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Chrysler's next-gen minivans will get more expensive

Chrysler introduced the value-oriented Great American Package on the base model Chrysler 300 in 2005. That morphed into the American Value Package available as an option on the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2012, which made it the lowest-priced minivan in the country, now with an MSRP of $21,395. Automotive News reports that Chrysler is going to kill the value package when the new Town & Country arrives for 2017, because the new platform and technology of the coming minivan make it "a difficult price point to get to." AN says the next-generation haulers will come in around $26,000 and can go beyond $45,000 with options; clicking every "Add" button we could find on the Town & Country build page, we couldn't get past $43,000 for today's model. That entry pricing in 2017 would eliminate the first three trims on the Dodge option, the American Value Package, the SE that starts at $24,195, and the SE Plus that starts at $24,995. This makes us think the next-generation haulers will take a sizable step upscale in terms of feel, content, and trim, a la the Chrysler 200. In this writer's opinion, if they do as good a job as they've been doing recently, the extra money will be worth it. There have been spy shots and a lot of rumors about it, like the Caravan minivan going away and becoming a crossover, but we'll see it revealed at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Chrysler Dodge Car Buying Minivan/Van chrysler town and country price dodge grand caravan

Chrysler reveals 6.4-liter 2023 300C: Watch it live

[Update: The 2023 Chrysler 300C has been revealed.] Last week, Chrysler teased a new performance model to be unveiled on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show. The day has arrived, and Chrysler has remained tight-lipped about what exactly it plans to show, but based on the specs in the teaser (and Chrysler's diminutive lineup), we have a pretty good idea what we might see this evening.  Chrysler's teaser included a photo of the wheel from the 300 sedan, which not that long ago was offered in an SRT variant. The big, red Brembo caliper behind the face of this alloy suggests that we could be looking at a revival of the old SRT formula, likely with the combination of the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission — a pairing that was never offered on the old SRT model.  While this certainly isn't definitive, Chrysler said the new variant will be "one of the most powerful and luxurious special edition vehicles" in its brand history. The SRT model based on this generation of the 300 left the market in 2015 with 470 horsepower. Other models with the 6.4-liter offer as much as 485, so there's headroom here for a new model if Stellantis is so inclined. There's also the possibility that a supercharged Hemi could be introduced, or that AWD could enter the mix, but given the sunset status of Chrysler's current internal-combustion powertrains, it's unlikely that such a level of development money would have been thrown at a soon-to-be-discontinued model. But hey, Stellantis, we'd still love to see the Challenger SRT-10. Just saying.  Join us tonight at 6 p.m. EDT to find out exactly what Chrysler has in store. 

To grease the skids for Stellantis, PSA offers to boost Toyota's fortunes

BRUSSELS/MILAN — Peugeot maker PSA has offered to boost Japanese rival Toyota to try to address EU antitrust concerns about its plan to create the world's fourth-biggest carmaker, to be called Stellantis, by merging with Fiat Chrysler, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. PSA has offered to increase the production capacity for Toyota in their van joint venture, one of the sources said. Another source said the French company would sell the vans at close to cost. PSA makes vans for Toyota in its Sevelnord plant in northern France. The van collaboration started in 2012. PSA submitted its offer to the European Commission earlier on Friday, three months after the EU enforcer opened a full-scale investigation into the deal with FCA on concerns that it would hurt competition in small vans in 14 EU countries and Britain. "As of now, the transaction has obtained merger clearance in 14 jurisdictions. As previously stated, closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2021," PSA and FCA said in a joint statement. The Commission, which temporarily halted its investigation into the deal in July while waiting for the companies to provide requested data, did not set a deadline for its decision. "The deadline is still suspended. This procedure in merger investigations is activated if the parties fail to provide, in a timely fashion, an important piece of information that the Commission has requested from them," the EU executive said. It is now expected to seek feedback from customers and rivals before deciding whether to demand more concessions, or either clear or block the deal. Government/Legal Chrysler Fiat Peugeot Stellantis