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Chrysler earns $1.7B in 2012, revises product plans for US

Hot on the heels of Ford's earnings announcement for the year that was, Chrysler today reported a 2012 net income of $1.7 billion, up substantially from the comparatively minuscule $183 million profit earned in 2011 when it repaid its US government loans.
Chrysler's good year ended with an excellent fourth quarter that saw net income rise 68 percent from $225 million in 2011 to $378 million. Where are all those extra earnings coming from? Market share, which Chrysler saw increase to 11.4% last year on sales of 1.65 million vehicles. In fact, the Auburn Hills, MI-based automaker out-paced the industry's market growth of 13 percent last year with sales up 21 percent for the year.
The company also revealed an updated product plan for its Chrysler Group and Fiat brands that looks all the way out to 2016. It's an updated version of the plan introduced in 2009 shortly after Fiat took control of the American automaker, and includes such new additions as an Alfa Romeo model, likely the 4C, to be introduced in the US this year, as well five more Alfa models by 2016. Likewise, Fiat will be growing by an additional seven models in the coming few years.

Didn't get the toy you wanted for Christmas? Grab this '79 Dodge Macho Power Wagon

This Christmas, kids everywhere got tons of toys, but what about the grownups? Adults like toys, too, and we particularly like this 1979 Dodge Macho Power Wagon pickup for sale on eBay. Dodge plugged it as one of its "adult toys" back in the day, which makes it the perfect post-Christmas purchase for anyone who's feeling a little left out. Dodge began advertising a lineup of specialty trucks as "adult toys" back in 1977, during the period when trucks were first becoming personal-use vehicles rather than just workhorses. Dodge's specialty models ran though the end of the decade and included the Street Van version of its B-series panel van, the Macho Power Wagon 4x4 pickup, the Warlock short-bed stepside pickup, the Ramcharger SUV, and even a variant of the Ram 50 mini-pickup. The Macho Power Wagon was a 4WD W100 pickup with a Sweptline bed, and could be had in short- or long-wheelbase configurations. Two-tone paint included black on the lower body, the hood, and the roof. Tape stripes, painted spoke wheels, and a bed-mounted roll bar added to the look. This '79 Macho Power Wagon is a long-bed version, riding on a 131-inch wheelbase. It's powered by a 318-cubic-inch V8 with dual exhausts, mated to a three-speed column-shift automatic and four-wheel drive. Not the most manly powertrain, maybe, but it was the late '70s, and one's engine wasn't as important as one's graphics. This Power Wagon's visuals make an emphatic statement indeed, with the two-tone white and black livery set off with bright orange stripes, wheels, and most critically, POWER WAGON emblazoned on the bed and tailgate. It's enough that we can forgive the missing roll bar. Inside, we find a vinyl bench seat, a floor-mounted shifter for the two-speed transfer case, and a period-correct Craig cassette stereo. Factory A/C is also present. Sure, you could get a new Ram 2500 Power Wagon, but would that really have the gold-chain-in-a-bed-of-chest-hair swagger of this beast? If this Adult Toy speaks to you, we would point out that sometimes the best presents are the ones you get yourself. Related Video:

FCA cuts powertrain warranties to 60k miles

FCA US is cutting back the mileage of its powertrain warranty on some 2016 model year vehicles. Rather than the current five years/100,000 miles of coverage, the new amount is five years/60,000 miles for gasoline-fueled models from Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram. In March 2015, General Motors made a similar switch to five-years/60,000-miles of coverage for Chevrolet and GMC, and FCA US seems to be citing this as part of the reason for the shift. "Following changes already made by competitors, FCA US is adjusting powertrain warranty coverage for 2016 model year vehicles to be more consistent with industry practices," the automaker said in a portion of its statement. The bumper-to-bumper warranty for these vehicles is unchanged at three years/36,000 miles. According to Automotive News, Fiat's warranty is remaining at four years/50,000 miles. When it changed the mileage limit, GM also halved the number of free service visits for Chevy, GMC, and Buick to two from the previous four. The automaker claimed that the reason for the adjustments to its coverage was that a long warranty was seldom a reason for customers to buy a vehicle. Related Video: Response to Query: 2016MY Powertrain Warranty Adjustment Following changes already made by competitors, FCA US is adjusting powertrain warranty coverage for 2016 model year vehicles to be more consistent with industry practices. For 2016MY, Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Ram Truck vehicles with gasoline engines will be covered by a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty. The basic coverage, also known as "bumper to bumper," remains at 3 years/36,000 miles. # # # News Source: FCA US, Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Car Buying Maintenance Ownership FCA warranty fca us powertrain