2013 Chrysler 200 Lx on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler joins open pool with Tesla to avoid paying EU emissions fines

According to a report from the Financial Times, Fiat Chrysler has agreed to pay Tesla "hundreds of millions of euros" in order to pool their fleets together in Europe. This move will reportedly allow FCA to use Tesla's zero-emission vehicle sales to offset fines it would have to pay for failing to meet European Union carbon emissions rules, which fall to 95 grams per kilometer starting next year. According to the report, FCA joined a so-called open pool with Tesla on February 25. The electric car company created the pool and gave other automakers "the chance to join" three days prior. The pool will be valid "for several years," according to Julia Poliscanova, a senior director at the Transport & Environment lobbying group. Toyota and Mazda apparently created a similar pool on the same day, but that agreement doesn't elicit quite the same eyebrow raise since Toyota owns a five-percent stake in Mazda. It's not clear exactly how much money FCA will pay Tesla through this arrangement, but similar deals have been part of Tesla's financial strategy for years. FT reports Tesla earned more than $100 million by selling electric vehicle credits in the United States last year and close to $300 million the prior year.

Chrysler Uconnect gets dealer-activated navigation, new infotainment features

Get in just about any mid-level Chrysler product these days, and you'll see a touchscreen head unit that would be perfect for a navigation system. The only thing is that some of these cars equipped with the head unit for Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment system were not optioned up with navigation at the time of purchase, leaving drivers looking for turn-by-turn directions relying on either an aftermarket nav system or a smartphone. Starting on select new Chrysler products, however, customers with Uconnect will now be able to upgrade to navigation as a dealer-activated option.
Announced at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, this new element of Uconnect will allow owners to have an in-dash navigation system installed quickly and easily; Chrysler said that this will be a major benefit for used-car buyers. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like this system will be retroactive on previous Uconnect head units, but it will launch this year on the 2013 Ram 1500, 2013 SRT Viper and the 2014 Fiat 500L. Chrysler did not announce the expected MSRP to have dealers activate the navigation capabilities.
Another infotainment option for Chrysler buyers is the Uconnect Access system that can allow WiFi, voice text messaging, emergency assistance, remote vehicle operation (such as starting the engine or locking/unlocking the doors) and limited POI searches using Bing. Also introduced at CES, the new Uconnect Access via Mobile system builds on this by allowing users to add in-car apps such as iHeart Radio, Pandora and Slacker by connecting to the system via a smartphone. This system will first be offered on the 2013 Ram and Viper.

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