2008 Chrysler Pt Cruiser Base Wagon 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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2015 Ram 1500 Rebel is rugged, oddly styled

Feeling rebellious? Ram has you covered for 2015 with its new 1500 Rebel model, which, though nowhere near as focused as the Ford F-150 Raptor with which you may think it competes, is skewed toward the always-nebulous "outdoor lifestyle" set that marketing teams the world over seem to covet so much. For such hiking/camping or otherwise outdoorsy types, the Ram Rebel offers an extra inch of suspension travel over regular-grade 1500 models, along with 33-inch tires, a new bumper that affords a better approach angle, tow hooks and a center skid plate. Those are the kind of upgrades many buyers consider mandatory for basic off-road capability, and it's nice that Ram has baked them into a single model. We're less enthused by the in-your-face styling of the rebel, particularly up front, where the traditional crosshair grille has been replaced by a protruding proboscis that's nothing if not unique. There's also massive RAM lettering on the tailgate, just in case you weren't sure who made the Rebel... The show truck's red exterior is mimicked inside, and the leather seats are embossed in a tire-tread pattern. Subtle, it is not. Buyers will have the choice of a 3.6-liter V6 or 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, mated to an automatic transmission and the choice of two- or four-wheel drive, though we don't understand why anyone would choose a Rebel without 4x4. In any case, check out the live pics above and the press release and videos below for more details. New 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel Makes a Statement 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel takes advantage of exclusive air suspension in order to offer increased ride height Standard 33-inch tires provide capability and rugged looks First time 3.92 axle ratio available on 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine Equipped with factory lift, skid plates, tow hooks and other off-road-ready features New front grille design a significant styling departure for Ram Truck brand New interior colors and materials, including Radar Red and Black seats with tire tread-matching pattern January 13, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The new 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel brings a one-of-a-kind off-road design to the full-size truck segment. "Offering an off-road-style package on the Ram 1500 has been on our to-do list for some time but the right combination didn't present itself until now," said Bob Hegbloom, President and CEO - Ram Truck Brand, FCA US LLC.

Fiat Chrysler's dealers and mechanics to reopen on Monday in Italy

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday its Italian network of approved dealers and mechanic workshops would reopen on May 4, when the country is set to start lifting a national lockdown put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. A package of health and safety measures for workers and clients will be put in place across the entire network to comply with the rules set by Rome to prepare for a staged restart of economic activities after weeks of national lockdown triggered by the virus outbreak. A vast majority of FCA's dealers and workshops in Italy are run by private operators, while the automaker directly operates some large ones in big cities. FCA this week resumed van production at its Atessa plant in central Italy and some operations in other Italian plants, including preparatory works at its Melfi facility for the final development of Jeep's new hybrid cars, and at Turin's Mirafiori plant for its new electric 500 small car. Related Video:

Chrysler reportedly to drop 300 sedan, build Portal millennial minivan

Automotive News Canada pointed its divination stick at Chrysler as part of its Future Product Pipeline series. The publication dug up two revelations, one being that the Chrysler 300 has two more years to live, ending production come 2020. The article said nothing about the 300's platform twin, the Dodge Charger. The death of the 300 would leave the Pentastar brand with just one offering, the Pacifica minivan. AN Canada's other revelation was Chrysler would allay that fate by putting the "six-passenger multi-purpose" Portal concept into production for 2020. The automaker that wants to be known for its people haulers introduced the Portal concept at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. The big bang at the time was the Portal having been designed by millennials in Chrysler's design department, specifically for millennial buyers. Feature bait for the confounding demographic included facial and voice recognition so the Portal knew who was in the car and could tailor the driving environment and cockpit to their tastes; a panoramic dashboard; a configurable interior so the owner can create space where needed, up front or in the cargo area; vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure tech; upgradeable Level 3 autonomy; a retractable aviation-like steering wheel; and customizable light signatures. We didn't get many specs on the show car, but the all-electric powertain employed a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery, had a range of at least 250 miles, and could restore 150 of those miles in 20 minutes hooked up to a DC fast charger. Reasonable specs for a real vehicle. It wouldn't be an outrageous move for Chrysler to create a production version of the Portal. When the concept came to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told media he intended to roll out the "fifth generation" of family cars — the next evolution of the wagon-minivan-SUV-crossover progression — and he expected the Portal or something similar to make production at some point. The Detroit News predicted we'd get a Portal sometime after 2018. Tim Kuniskis, then head of FCA passenger cars in North America, said the company viewed the Portal as that fifth-gen product and "the future of family transportation." On top of that, the designers based the front-wheel-drive Portal on the Pacifica's platform, and Marchionne was vocal in his desire for another retail product on that architecture. He had said, "I need another minivan.