We Finance 05 Ltd Conv Soft Top Auto Heated Seats Kenwood Stereo Bluetooth Audio on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Marchionne uses racial epithet to describe what must power future Alfa Romeo models

Sergio Marchionne and his Fiat empire have a lot riding on the US return of the Alfa Romeo brand. The endeavor has been in progress for what feels like a lifetime - certainly for as long as Fiat has had the Chrysler brand under its Italian wing.
It's not surprising that Fiat CEO Marchionne needs a perfect first Alfa to mark a return to America. And here's where things get dicey. Nobody would argue with Marchionne's insistence that Alfa Romeo's be powered by Italian engines - as Marchionne himself is quoted to have said at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, "There are some things that are well done in Italy."
If not what he said, then, it's how he said it that has eyebrows raised. "I cannot come up with a schlock product, I just won't. I won't put an American engine into that car. With all due respect to my American friends, it needs to be a wop engine." Wait, what's that?

Chrysler reportedly to drop 300 sedan, build Portal millennial minivan

Automotive News Canada pointed its divination stick at Chrysler as part of its Future Product Pipeline series. The publication dug up two revelations, one being that the Chrysler 300 has two more years to live, ending production come 2020. The article said nothing about the 300's platform twin, the Dodge Charger. The death of the 300 would leave the Pentastar brand with just one offering, the Pacifica minivan. AN Canada's other revelation was Chrysler would allay that fate by putting the "six-passenger multi-purpose" Portal concept into production for 2020. The automaker that wants to be known for its people haulers introduced the Portal concept at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. The big bang at the time was the Portal having been designed by millennials in Chrysler's design department, specifically for millennial buyers. Feature bait for the confounding demographic included facial and voice recognition so the Portal knew who was in the car and could tailor the driving environment and cockpit to their tastes; a panoramic dashboard; a configurable interior so the owner can create space where needed, up front or in the cargo area; vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure tech; upgradeable Level 3 autonomy; a retractable aviation-like steering wheel; and customizable light signatures. We didn't get many specs on the show car, but the all-electric powertain employed a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery, had a range of at least 250 miles, and could restore 150 of those miles in 20 minutes hooked up to a DC fast charger. Reasonable specs for a real vehicle. It wouldn't be an outrageous move for Chrysler to create a production version of the Portal. When the concept came to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told media he intended to roll out the "fifth generation" of family cars — the next evolution of the wagon-minivan-SUV-crossover progression — and he expected the Portal or something similar to make production at some point. The Detroit News predicted we'd get a Portal sometime after 2018. Tim Kuniskis, then head of FCA passenger cars in North America, said the company viewed the Portal as that fifth-gen product and "the future of family transportation." On top of that, the designers based the front-wheel-drive Portal on the Pacifica's platform, and Marchionne was vocal in his desire for another retail product on that architecture. He had said, "I need another minivan.

Mopar's 80 years told through vintage ads

It's more than just car parts. Mopar started in 1937 an antifreeze brand, and 80 years later Fiat Chrysler's now-iconic aftermarket division is known for everything from muscle cars to smart phone apps. This is reflected in its advertisements over the years, which show off the brand's capabilities at different moments. Rediscovered from deep in Mopar's archives as it kicks off a year-long celebration of its history, the ads are snapshots of the former Chrysler Corp. and the mood of America at those times. A colorful, free-spirited 1972 ad hawks T-shirts. A plainer 1964 spot shows off Mopar's expansive portfolio with the tagline, "sorry, we ran out of space!" There were too many parts to show them all. Another 1960s ad explains Mopar's new wire and cable products in what was likely a magazine spread or multi-column newspaper entry. Going back farther, an ad from the 1940s touts radios through wind-in-your-hair exuberance, while a later placement shows a Ward Cleaver-type waxing his hardtop. Slightly more recently in 1989, Mopar used its muscle-car heritage to encourage restoration and customization just as nostalgia for that era was growing. "The Mopar brand holds an unparalleled place in the automotive world, possessing name recognition, scope of service, and passionate enthusiasts unmatched by any other service and parts organization in the industry," Pietro Gorlier, Mopar's global chief, said in a statement. While those advertisements highlight its earlier days, Mopar is using its 80th year to look forward, noting its modern service offerings, competition in motorsports, and special edition models, like a custom Ram Rebel. These ventures have advanced the Mopar's scope and elevated its awareness with consumers, who often don't know what brand of aftermarket products their car uses. Yes, Mopar still wants to sell as many car parts as possible, but as these ads show, it's always been more than that. Related Video: Featured Gallery Vintage Mopar Ads Marketing/Advertising Chrysler Fiat Automotive History