2002 Chrysler Pt Cruiser Base Wagon 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Chevy Bolt wins 2017 Green Car of the Year

We knew that a plug-in vehicle was going to win the 2017 Green Car of the Year award this year, given that all five finalists have a way to charge up. And when Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, announced the winner – the 2017 Chevy Bolt EV – he said that the car itself represents one of those times in the auto industry when everything is about to change. Similar to the invention of the starter motor, things are about to get different. For now, though, the fact that the Bolt EV won an award sounds like the same old thing all over again. Just this week, it was named Motor Trends Car of the Year and to the Car And Driver Top 10 list. The other four finalists for Green Car of the Year included the Toyota Prius Prime, the Chrysler Pacifica, the Kia Optima (including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models) and the BMW 330e iPerformance. Last year, the winner was the 2016 Chevy Volt. Did Green Car Journal make the right selection this year? See the award ceremony below.

Chrysler Pacifica owners report sudden power loss; FCA can’t figure out why

More than 50 owners of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alleging that the vehicle has suddenly lost power while on the road, posing a serious safety risk to owners. The New York Times reports that other Pacifica owners have described similar incidents on a Pacifica online chat forum and on Facebook. The problem seems to be affecting a small fraction of the more than 156,000 Pacificas sold since the minivan was introduced in 2016. No crashes or injuries have been linked to the problem, and dealers have been unable to replicate the issue on affected vehicles they have examined. Fiat Chrysler says it's looking into the problem but hasn't been able to identify the source. FCA spokesman Eric Mayne told the Times the company "is unaware of any injuries by accidents associated with these complaints" but takes customer concerns seriously. He said there was no indication that airbags or seatbelt tension were compromised by the issue. The Pacifica's airbags remain operational even when the vehicle loses power.Search for recall news on our hub. Try Autoblog's Car Finder to search for your next new vehicle. One owner, Adam Cohen, of Leesburg, Va., said his 2017 Pacifica shut down twice while his wife was driving it. He's been discussing the issue with Chrysler engineers and quality officials in recent weeks and even wrote to FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne. "They want to put a data recorder on my Pacifica and have me take it back and drive it around," he told the Times. "I told them they should drive it themselves and wait for it to happen. I don't want my family to be their test dummies. And that's where it stands. We're at a deadlock."Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Pacifica: First Drive View 35 Photos Image Credit: Christopher McGraw / Autoblog Auto News Chrysler Driving Safety Minivan/Van new york times

FCA's European boss quits after losing out as Marchionne's replacement

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler's European boss has quit, adding to the problems facing new CEO Mike Manley, who must deliver on promises to boost production of SUVs and catch up with rivals in electric cars. Jeep division head Manley was named on Saturday to succeed Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, one of the auto industry's most tenacious and respected leaders, who fell seriously ill after suffering complications following surgery. It emerged on Monday that Alfredo Altavilla, head of Fiat Chrysler's business in the Europe, Middle East Africa had resigned, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. He had been a rival for the top job along with Manley and Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer. It's another complication to new CEO Manley's task of executing his predecessor's plan to keep the world's seventh-largest carmaker competitive in the absence of a merger. Marchionne had been due to step down next April, so the market reaction was limited on Monday. The shares initially fell more than 5 percent, but then pared some losses and were down 2.4 percent by 0930 GMT. "The downside may be modest, at least in the next 12 months. But long-term concerns will build — Marchionne ran FCA in a command and control style, with constant firefighting measures," said Bernstein analyst Max Warburton. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) said British-born Manley would pursue the strategy that Marchionne outlined last month. FCA has pledged to increase production of sport utility vehicles and invest in electric and hybrid cars to double operating profit by 2022. It also unveiled bold targets for Jeep, which has become FCA's ticket to creating a high-margin brand with global appeal. Reviving struggling brands Analysts said that choosing Manley, 54, under whose watch Jeep's sales surged fourfold, sent a clear message that FCA was staying on course and would keep the Jeep brand at the heart of its growth plan. "Manley knows that his primary focus is on execution and that, already, he has a strategy into which his team has bought," said George Galliers, an analyst at Evercore ISI. "There is no reason the 2022 plan cannot be executed." Under Manley, the company is expected to sharpen its focus on revamping individual brands, including ailing Fiat in Europe, Chrysler in the United States and Alfa Romeo, which has yet to turn a profit despite multibillion-euro investments.