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2023 Chrysler 300C Final Drive: Saying goodbye to an American great

DETROIT — ItÂ’s easy to dismiss the Chrysler 300 as an automotive has-been. A relic of another time. A once-powerful, now-dusty piece of history relegated to another era — and the taxi fleet. A weathered 300 is ubiquitous in this area, and the car has disappeared from non-domestic-leaning parts of the country, long overshadowed by the brasher, more powerful Dodge Charger and Challenger. ThatÂ’s also a short-sighted view. When a car is on its way out, its long-standing supporters cling to sepia-toned memories while everyone else has already moved on. In this case, the 300 is going out right. In style. At full power. After a few years of slow sales and solid yet unspectacular power, Chrysler restored the 300C to the lineup, complete with the 6.4-liter V8 and its 485 horses.  IÂ’m testing one of just 2,000 300C models that will be produced for the 2023 model year. After that, the 300 as we know it is done. The entire run (plus 200 for Canada) solid out in 12 hours, so IÂ’m cognizant IÂ’m driving something significant this week. As a refresher, this isnÂ’t the 5.7-liter V8 with a respectable 363 ponies available on the 300S Touring. This is the 392-cubic-inch hooligan offered in the Dodge Scat Packs. ItÂ’s worthy of the “C” — signifying performance — that 300 models have worn since 1955.  The 6.4-liter rumbles and has a deep echo. ThereÂ’s bass to it and a sense of menace. ItÂ’s not that common to drive naturally aspirated V8s these days, even in large sedans, and it makes a difference. Sixty miles per hour comes on in 4.3 seconds. The 300C still has its fastball. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in the Hellcat Dodges is loud and then howls. The 6.4-liter simmers angrily and then barks. Reports say Stellantis simply didnÂ’t have enough Hellcat engines to go around to further boost the 300, but IÂ’ve long felt the NA 392 is a more visceral experience. It certainly feels right in the 300C. It also hews closer to history: The original 300C SRT-8 ran a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter. “The performance factor of the car was always there,” Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles said. It reminds me of the scene in “Gladiator” when Maximus (Russell Crowe) emerges from a fight at the Colosseum. Bloodied and dirty, the crowd and the Centurians guarding him realize this isnÂ’t a random fighter thrust out for the entertainment of the crowd. Unmasked, heÂ’s revealed to be one of RomeÂ’s great generals. With this engine, the 300C no longer feels dusty.

Detroit Three to lose dominance of North American auto output in 2017

DETROIT — North American vehicle production by the unionized Detroit Three automakers will fall behind the combined North American output of Tesla and automakers from Europe and Asia for the first time this year, IHS Markit forecast on Wednesday. In 2017, the Detroit Three could build 8.6 million vehicles in North America, while Tesla and foreign automakers build 8.7 million, IHS Markit analyst Joe Langley said. By 2024, the gap will widen, with Asian and European automakers and Tesla combining to build about 9.8 million vehicles in North America. General Motors, Ford and the North American operations of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will combine to build 8.1 million vehicles, down 6 percent from this year. Mexico is on track to increase its share of North American vehicle production, Langley said, moving to 4.5 million vehicles a year by 2024 from about 4 million vehicles currently. The milestone for the growth of Tesla and foreign automakers in North America comes as the Trump administration is pushing to limit imports of vehicles from Mexico in negotiations to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement. The declining share of North American vehicle production for the Detroit automakers also challenges U.S. and Canadian unions that represent their workers. Canadian workers are on strike at a GM factory in Ontario to protest the automaker's decision to cut jobs and move to Mexico some production of sport utility models built there. Foreign automakers over the past year have announced plans for a wave of new or expanded plants in North America, while Tesla is ramping up to build as many as 500,000 cars a year at its plant in Fremont, Calif. Often referred to as "transplants," the foreign-owned factories are poised to become the mainstream of the North American auto industry. Automakers are increasingly using factories in China or Mexico to build vehicles that used to be assembled solely in the United States, Langley said. He cited as an example Ford's decision to shift production of the Focus small car for North America to a Chinese assembly plant. Reporting by Joseph WhiteRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Ford GM

FCA compromises with France, moving Renault merger bid forward

FRANKFURT/PARIS – Renault directors were preparing to review Fiat Chrysler's $35 billion merger offer on Tuesday, after the Italian-American carmaker resolved differences with the French government overnight, three sources said. The compromise on French government influence over a combined FCA-Renault may clear the way for Renault's board to approve a framework agreement beginning the long process of a full merger, unless new issues surface at the meeting. France, Renault's biggest shareholder with a 15% stake, had been pressing for its own guaranteed seat on the new board and an effective veto on CEO appointments. But after late-night talks with FCA Chairman John Elkann, the French government has accepted a compromise that would see it occupy one of four board seats allocated to Renault, balanced by four FCA appointees, the sources said. Renault would also cede one of its two seats on a four-member CEO nominations committee to the French state, they said. Renault, FCA and the French government all declined to comment on the discussions. The same evening that the compromise was was negotiated, activist hedge fund CIAM wrote to the board of Renault to say it "strongly opposed" a planned $35 billion merger with Fiat Chrysler. Calling the deal "opportunistic," the fund said the current deal terms strongly favored Fiat Chrysler and offered no control premium. (Reporting by Arno Schuetze and Laurence Frost; additional reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan and Simon Jessop; editing by Jason Neely and Rachel Armstrong) Government/Legal Chrysler Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Renault merger