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Reid Bigland appointed CEO of Alfa Romeo, Maserati

There's been a big shakeup in Fiat Chrysler's leadership team, as head of US sales and FCA Canada CEO Reid Bigland will replace Harald Wester as the chief exec for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Wester will retain his position as chief technical officer of FCA. Both men will hang onto their positions on FCA's Group Executive Council. The move is an interesting one considering the widely publicized issues at both Alfa and Maserati. Alfa Romeo's problems are almost too many to list. The brand has promised a full-scale return to the US market for more than a decade, but faced repeated delays. Its latest volume model, the Giulia, is being savaged by reviewers over quality issues, and the company has frequently pushed its upcoming CUV back. If that were the only problem, it'd be annoying, but according to Automotive News, Alfa's relaunch is also considerably over budget. Maserati is an entirely different can of worms. Alongside Alfa, it's been stung by a slow Chinese market. Profits are down, according to Automotive News, and it's been widely rumored that the company will delay its next sports car, the Alfieri, until 2018 – it was previously promised for this year. Meanwhile, two of its three other models, the Quattroporte and GranTurismo, are dangerously long in the tooth, and the Levante is still months away from US sales. Can Bigland sort these issues out? Maybe. As Sergio Marchionne said in his official statement, "[Bigland] has an extraordinary record of growing sales and market share in the US and Canada over the last 7 years at FCA, including leading the growth and positioning of the Ram and Dodge brands for part of that time."

Next Chrysler Town & Country will have foot-operated rear doors

Families are still months away from actually seeing the next-gen Chrysler Town & Country debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, but details are continuing to trickle out about the upcoming minivan. Among several features rumored in the latest leak, the sliding doors and rear hatch are reportedly optional with foot activation, according to Automotive News. It should make loading the van easier for owners with their hands full. The T&C's powertrain sees some efficiency improvements, too. Under the hood, expect an upgraded version of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and the already rumored nine-speed automatic, according to Automotive News. For the all-wheel-drive version of the minivan, an electric motor would provide the propulsion at the rear axle. Inside, all of the passengers can arrive with their devices fully charged thanks to USB ports for each of the three rows. Plus, for owners who need to make room to haul, the Stow 'N Go seating is now easier to use, too. Like the latest Honda Odyssey, fastidious buyers might even spec an optional vacuum. Earlier spy shots of the van indicate the switch to a rotary gearshift and upgraded infotainment, as well. Following the Detroit debut, the T&C goes into production in Windsor, Ontario, in late February 2016, Automotive News reports. The plug-in hybrid version would come towards the end of the year possibly capable of 75 mpge.

Waymo heads to Atlanta to test its self-driving cars

Waymo continues to expand the pool of locations where it's testing its autonomous vehicle tech, and the latest destination is metro Atlanta. The former Google self-driving car company revealed the news on Twitter, noting that it's expanding considerably its geographic testing footprint now that it's got fully driverless test vehicles on the road in Phoenix. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Its test cars in cities outside of Arizona still have safety drivers at the wheel, but the more places it can get its Pacificas with autonomous tech on roads, the better for building an autonomous driving "brain" that can handle anything it encounters. Atlanta has some specific challenges, including bad traffic (commute and traffic issues are ranked among the worst locations in the U.S.) and one of the more dense greater metro areas in the U.S., and temperatures that regularly reach a humid 80+ degrees Fahrenheit. Metro Atlanta marks Waymo's 25th test city in total, including its recent return to San Francisco. Its testing so far has consisted of mapping the city with manually driven Waymo vehicles ahead of launching its testing program in full. A Waymo spokesperson provided the following statement to TechCrunch regarding the expansion: Now that we have the world's first fleet of fully self-driving cars on public roads, we're focused on taking our technology to a wide variety of cities and environments. We're looking forward to our testing in Metro Atlanta, and the opportunity to bring this lifesaving technology to more people in more places. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal also provided the statement below: With our talented workforce and legacy of innovation, Georgia is at the forefront of the most dynamic, cutting edge industries like autonomous vehicles. We are thrilled to welcome Waymo to our state because fully self-driving vehicle technology holds tremendous potential to improve road safety, and we are proud Georgia is paving the way for the future of transportation. Reporting by Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch.Related Video: Image Credit: Waymo Green Chrysler Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Waymo