2022 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L on 2040-cars

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Lee Iacocca, Chrysler's savior and godfather of the Mustang, dies at 94

Lee Iacocca, a charismatic U.S. auto industry executive and visionary, who gave America the Ford Mustang and Chrysler minivan, and was celebrated for saving Chrysler from going out of business, died at the age of 94, the Washington Post reported. He died Tuesday at his home in Bel-Air, California of complications from Parkinson's disease, his daughter Lia Iacocca Assad told the Post. During a nearly five-decade career in Detroit that began in 1946 at Ford Motor Co, the proud son of Italian immigrants made the covers of Time, Newsweek and the New York Times Sunday Magazine in stories portraying him as the avatar of the American Auto Age. One of the first celebrity U.S. chief executives, his autobiography made best-seller lists in the mid-1980s. Iacocca was a cracker-jack salesman. He encouraged his design teams to be bold, and they responded with sports cars that appealed to baby boomers in the 1960s, fuel-efficient models when gasoline prices soared in the 1970s, and the first-ever, family-oriented minivan in the 1980s that led its segment in sales for 25 years. "I don't know an auto executive that I've ever met who has a feel for the American consumer the way he does," late United Auto Workers Union President Douglas Fraser had said. "He's the greatest communicator who's ever come down the pike in the history of the industry." Iacocca also had some duds, such as the Ford Pinto, an economy car that became notorious for exploding fuel tanks. "You don't win 'em all," he said of the Pinto. Iacocca won a place in business history when he pulled Chrysler, now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, from the brink of collapse in 1980, rallying support in U.S. Congress for $1.2 billion in federally guaranteed loans and persuading suppliers, dealers and union workers to make sacrifices. He cut his salary to $1 a year. Iacocca was often described as a demanding and volatile boss who sometimes clashed with fellow executives. "He could get mad as hell at you, and once it was done he let it go. He wouldn't stay mad," said Bud Liebler, vice president of communications at Chrysler during the 1980s and 1990s. "He liked to bring an issue to its head, get it resolved. You always knew where you stood with him." Iacocca often spoke of his immigrant roots and how America rewards hard work.

2020 Chrysler 300 gets new colors, a new package, and new prices

Although the Chrysler 300 is doing a pretty good impression of a listless, drifting ghost ship, there are product planners at the helm, and they have giveth and taken away for the 2020 model year. As with the last time we got news about the 300, some of this comes from Mopar Insiders instead of Fiat Chrysler, and it appears the Chrysler build site hasn't caught up to everything yet. Perhaps most important to prospective buyers, which is reflected on the build page, prices have risen anywhere from $50 to $370 across the lineup. The 2020 prices and the changes compared to 2019 are: Touring RWD, $29,590 (+$120) Touring AWD, $32,340 (+$370) Touring L RWD, $33,115 (Unchanged) Touring L AWD, $35,865 (+$250) S RWD, $36,695 (+$50) Limited RWD, $38,595 (+$100) S AWD, $39,445 (+$300) Limited AWD, $41,345 (+$350) C RWD, $41,995 (+$50) The Sport Appearance Package on the Touring trim needs a little more money, too, going from $1,295 to $1,495. The package puts on a 300S grille with a black chrome surround, gloss black window surrounds, black headlight bezels, black LED taillights, bright chrome wing badges with black inserts, and 20-inch Black Noise wheels on the RWD model, 19-inchers on the AWD. From last year's palette of eight colors, two are no more: Maximum Steel and Ceramic Grey. Frostbite, a popular white offered on the Dodge Challenger and Charger, has been added to the 300's choices. New hues Amethyst and Canyon Sunset will be added but are late availability. Inside, Black/Linen and Mocha interior colors increase the choice. The $475 Interior Appearance Group that brought features like bright pedals and premium floor mats has been done away with, too. The build site doesn't show the Red S Appearance Package for the 300S trim, but it's a thing. The option includes Black Noise exterior badging with red inserts on the wing badge, a red "S" badge on the decklid, and 20-inch Black Noise wheels on the RWD model. It can be paired with a new Radar Red interior which is also nowhere to be found on the configurator. The Red S Appearance Package can be paired with any exterior color except Frostbite, and costs $295.

Maserati Levante will borrow Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid's PHEV powertrain

The plug-in hybrid tech from the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan will move seriously upmarket into a future version of the Maserati Levante crossover. The PHEV model should arrive around early 2018 or possibly the end of 2017, division boss Harald Wester told Motor Trend. Wester was blunt about the reason for using the minivan's powertrain. "A standalone program would be suicidal so we have to look at FCA," he said to Motor Trend. However, he expects the PHEV to comprise a tiny portion of the luxury CUV's sales volume – possibly as low as six percent. The Pacifica Hybrid will be the first PHEV minivan in the US when it arrives in the second half of 2016. The powertrain combines a 3.6-liter V6 that runs on the more efficient Atkinson cycle, and two electric motors, which are in the gearbox. A 16-kWh lithium-ion battery under the floor stores the energy for the system. Chrysler estimates the setup can carry the minivan 30 miles purely on electric power and achieve 80 MPGe. The first examples of the Levante should arrive in the US in August, according to Motor Trend. Maserati plans initially to offer its luxury crossover here with two twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6s. Base models use a version with 350 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. The S trim gets some extra grunt thanks to a tune that makes 430 hp and 427 lb-ft. Both models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and a limited-slip differential. The Maserati will have a fleet of posh, European crossovers to fight against, and the PHEV will possibly offer an edge to entice a few green-minded, wealthy customers. Related Video: