2014 Chrysler 300 S on 2040-cars

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Driving the Toyota Supra, Honda Passport and BMW 3 Series | Autoblog Podcast #582

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder and West Coast Editor James Riswick. First, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Honda Passport, BMW 330i and Audi RS5. They follow up with notes about driving the Toyota Supra and 86, and whether Toyota's new sports car strategy makes sense. Then they discuss the news, including the Ferrari SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid, a possible Renault-FCA merger, death rumors for the Jaguar XJ and thoughts on the upcoming Chevy Trailblazer. Autoblog Podcast #582 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: 2019 Honda Passport 2019 BMW 330i 2019 Audi RS5 Sportback Toyota Supra, 86 and the company's sports car strategy In the news: Ferrari SF90 Stradale FCA and Renault Jaguar XJ going away? Chevy Trailblazer Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Local UAW leaders recommend membership approve FCA contract

DETROIT — Union leaders from Fiat Chrysler factories are sending a new four-year contract to a membership vote. The 47,000 members of the United Auto Workers union at the company will vote on the deal starting Friday. Local leaders assembled on Wednesday in Detroit to go over the pact, which includes a $9,000 bonus per worker upon ratification. The company also has promised $4.5 billion worth of new investments in U.S. factories. The union reached agreement with Fiat Chrysler last weekend. The new contract also offers a mix of lump sums and pay raises for longtime workers, full top wages for new hires within four years and a path for temporary employees to become full-time after three years of work. The Fiat Chrysler contract also adds 12.5% to the union workers' profit-sharing formula, giving them $900 per 1% of profit margin generated North American. That's up from $800, and a $12,000 cap was lifted. The UAW says the deal created more than 7,900 jobs, including a $4.5 billion investment previously announced at two factories in Detroit. Fiat Chrysler is the last of the Detroit automakers to settle with the union. Workers at General Motors ratified their contract Oct. 31, ending a 40-day strike that paralyzed GM's U.S. factories. Ford workers followed by approving a contract in November. In a summary of the contract, the union said FCA agreed to extend a moratorium on outsourcing of jobs and will maintain its U.S. manufacturing presence through the life of the contract. The $9 billion of factory investment includes $4.5 billion previously announced at two factories in Detroit, including a new assembly plant. Also included is an agreement to build fresh models off the Jeep Cherokee SUV underpinnings and invest $55 million into the Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant, where the Cherokee is built. At the Toledo, Ohio, North Assembly plant, which builds the Jeep Wrangler SUV, the company will invest $160 million and hire 100 more people to build a plug-in hybrid version of the Wrangler. The Toledo South plant gets $120 million to keep building the Jeep Gladiator pickup. At an assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Fiat Chrysler will invest $210 million to keep building light-duty Ram pickup and new high-performance version of the truck. Another truck plant in Warren, Michigan, will get $2.8 billion including engineering and development expenses to keep building the Ram pickup and a new three-row SUV called the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.

Chrysler reportedly showed its dealers an electric 300 replacement

The Chrysler 300 is nearly ready to retire after almost 13 years in production. Details about its successor haven't been released, but a recent report claims that the Stellantis-owned brand privately showed some of its dealers an electric model that will take the sedan's torch. Citing anonymous dealer sources, enthusiast website Mopar Insiders wrote that the yet-unnamed model takes the form of a sedan with a fastback-like roof line. Some attendees drew a parallel between the EV and the prototype shown in renderings (pictured) in 2021; others pointed out its proportions and size are reminiscent of the Dodge Charger Daytona concept, which will reach production in the coming years. Nothing is official, but we wouldn't be surprised if the Charger Daytona spawns a Chrysler; the current-generation Charger shares its basic platform with the 300, after all, and building several vehicles on the same platform is a way for carmakers to reap economies of scale. One point worth noting is that Dodge executives have confirmed the architecture that will underpin the next Charger is compatible with the straight-six engine found in several Stellantis products. If it fits in the Dodge, it's reasonable to assume it fits in the Chrysler. Dodge hasn't announced plans to offer the Charger with the straight-six engine and neither has Chrysler; executives haven't revealed what comes after the 300, though company CEO Christine Fuell told Autoblog that there are "quite a bit of new products in our roadmap." The rumor echoes an earlier report that details an alleged 300 successor due out in 2026 with battery power, between 201 and 443 horsepower depending on the variant, and an 800-volt electrical architecture for faster charging. This hasn't been confirmed, however. As of writing, the only upcoming model that Chrysler has announced is a production version of the Airflow Vision we first saw as a very futuristic concept at CES 2020, as a more realistic design study at CES 2022, and with a black finish at the 2022 New York Auto Show. Regardless of whether the 300 gets replaced and what replaces it, at least Chrysler seemingly has a future — it was skating on perilously thin ice when Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Peugeot-Citroen merged to form Stellantis in 2021. Greg Migliore, Autoblog's editor-in-chief, argued in favor of keeping the brand alive, and dealers pleaded that letting the 97-year-old carmaker die wasn't an option.