2007 Chrystler Aspen on 2040-cars

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Trump Administration will look 'very carefully' at FCA/Peugeot deal

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will look very closely at the planned merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday. The deal, announced on Thursday, would create the world's fourth-largest automaker. "We will obviously look at it very, very carefully," Kudlow said on Bloomberg. "The president has not commented on the deal ... We're not afraid of doing business with international companies, Lord knows." When asked about the 12.2% equity stake and 19.5% voting stake China's Dongfeng Motors holds in PSA, Kudlow said: "With respect to the Chinese story, we obviously are alert and on guard." The deal, which would be structured as a 50-50 merger, would create the fourth-largest global automaker with annual sales of nearly 9 million vehicles. Fiat Chrysler told employees the deal could generate synergies of 3.7 billion euros but added "these synergies are NOT based on closing plants." Fiat Chrysler declined to comment. There has been speculation Dongfeng might sell its holdings, which could help ease the deal's passage through U.S. regulators, given U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. "We will welcome a good deal. We hope it will get more production in the United States, more factories and workers and employment in the U.S. And with respect to the Chinese angle, we will take a careful look at it," Kudlow said. Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday that "teams at both companies are working to finalize discussions and reach a Memorandum of Understanding in the coming weeks."

Chrysler prices updated 2021 Voyager and Pacifica line

Chrysler is updating the Voyager and the Pacifica with a fresh design, available all-wheel drive, plus a handful of improvements inside and out for the 2021 model year. Unsurprising, the changes come with a higher price. Priced at $28,730 including a mandatory $1,495 destination charge, the Voyager L remains the company's entry-level model, and it's $250 more expensive than the 2020 model. Next up is the LX, which starts at $31,540. It's followed by the fleet-only LXi model; if you operate a fleet, or if you're just curious, it's priced at $34,740. Moving up, the Pacifica is a nicer alternative to the Voyager with additional features, a more upscale look, and a correspondingly higher price. It's also offered with all-wheel drive and with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, though the two options are not compatible. The entry point into the range is the Touring priced at $36,540 including the aforementioned destination charge, which is a $1,000 increase compared to the 2020 model.   Related: Least expensive vehicles to insure in America   New for 2021, all-wheel drive is a long-awaited $2,995 option that brings the Touring's price up to $39,535, while selecting the hybrid model bumps that figure to $41,490. Interestingly, the Touring and Touring L models are the only front-wheel drive, non-electrified variants of the Pacifica. Called Limited and Pinnacle, respectively, the next two are only available with one or the other, and they're priced accordingly. The top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Pinnacle is priced in luxury car territory at $54,885, while the hybrid starts at $52,340.  It's worth mentioning the positioning of the all-wheel drive and hybrid models is reversed as buyers move up in the trim hierarchy. Shop for a Touring L, and you'll pay $1,155 more for a hybrid van than for one equipped with all-wheel drive. Step up to the Pinnacle model, and all-wheel drive costs $2,545 more than the hybrid system. 2021 marks the end of the 35th Anniversary and Red S models. Don't expect a 36th, 37th, or 38th Anniversary model to appear, but a sportier-looking version along the lines of the Red S could reappear. Built in Canada, the 2021 Chrysler Voyager and 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will begin arriving in American showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2020. Although the minivan segment isn't nearly as important as it once was, it's still relatively big and several of its main players are receiving comprehensive updates for 2021.

Chrysler 200 prototype spied for first time with new body

Chrysler is deep into testing for its next-generation 200 sedan, a new model that is utterly essential to the brand's continued health. The next iteration is tasked with wiping away anything reminiscent of the Sebring, which the current 200 is still based on. According to our spy, this is one of the first of the new 200s to wear a production body rather than the Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based mules that are thick on the ground in Auburn Hills.
Immediately apparent is that the new 200 ditches the awkwardly styled C-pillar that's typified four-door 200 sedans (and Sebrings before them) for years. The new, sleeker roofline is almost more of a four-door coupe than a traditional sedan, which hints that this new car will try to be more fashion-forward than its predecessor. The rear deck is set off by a sporty decklid spoiler, while a set of staggered rectangular exhaust pipes poke out of the bumper.
The front end appears sleeker, and we'd be lying if we didn't spy a bit of Dart through the camouflage, particularly with the headlights. A large, gaping lower air intake is visible, although our spy seems to think it'll shrink before production models debut. Whatever the new 200 ends up looking like, we expect to see a lot more of its styling from Chrysler in the coming years.