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Marchionne hopes Apple will partner with Fiat

Apple wants to make a car. Fiat already makes cars. Therefore, Apple and Fiat should partner to make an Apple Car. Makes sense, right? Clearly, it's not quite that easy, but FCA chief Sergio Marchionne hopes that Cupertino will consider Fiat a worthy candidate for partnership, assuming, of course, that Apple follows through with its overtures into the automobile industry. Marchionne is, according to Bloomberg, a self-proclaimed "Apple freak" who owns every kind of product Apple makes. He suggests that he understands the tech company's needs and wants. "Apple has a language, and you have to be able to speak that language," said Marchionne. "Usually the industry comes into that dialogue with a high degree of arrogance as we know how to make cars. That's not very helpful as their syntax is worth more than our ability to build cars." By "syntax," we assume Marchionne means Apple's sleek and modern design language more than the code behind its software. It's interesting to note that the FCA CEO seems to indicate that Apple would bring more to any partnership than the automaker would. Fair or not, we'd wager that more buyers would care about a potential Apple Car's design and branding than would be concerned with which automaker helped assembled it. A partnership with Apple may be exactly the kind of cure that the FCA CEO believes ails the auto industry. After finding it impossible to further pursue industry consolidation, a tie-up with the massive tech industry, particularly Apple, could generate some much-needed positive cash flow. At present, though, it's all just conjecture – Apple hasn't offered any hints as to the true nature of its so-called Project Titan automotive project, and doesn't seem likely to anytime soon. Related Video:

U.S. auto sales in April expected to drop despite big discounts

DETROIT — U.S. auto sales in April likely fell nearly 8 percent from the same month in 2017 despite big discounts for consumers, industry consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said on Thursday. For much of the past two years, the discounts offered by automakers have remained at levels that industry analysts say are unsustainable and unhealthy in the long term. April U.S. new vehicle sales will likely be about 1.31 million units, down from 1.42 million units a year earlier, the consultancies said. The forecast was based on the first 17 selling days of April. Automakers, including Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will release April U.S. sales results on May 1. Earlier this month, No. 1 U.S. automaker General Motors said it will stop reporting monthly U.S. sales because the 30-day snapshot does not accurately reflect the market. GM will instead issue quarterly sales reports. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 to 17.23 million units after hitting a record high in 2016. Sales are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. LMC expects full-year 2018 U.S. new vehicle sales to come in at around 17 million units. "Uncertainty and unfavorable factors appear to be mounting for autos, including a volatile stock market, rising interest rates, rising oil prices and potential trade roadblocks," Jeff Schuster, LMC's head of global vehicle forecasts, said in a statement. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales for April will be 16.6 million vehicles, down more than 2 percent from 17 million units in April 2017, the consultancies said. Retail sales to consumers, excluding lower-margin fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses and government, were set to decline about 9 percent in April. The level of consumer discounts, which can erode profit margins and undercut resale values, "remains the larger concern," the consultancies said. The average discount was $3,698, up $187 from April 2017. Discounts on trucks and SUVs were up $426, but down $226 on passenger cars. Reporting by Nick CareyRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Earnings/Financials Chrysler Ford GM JD Power

Junkyard Gem: 1986 Plymouth Horizon

Chrysler imported quite a few Mitsubishis and sold them as Dodge and Plymouth Colts, but the Colts of the 1980s had to compete with the Plymouth Horizon and its Dodge Omni sibling. Based on a Chrysler Europe design, production of the Plymouth Horizon ran in virtually unchanged form from the 1979 through 1990 model years. A simple, cheap econobox, the Plymouth Horizon sold well enough, but was such a disposable car that very few remain today. Here's one that lasted long enough to end its days in a California wrecking yard at age 31. The genealogy of the Omnirizon gets a bit tangled when you go back far enough; the car is based on the chassis design of the 1975 Simca 1307, though by the time it got to Detroit it had evolved considerably. Chrysler was desperate for an American-built economy car during the late 1970s, and the Omnirizon got the job done. The 1978-1982 Horizons had 1.7-liter Volkswagen engines, while the 1983-1986 models came with a 1.6-liter Simca mill as the base engine. The Chrysler 2.2-liter four was an optional Horizon powerplant starting in 1981, and the only engine available from 1987 through the final Horizons built in 1990. This car has the 2.2, rated at 96 horses in 1986. The '86 Horizon weighed a mere 2,100 pounds (about the same as a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage), and so 96 horsepower made it peppy enough by mid-1980s econo-commuter standards. The interior is right out of the Slippery Plastic With Fake Stitching™ playbook, but nobody bought an Omnirizon for the luxury. This car was basically identical to its Dodge Omni sibling, and both had MSRPs of $6,209 in 1986 (about $13,900 in inflation-adjusted 2017 bucks). You could get cheaper new cars in 1986— the $4,995 Hyundai Excel and $3,990 Yugo GV come to mind— but the Omnirizon five-doors were better-built and had the sales advantage of being known quantities. Even by 1986, the Omnirizon was showing its age (though not as much as the amusingly obsolete Chevrolet Chevette, which was sold through the 1987 model year). Still, it remained sufficiently relevant to sell in decent number for another four years. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The pride is back! Featured Gallery Junked 1986 Plymouth Horizon View 14 Photos Auto News Chrysler Hatchback Classics