2002 Chrysler Pt Cruiser Limited Edition on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler celebrates 90 years with special trim levels

Ninety years is a long time for any business to stick around, and it's especially difficult in the auto industry. Chrysler is celebrating the milestone this year by loading on extra tech with 90th Anniversary Edition packages for the 200, 300, and Town & Country. Chrysler's 90th Anniversary Edition for the 2016 300 is based on the Limited trim, and it includes an 8.4-inch UConnect infotainment system with navigation, SiriusXM radio, and a custom splash screen. In addition, buyers get a dual-pane sunroof and floor mats with the anniversary logo. Separately, the 2016 300S is available with a retuned suspension and steering that includes increased spring rates, larger sway bars, and set of Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. The 200's 90th Anniversary Edition is also based on the Limited trim, and the package adds an 8.4-inch Uconnect system without navigation, sunroof, heated mirrors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power seats, and custom floor mats. For 2016, the Limited also has blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection as a standalone option, and it and the S version get a standard backup camera. The 200C now comes with a heated steering wheel, as well. Finally, the Town & Country is due for a replacement in early 2016, but the current version gets to celebrate the 90th anniversary, too. Based on the Touring-L trim, the package adds a power sunroof, bright door handles, heated seats for the first two rows, a heated steering wheel, and keyless ignition. Plus, there are special logos on the splash screen and floor mats. 90th Anniversary of Chrysler Brand Marked by Nearly Complete Refresh of Vehicle Lineup September 1, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - With two of the brand's three vehicles either recently renewed – from the refreshed flagship and iconic 300 full-size sedan earlier this year, to the completely new 200 mid-size sedan last year – Chrysler is gaining momentum. Add to that the upcoming sixth-generation of the vehicle that created the minivan segment more than 30 years ago, coming next year, and that qualifies for a serious roll. 2015 also marks the Chrysler Brand's 90th year, which it will celebrate by offering special 90th anniversary models of its 300, 200 and Town & Country models. "Clearly 2015 is a very exciting time for the Chrysler Brand," said Al Gardner, President and CEO - Chrysler Brand, FCA — North America.

This or That: 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 vs. 1984 Pontiac Fiero

Welcome to another round of This or That, where two Autoblog editors pick a topic, pick a side and pull no punches. Last round pitted yours truly against Associate Editor Brandon Turkus, and my chosen VW Vanagon Syncro narrowly defeated Brandon's 1987 Land Rover. In fact, it was, by far, the closest round we've seen, with 1,907 voters seeing things my way (for 50.8 percent of the vote) versus 1,848 votes for Brandon's Rover (49.2 percent). Sweet, sweet victory! For this latest round of This or That, I've roped Editor Greg Migliore into what I think is a rather fun debate. We've each chosen our favorite terrible cars, setting a price limit of $10,000 to make sure neither of us went too crazy with our automotive atrocities. I think we've both chosen terribly... and I mean that in the best way possible. 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Jeremy Korzeniewski: Why It's Terrible: Taken in isolation, the Chrysler Crossfire isn't necessarily a terrible car. In fact, it drives pretty darn well, and there's a lot of solid engineering under its slinky shape. Problem is, that engineering was already rather long in the tooth well before Chrysler ever got its hands on it, having come from Mercedes-Benz, which used the basic chassis and drivetrain in a previous version of its SLK coupe and roadster. Granted, the SLK was an okay car, too, but even when new, it hardly set the world on fire with sporty driving dynamics. Chrysler took these decent-but-no-more bits and pieces from the Mercedes parts bin – remember, this car was conceived in the disastrous Merger Of Equals days – and covered them with a rather attractive hard-candy shell. Unfortunately, the super sporty shape wrote checks in the minds of buyers that its well-worn mechanicals were simply unable to cash, though an injection of power courtesy of a supercharged V6 engine in the SRT6 model, as seen here, certainly helped ease some of those woes. In the end, Chrysler was left with a so-called halo car that looked the part but never quite performed the part. It was almost universally panned by critics as an overpriced parts-bin special, which, I must add, was damningly accurate. As a result, sales were very slow, and within the first few months, dealers were clearancing the car at cut-rate prices, just to keep them from taking up too much of the showroom floor. Why It's Not That Terrible, After All: I can speak from personal experience when discussing the Chrysler Crossfire. You see, I owned one. Well, sort of...

Jeep will build old Wranglers next to new ones in Toledo

Jeep made a lot of people happy when it confirmed that the next-generation Wrangler would continue to be built in Toledo, OH. Now, news is breaking about the lengths the automaker will go to in updating its northern Ohio factory. There's good news for Jeep dealers (more Wranglers to sell!), Jeep fans (more JKs to buy!), and Jeep itself (more money to be made!). According to a report from Automotive News, capacity at the factory will be increased to 350,000 units per year. That's around a 50 percent increase over what the Toledo complex can currently manage and is, according to Jeep boss Mike Manley, part of a move to keep production "at the right place" so "supply [stays] just behind demand." The other big news revealed by the AN report focuses on the future of the current Wrangler. Yes, the current JK has a future. It'll continue to be built at the Toledo factory up to six months after it successor arrives in showrooms, a move that's partially down to the way Jeep is shuffling production about. Toledo currently builds the Cherokee on a unibody production line – it'll continue to do so until March of 2017, when production will move to Belvidere, IL. The unibody line in Toledo will then be converted for body-on-frame production, which should take about six months. But during that time, the current JK (likely rebadged as a "Wrangler Classic") will continue to be built alongside another line of next-generation Wranglers, keeping dealers supplied with the today's Wrangler through March of 2018. The two Wranglers will overlap for about six months. This is all very good news if you've been waiting to pull the trigger on today's Wrangler. But move quickly – the clock is officially ticking. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Fiat Jeep FCA toledo Mike Manley