to Robert Nardelli. The industry as a whole was skeptical of letting an outsider run the 3rd most important company in American automotive but I think it might be a good thing. I’ve worked in Detroit automotive and my general impression was that it needs fresh blood. Nardelli is stressing product and marketing, two things sorely missing under the Pentastar in the last few years.

Let us know what you think of Chrysler’s course in the comments

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

posted by admin on Jan 23

What is it about stretched Chrysler 300 limos that are just so cool. Well actually it is quite understandable especially if the have lambo doors like these two. I think Stephen Colbert should be chauffeured around New York in a Chrysler300 limo. Then he wouldn’t be driving his car there and as a man of his stature deserves the very best when seen in public. But which color should he be in white or black ?

Tags: 300C Chrysler 300C Stretched Chrysler 300C Limo