1941 Chrysler New Yorker on 2040-cars

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FCA to idle Belvidere Jeep plant again for a week in February

Bloomberg reports that Fiat Chrysler will shut down the Belvidere, Ill., plant that assembles the Jeep Cherokee for a week this month, starting February 17. FCA has been tweaking the plant's headcount and production schedule for a while now, usually downward. The automaker laid off 1,371 workers last February and fired 32 more in May, the same month it eliminated the third production shift. In August, the automaker shut down the plant for one week, then did so again for two weeks last month. As in August and January, FCA explained this month's idling by saying it needs to get production in alignment with demand. Cherokee sales declined 20% in the U.S. last year, helping to account for Jeep's overall 5% domestic drop in 2019. On top of the shutdown, FCA is offering buyouts to certain plant workers among the 3,600 hourly and 300 salaried personnel. The choices are either taking a "separation package" that comes with a $60,000 lump sum payment, or accepting voluntary termination that pays a lump sum based on seniority. Employees that choose a buyout can't return to Chrysler, becoming no longer "eligible for recall, rehire or reemployment." Belvidere personnel have until March 11 to make their decisions. Bloomberg says the aim is to reduce the number of workers with more seniority and higher pay grades; a company spokesperson said the move would "create opportunities for those employees still on layoff," who were lesser-paid. Around 900 of those laid-off workers remain on standby for reassignment to another plant. Analysts predict a soft year for car sales, so FCA might not be the only automaker pruning the rolls. Early estimates have come in below 17 million, and if that comes true, 2020 will be the slowest year since 2014, when 16,531,070 units left lots. The new contract between FCA and the UAW made provisions for Belvidere, which has tempered talk of a total shutdown.The automaker will invest $55 million for "fresh models/features off of the current (KL) platform" that underpins the Cherokee as well as the Chinese-market Jeep Grand Commander (it was previously used for the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200). Outside of that, some observers think the carmaker could be planning a three-row Chrysler crossover based on the KL platform, akin to the Grand Commander, for the United States. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2023 Chrysler 300C Final Drive: Saying goodbye to an American great

DETROIT — ItÂ’s easy to dismiss the Chrysler 300 as an automotive has-been. A relic of another time. A once-powerful, now-dusty piece of history relegated to another era — and the taxi fleet. A weathered 300 is ubiquitous in this area, and the car has disappeared from non-domestic-leaning parts of the country, long overshadowed by the brasher, more powerful Dodge Charger and Challenger. ThatÂ’s also a short-sighted view. When a car is on its way out, its long-standing supporters cling to sepia-toned memories while everyone else has already moved on. In this case, the 300 is going out right. In style. At full power. After a few years of slow sales and solid yet unspectacular power, Chrysler restored the 300C to the lineup, complete with the 6.4-liter V8 and its 485 horses.  IÂ’m testing one of just 2,000 300C models that will be produced for the 2023 model year. After that, the 300 as we know it is done. The entire run (plus 200 for Canada) solid out in 12 hours, so IÂ’m cognizant IÂ’m driving something significant this week. As a refresher, this isnÂ’t the 5.7-liter V8 with a respectable 363 ponies available on the 300S Touring. This is the 392-cubic-inch hooligan offered in the Dodge Scat Packs. ItÂ’s worthy of the “C” — signifying performance — that 300 models have worn since 1955.  The 6.4-liter rumbles and has a deep echo. ThereÂ’s bass to it and a sense of menace. ItÂ’s not that common to drive naturally aspirated V8s these days, even in large sedans, and it makes a difference. Sixty miles per hour comes on in 4.3 seconds. The 300C still has its fastball. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in the Hellcat Dodges is loud and then howls. The 6.4-liter simmers angrily and then barks. Reports say Stellantis simply didnÂ’t have enough Hellcat engines to go around to further boost the 300, but IÂ’ve long felt the NA 392 is a more visceral experience. It certainly feels right in the 300C. It also hews closer to history: The original 300C SRT-8 ran a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter. “The performance factor of the car was always there,” Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles said. It reminds me of the scene in “Gladiator” when Maximus (Russell Crowe) emerges from a fight at the Colosseum. Bloodied and dirty, the crowd and the Centurians guarding him realize this isnÂ’t a random fighter thrust out for the entertainment of the crowd. Unmasked, heÂ’s revealed to be one of RomeÂ’s great generals. With this engine, the 300C no longer feels dusty.

Historic race cars highlight the RM Sotheby's 2023 Le Mans sale

Auction house RM Sotheby's is celebrating 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans by organizing a big sale on the day before the race. The cars scheduled to cross the auction block have all spent time on the track, and the catalog shows how racers have evolved since the 1930s. Browsing through RM's auction catalog is like taking a five-minute course in the history of racing. The oldest car is a 1932 Aston Martin Le Mans 'LM8' that's had a remarkable life. It was developed and built for competition and entered in the 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Aston Martin factory team, where it finished seventh. It was ultimately sold to a private owner but it survived, which shouldn't be taken for granted: teams often destroyed obsolete race cars, and the list of special vehicles that didn't survive World War II is longer than you'd think. Paul Sykes bought the car in 1955 and used it as his daily driver. Imagine walking out of a shop in a British village in the 1960s and finding a 1932 race car parked next to your Mini. Sykes ultimately bought another daily driver, but he kept the Aston Martin for a total of 55 years. The second-oldest car is a 1936 Delahaye 135 S with a body by coach builder Pourtout. RM notes that this is one of the most significant pre-war competition Delahaye models and adds that it finished second in the 1938 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It continued racing until 1956 and then spent several decades hidden in storage. It was fully restored in 2005, and it's now eligible to compete in historic races such as the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans Classic. Restoring it was easier said than done: the car was rebodied twice before being tucked away. None of the cars crossing the block were built in the 1940s, so we skip ahead to the 1950s with a 1954 OSCA MT4 by Morelli. It's one of 72 built, according to RM, and only 19 of those were fitted with the twin-cam, 1.5-liter 2AD engine. It raced at Le Mans in 1954 but ended up disqualified following an accident. Another highlight from the 1950s is a 1958 Lister-Jaguar 'Knobbly' finished in yellow and green. We said that all of the cars crossing the block have spent time on the track, but that doesn't mean they were built to race. The 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series III is a street-legal model, yet it's included in the auction because it was used as a safety car during the 1963 edition of the race.