2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible 3.5l V6 on 2040-cars

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Would you pay $17 a month to give your older Ford connectivity?

When it was first introduced in 2007, there was nothing like the original Ford Sync system, since it allowed car owners to connect and use a portable device better than anything that came before it. And because it was a brought-in/tethered and software-based system, Sync leveraged a device's connectivity and was easily updated. It took competitors awhile to catch up: Toyota Entune wasn't available until 2011, and Chevy MyLink didn't roll out until 2012. But now Ford is the one playing catchup since it stuck with the brought-in strategy while most other automakers were quicker to add connectivity via an embedded cellular modem. Ford initially installed 2G/3G modems in its small fleet of electric and plug-in electric vehicles starting in 2012 so that owners could keep tabs on charging. Embedded connectivity came to Lincoln in 2014, and Ford began adding onboard 4G LTE via Sync Connect to select cars starting with the Escape in 2015. To get more cars connected more quickly, last week the automaker rolled out its FordPass SmartLink solution that plugs into the OBD port of 2010 to 2017 model year vehicles. This lets owners retroactively get onboard Wi-Fi, set up a "geo-fence" to keep tabs on a car's location, receive vehicle health reports and allows remote engine starting and door locking/unlocking using a smartphone app, among other features. But to connect older Ford vehicles will cost owners $16.99 a month for two years, not including installation. Ford throws in 1 GB of data or a 30-day trial, whichever comes first, after which owners have to add the vehicle to their Verizon shared data plan, which supplies connectivity for SmartLink, or establish a new account. (Disclosure: Autoblog is owned by Verizon.) By comparison, GM's 4G LTE data plans start at $10 a month for 200 MB and goes up to $30 for 3 GB, and owners can also add a car to an AT&T shared-data plan. But OnStar doesn't have a separate monthly subscription for the embedded modem or an installation charge, and standard features via the RemoteLink Mobile App are free for the first five years of ownership. FCA's Uconnect Access service also uses an embedded modem to provide similar telematics features for $20 per month following a free one-year trial, while a la carte in-car Wi-Fi is offered for $10 per day, $20 per week or $35 per month.

The Plug-In Hybrid Chrysler Pacifica | Translogic 212

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that minivans have a bit of a rep for being uncool. The poor minivan has been relegated to that of a tool solely intended to get kids to and from soccer games. Here at Autoblog, we're already proponents of the minivan for its incredibly utility and under-the-radar, nearly hipster-like ironic coolness. This year, the good folks at Chrysler are working to change the soccer-mom stereotype by giving its people-hauler a much needed injection of style, lots of new tech, and a plug-in hybrid option in the form of the new Pacifica. Translogic host Jonathon Buckley sat down with Matt McAlear, Senior Manager of Chrysler Brand Product Marketing to discuss how Chrysler went from inventing the segment all the way back in 1984 to reinventing it in 2016. Matt explains that not only is the Pacifica "...the first hybrid in the minivan segment," but it's alsm one of the most functional hybrids available. With room for 7 passengers plus cargo and 30 miles of all-electric range, the features on the van are nothing to scoff at. After the chat, Bucko takes the minivan to someone who will be able to appreciate it even more than him, a mom of two. Click here to find more episodes of Translogic Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley

Fiat Chrysler parts firm Magneti Marelli sold for $7.1B

TOKYO/MILAN — Japan's Calsonic Kansei, owned by U.S. private equity firm KKR, has agreed to buy Fiat Chrysler's Magneti Marelli for 6.2 billion euros ($7.1 billion) to form the seventh-largest independent car parts supplier. The first big deal by FCA's newly-appointed chief executive Mike Manley, who took over in July after the sudden death of long-time boss Sergio Marchionne, creates a company with revenue of 15.2 billion euros ($17.5 billion), the companies said. The newly formed Magneti Marelli CK Holdings is likely to cut costs through synergies and expand its customer base as components makers try to keep up with a shift by carmakers into autonomous driving, connected cars and electric vehicles. "This combination with Calsonic Kansei has emerged as an ideal opportunity to accelerate Magneti Marelli's future growth," Manley said on Monday of the FCA unit, which specializes in lighting, powertrain and high-tech electronics. FCA shares were up 5.2 percent at 0906 GMT as investors welcomed the hefty price tag, which will boost FCA's net cash position and raises expectations of a share buyback. "Getting this transaction completed at the price agreed is a significant early milestone and accomplishment," George Galliers, an analyst at Evercore ISI, said of Manley and his team's ability to match Marchionne's deal-making reputation. Marchionne had set in motion a process to spin off the unit and distribute its shares to FCA shareholders by early 2019, but said in June that FCA would still be "receptive" to an offer. Neither FCA nor its top shareholder, Fiat's founding Agnelli family, will have a stake in the combined business, but FCA said it would enter into a multi-year agreement to secure supplies to its plants and also to maintain operations and staff in Italy. Part of a global expansion KKR bought Calsonic from Nissan and other shareholders in 2016, saying it would help the parts maker, which relies on the Japanese carmaker for most of its sales, to expand globally. Calsonic has been in talks with FCA for months and made an initial 5.8 billion euro bid, sources have said. FCA does not break out earnings for Magneti Marelli, which sits within its components unit alongside robotics specialist Comau and castings firm Teksid. The unit employs around 43,000 people and operates in 19 countries. A takeover of Magneti Marelli had remained elusive as potential bidders were offering too little or were only interested in some parts of the business.