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Updated 2021 Chrysler Pacifica enters production

The updated 2021 Chrysler Pacifica entered production in Windsor, Ontario, this week, bringing with it the option of all-wheel drive to a Chrysler-branded minivan for the first time since 2004. While Chrysler, or whatever corporate name it was going by at the time, has offered all-wheel drive on minivans in the intervening years, the 2021 Pacifica offers it in combinations not previously available, most notably pairing it with the company's coveted Stow n' Go folding second-row seats. Offering both of these on the same model required re-engineering the Pacifica's exhaust and fuel system to allow room for the Stow ‘nÂ’ Go seats to fold away into the floor. The 2021 Pacifica's interior has some other noteworthy additions, such as a now-standard 10.1-inch infotainment display powered by the fifth generation of the company's Uconnect operating system. The latest infotainment suite includes upgrades to Amazon Alexa integration along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The optional FamCam helps you keep an eye on passengers in the rear seats (joining the Honda Odyssey in offering such a feature).  "FCA invented the minivan segment, and the new-for-2021 Chrysler Pacifica continues to drive our leadership and innovation," said FCA's Tim Kuniskis. "Whether itÂ’s all-weather driving capability with Stow ‘n Go seating or more than 80 MPGe and no range anxiety with the only plug-in hybrid minivan in the segment, the new Chrysler Pacifica gives families what they want and options that best fit their busy lives." New for 2021, all-wheel drive is a long-awaited $2,995 option that brings the Touring's price up to $39,535, while selecting the hybrid model bumps that figure to $41,490. Interestingly, the Touring and Touring L models are the only front-wheel drive, non-electrified variants of the Pacifica. Called Limited and Pinnacle, respectively, the next two are only available with one or the other, and they're priced accordingly. The top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Pinnacle is priced in luxury car territory at $54,885, while the hybrid starts at $52,340.  It's worth mentioning the positioning of the all-wheel drive and hybrid models is reversed as buyers move up in the trim hierarchy. Shop for a Touring L, and you'll pay $1,155 more for a hybrid van than for one equipped with all-wheel drive. Step up to the Pinnacle model, and all-wheel drive costs $2,545 more than the hybrid system.

PSA reportedly ditching its two tiny gasoline city cars ahead of merger

The Peugeot 108.   PARIS — PSA is ending the production of Peugeot and Citroen small city cars, three sources told Reuters, withdrawing from an increasingly unprofitable market as its starts a strategic review ahead of its planned merger with Fiat Chrysler. While PSA had already agreed to sell its stake in its Czech joint venture with Toyota where the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 models are made, the decision to stop selling the gasoline cars altogether has just been taken, the sources said. Carmakers are reviewing the production of vehicles with combustion engines as they need to fit costly exhaust filtering systems to meet tighter emissions laws. That's pushing up the cost of some so-called entry-level A segment cars to the point where they are hard to justify economically. "PSA is getting out of both the factory and the A segment business, as it is offered today, and on which manufacturers have arguably lost the most money in Europe," one of the sources familiar with the matter said. PSA declined to comment on the future of the two small cars. It said it was reviewing which products would best meet customer expectations in the A segment and cope with European carbon emissions targets. "This means a reflection with fresh and disruptive ideas," a spokesman for the French carmaker said. The European Commission is planning to tighten its emissions limits for cars under new proposals designed to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas output further by 2030. PSA's merger project with FCA has also increased the options available, two of the sources said, as the Italian-U.S. company has no intention of abandoning its small best-selling Panda and 500 models. Both already have hybrid versions and the 500 is also available in full electric mode. "Current projects could be replaced by new ones made possible by the merger with FCA", another source said. "The merger is turning all the cards around, especially when you consider that the A segment, from the very first 500 to the Panda, is inseparable from Fiat history". FCA declined to comment. PSA and FCA aim to finalize their merger in the first quarter next year to create a new company called Stellantis, which will be the fourth-biggest automaker in the world. Market contraction The European market for frugal city cars has been shrinking for several years.

FCA reportedly joins the crowd skipping this year's Paris Motor Show

It's likely FCA vehicles will not be seen at the Paris Motor Show this year. Automotive News is reporting that Fiats, Alfa Romeos, Jeeps and Abarths will not be a part at the show, based on information circulating in the French media. There's a possibility that Maseratis will be displayed at a special section dedicated to upscale cars, but Maserati too will not have a show stand of its own. Ferrari will have a stand, but as it happens, the supercar maker has been a standalone brand since 2015. Skipping the Paris show follows FCA's decision not to take part in the Frankfurt show last year, and the two shows alternate as the biggest autumnal automotive show in Europe. Volkswagen will also not attend the event, and neither will Ford, Nissan or Infiniti. This has become a problem for car shows worldwide, including Detroit's North American International Auto Show. FCA has not released a formal statement about the matter, but a FCA spokesman, quoted by the French magazine L'Argus, reportedly said that the sales and publicity brought in by the show stand would not justify the costs of attending. The news mirrors Volvo's newly announced plan to not take part at the next Geneva Motor Show, but to arrange "bespoke activities" to introduce its cars instead. Related Video: