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Auto blog

Is it time for American carmakers to give up on dual-clutch transmissions? [w/poll]

Last week, in the midst of Detroit's first days seeking relief in Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code, Automotive News contributor Larry P. Vellequette penned an editorial suggesting that American car companies raise the white flag on dual clutch transmissions and give up on trying to persuade Americans to buy cars fitted with them. Why? Because, Vellequette says, like CVT transmissions, they "just don't sound right or feel right to American drivers." (Note: In the article, it's not clear if Vellequette is arguing against wet-clutch and dry-clutch DCTs or just dry-clutch DCTs, which is what Ford and Chrysler use.) The article goes on to state that Ford and Chrysler have experimented with DCTs and that both consumers and the automotive press haven't exactly given them glowing reviews, despite their quicker shifts and increased fuel efficiency potential compared to torque-converter automatic transmissions.
Autoblog staffers who weighed in on the relevance of DCTs in American cars generally disagreed with the blanket nature of Vellequette's statement that they don't sound or feel right, but admit that their lack of refinement compared to traditional automatics can be an issue for consumers. That's particularly true in workaday cars like the Ford Focus and Dodge Dart, both of which have come in for criticism in reviews and owner surveys. From where we sit, the higher-performance orientation of such transmissions doesn't always meld as well with the marching orders of everyday commuters (particularly if drivers haven't been educated as to the transmission's benefits and tradeoffs), and in models not fitted with paddle shifters, it's particularly hard for drivers to use a DCT to its best advantage.
Finally, we also note that DCT tuning is very much an evolving science. For instance, Autoblog editors who objected to dual-clutch tuning in the Dart have more recently found the technology agreeable in the Fiat 500L. Practice makes perfect - or at least more acceptable.

2015 Chrysler 200

For the last seven years, the Chrysler Sebring/200 has been a car that few people have managed to say anything good about. When you saw one on the road, it was probably silver and you probably assumed it was rented - especially if it was a convertible. In fact, this writer has never been in one. Ever. I've only watched them go by, trailed always by a roiling wake of invective and vituperation, a lone defender or two asserting meekly and in vain, "It's actually not that bad..."
With roughly 2.3-million units sold every year in the midsize sedan segment where the 200 lives, even tallying 125,476 sales in 2012 (when the 200 was the best-selling car in the Chrysler Group) was never going to be enough. This is the brand's volume offering and the entry point for new-car buyers before they move up to something like a full-size or a crossover. Chrysler's 2011 facelift and rebranding program was a pretty valiant attempt at putting lipstick on a Sebring, but the automaker needed to do a lot better, in every way to command more consideration, sales, respect and resale value - and everyone at The Pentastar knew it.
Enter the 2015 Chrysler 200. This is the sedan that "charts a new course for the Chrysler brand," from its hovering wing badge on the grille to the one billion dollars invested in the company's suburban Detroit Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, including more than doubling the number of quality control inspectors in the new quality assurance center.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles gets officially official this Sunday

Want a chunk of the new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles? Shares of the newly joined (technically) Dutch automaker will begin trading on Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. The company itself will become a single entity on Sunday.
According to The Detroit Free Press, the new FCA will be the world's seventh largest company after Fiat shareholders' chance to oppose the merger expired on October 4. To prevent the merger, shareholders would have needed to exchange at least 500 million euros in shares for cash.
On Monday, current shareholders of both Fiat and Chrysler stock will see their shares converted into an equal number of FCA shares, the Freep reports.