2022 Chrysler 300 Series Touring L-edition(sticker New Was $41,835) on 2040-cars

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Fiat-Chrysler alliance in jeopardy due to Pentastar's IPO filing?

The four-year relationship between Fiat and Chrysler has thus far been beneficial for both automakers, but it has also proven to be a complicated battle between Sergio Marchionne and the United Auto Workers - the latter controlling the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler. With the recent filing for a US IPO, it looks like Marchionne and the UAW appear to be playing a billion-dollar game of chicken, with both sides far apart on how much the union's shares are worth. If it comes down to Chrysler's remaining stake being publicly traded, it could act to drive a wedge between the two companies.
According to Bloomberg, Fiat's chairman John Elkann says "if the IPO will take place, there will be two companies, and that's different than having a single one." Now, we're not great at math, but this sounds like the complete opposite of the full merger that Marchionne has been pushing for since taking the helm at Chrysler. Bloomberg notes that the UAW's shares should be worth around $5.6 billion, but Fiat could end up paying as little as $4.9 billion for Fiat to gain full control of Chrysler. A story by The Detroit News points out that Marchionne's "alleged low-balling" is just the latest hurdle the Auburn Hills-based automaker must overcome as its ownership is being fought over for the fourth time in 15 years.

5 reasons why GM is cutting jobs, closing plants in a healthy economy

DETROIT — Even though unemployment is low, the economy is growing and U.S. auto sales are near historic highs, General Motors is cutting thousands of jobs in a major restructuring aimed at generating cash to spend on innovation. It's the new reality for automakers that are faced with the present cost of designing gas-powered cars and trucks that appeal to buyers now while at the same time preparing for a future world of electric and autonomous vehicles. GM announced Monday that it will cut as many as 14,000 workers in North America and put five plants up for possible closure as it abandons many of its car models and restructures to focus more on autonomous and electric vehicles. The reductions could amount to as much as 8 percent of GM's global workforce of 180,000 employees. The cuts mark GM's first major downsizing since shedding thousands of jobs in the Great Recession. The company also said it will stop operating two additional factories outside North America by the end of next year. The move to make GM get leaner before the next downturn likely will be followed by Ford Motor Co., which also has struggled to keep one foot in the present and another in an ambiguous future of new mobility. Ford has been slower to react, but says it will lay off an unspecified number of white-collar workers as it exits much of the car market in favor of trucks and SUVs, some of them powered by batteries. Here's a rundown of the reasons behind the cuts: Coding, not combustion CEO Mary Barra said as cars and trucks become more complex, GM will need more computer coders but fewer engineers who work on internal combustion engines. "The vehicle has become much more software-oriented" with millions of lines of code, she said. "We still need many technical resources in the company." Shedding sedans The restructuring also reflects changing North American auto markets as manufacturers continue to shift away from cars toward SUVs and trucks. In October, almost 65 percent of new vehicles sold in the U.S. were trucks or SUVs. That figure was about 50 percent cars just five years ago. GM is shedding cars largely because it doesn't make money on them, Citi analyst Itay Michaeli wrote in a note to investors. "We estimate sedans operate at a significant loss, hence the need for classic restructuring," he wrote. The reduction includes about 8,000 white-collar employees, or 15 percent of GM's North American white-collar workforce. Some will take buyouts while others will be laid off.

2023 Chrysler 300 gets one new option, otherwise unchanged

Chrysler dropped the goss on the 2023 Chrysler 300 sedan, a bit of whispering that took barely half a minute to read. There is one change coming to next year's 300: The entry-level Touring trim gains the option of the SafeyTec Plus Group. That bundle of features includes advanced brake assist, rain-sensing windshield wipers, LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, ParkSense front and rear park assist, auto high-beam headlamp control, Full-speed Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking, adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop, an Alpine audio system with six speakers and a 276-watt amplifier, and an 80-amp alternator. The package costs $2,495 on the next model up, the Touring L, which is probably close to what Chrysler will charge on the Touring. The other new news is a special edition inbound for next year, but the automaker hasn't divulged anything about it. Mopar Insiders says Chrysler will hold a special event at the Detroit Auto Show next week, perhaps we'll find out more then. For a car old enough to have transported Walter P. Chrysler to work and gets effectively zero support in a dying segment, the 300 still looks and performs well and sells adequately. Whereas the Dodge Charger has averaged about 78,000 sales in each of the past two years in the U.S., the 300 had averaged about 17,000 sales in each of the past two years. We'd love to see Chrysler do something — anything — with it before the rumored electric successor arrives. The brand has a huge revamp in the works, though, so we'd also understand Chrysler leaving the old girl in a corner to do her best. Prices haven't been announced yet. We'd expect nominal increases over the current range, which starts at $35,140 for the entry-level rear-wheel-drive Touring and tops out at $46,945 for the 300S with the Hemi V8 before incentives. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.