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Ferrari, Fiat, McLaren, Nissan join coronavirus ventilator efforts

Siare Engineering, Italy's largest manufacturer of hospital ventilators, has turned to Italian automakers Ferrari and Fiat to investigate the possibility that the automakers might help produce more of the live-saving machines that are urgently needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Italian government has asked Siare to increase ventilator production from 160 per month to 500 as the country's death toll has surpassed 3,400 and is climbing rapidly.  "We're talking to Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari and Marelli to try to understand if they can lend us a hand in this process for the electronics part," Gianluca Preziosa, Siare's chief executive said in an interview quoted by Reuters, adding that the car companies' expertise in electronics and pneumatics could make them ideal partners. Preziosa said that another advantage of partnering with carmakers was their purchasing power, making them more likely to obtain parts that his small firm was struggling to secure amid coronavirus-related disruption to global supply chains. A spokesman for Exor, parent of both FCA and Ferrari, said that meetings with Siare had taken place on Thursday to study the feasibility of the idea and that a decision was expected in the coming hours. Two main options were being considered: either to help Siare engineer a capacity increase at its plant, with the support of technicians provided by FCA and Ferrari, or outsource production of ventilator parts to the carmakers' facilities. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ferrari would be ready to start manufacturing ventilator parts in its famous Maranello headquarters, which lies close to the Siare factory, but that the luxury carmaker had yet to make a final decision. Automakers worldwide are being drafted for ventilator duty. In addition to Ford and GM making plans with the U.S. government; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaching out to Ford, Honda and Rolls-Royce; and an Elon Musk tweeted offer to build ventilators "if there is a shortage," other automakers and aerospace companies are joining in. In Europe, three groups have formed. Meggitt, which builds components including oxygen systems for civil aerospace and military fighter programs, is leading one consortium alongside engineers GKN, Thales and Renishaw. The other two teams are being led by carmakers McLaren, which is looking at how to design a simple version of a ventilator, and Nissan, which is working with others to support existing ventilator producers.

2020 Chrysler Pacifica pricing set: Here's how Voyager and Pacifica lineups compare

Fiat-Chrysler shooed the irritant Dodge Grand Caravan out of the product mix for cannibalizing Pacifica sales, then created the Voyager to lure minivan buyers who need an inexpensive minivan fix across the lot. The 2020 Voyager L and LX, which replace the entry-level Pacifica L and Pacifica LX, costs $250 less than the respective 2019 Pacifica models. Chrysler's held the line on the starter Pacifica pricing while revamping the trim arrangement. For 2020, the Pacifica Touring becomes the base retail Pacifica model, and the Touring Plus goes away. Cars Direct has found that the 2020 minivan in base Touring trim will cost $34,990 after a $1,495 destination fee. That's the same price as the 2019 Touring Plus. Let's explain the trims before we get to the rest of the pricing, because it's a little funky. In 2019, the trim steps went Pacifica L, LX, fleet-only Touring, Touring Plus, Touring L, Touring L Plus, and Limited. Those first three iterations have become Voyagers L, LX, and LXi — the fleet-only 2019 Pacifica Touring has been replaced by the fleet-only 2020 Voyager LXi. So we'll recap the entire price lineup to make it clearer: Voyager L, $28,480 ($250 less than the 2019 Pacifica L) Voyager LX, $31,290 ($250 less than the 2019 Pacifica LX) Voyager LXi (fleet), $34,490 ($500 less than the now-retired, fleet-only 2019 Pacifica Touring) Pacifica Touring, $34,990 (Same price as the now-retired 2019 Pacifica Plus) Pacifica Touring L, $38,240 ($50 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L 35th Anniversary, $40,230 ($75 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L Plus, $41,040 ($100 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L Plus 35th Anniversary, $42,335 ($225 less than in 2019) Pacifica Limited, $45,940 ($250 less than in 2019) Pacifica Limited 35th Anniversary, $46,735 ($150 less than in 2019) Now that Fiat-Chrysler's rationalized the offerings, the absence of advanced technology features on the Voyager trims won't surprise anyone. Voyager infotainment begins and ends with the seven-inch Uconnect touchscreen; the larger 8.4-inch screen is forbidden. The Voyager LXi becomes the fleet model, sparing the Pacifica nameplate that ignominy. Driver assistance tech in Voyagers will be limited to the cost-extra rear park assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic detection. Adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking aren't offered. If you want those, you have to shift up to the Pacifica Touring, which can add them with the $995 Advanced Safetytec Group.

Chrysler 300 SRT dead in US, updated elsewhere

The Chrysler 300 SRT is officially dead here in the US, but the sedan's big V8 continues to rumble in a handful of other markets around the world. In fact, the model just received a refresh abroad to fit the standard version's recently updated styling. According to Car and Driver, customers in countries like Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, and a few other places can stop by their local Chrysler dealer soon to pick up some of this imported muscle. For the refresh, the 300 SRT's 6.4-liter V8 remains under the hood producing 470 horsepower, and it's now hooked up to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The styling also gets some updates like LED lights in the lower air dam, a reshaped mesh grille with the SRT logo, and a simplified design for the taillights. If it seems odd to go to the work of updating the 300 SRT's styling, while killing off the model in the US, the reason has to do with FCA's brand strategy here. Dodge is supposed to be the automaker's performance marque in America, and according to Car and Driver, Jeep gets to keep SRT branding on the Grand Cherokee because of the brawny SUV's popularity. That might not last much longer, because reports suggest a Hellcat-powered Trackhawk is on the way. Related Video: