1975 Chrysler Imperial - Labaron on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler will invest up to $1.5 billion to build EVs in Windsor

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest between $1.35 billion and $1.5 billion in its Windsor assembly plant in Canada to build electric vehicles as part of a tentative deal with Canadian autoworkers, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said on Thursday. The auto union said FCA would invest in a state-of-the-art vehicle platform that will enable the assembly of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, with at least one new model in 2025. The announcement comes less than a month after Unifor said Ford would invest $1.46 billion in its Oakville and Windsor plants. "Not only is Fiat-Chrysler maintaining the current portfolio but they will be investing three derivatives to enhance the current portfolio," Dias said. Unifor also said it expects to extend the life of the Chrysler 300, a rear-wheel-drive luxury car and introduce multiple derivatives of the Dodge Charger and Challenger. The union said as many as 2,000 jobs would be added in 2024 at the Windsor plant. Market forecasting firm LMC Automotive on Thursday said it would take until 2024 for U.S. vehicle sales to recover from the coronavirus downturn and get close to the 17 million vehicles sold in 2019. Ratification meetings for the FCA deal will happen over the weekend, and members will vote on whether to accept the agreement on Sunday. The union is expected to begin negotiations with General Motors's Canadian unit next week. Related Video: Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Coupe Electric Sedan windsor

Junkyard Gem: 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible Conversion

Chrysler started selling PT Cruisers for the 2001 model year, and these "trucks" (yes, they were considered trucks for American regulatory purposes) proved quite popular for at least the first half of the 2000s. A factory-built version with a convertible top appeared for 2005 (and later "won" the Top Gear Worst Car of the Last 20 Years award), but what about the PT Cruiser shoppers who wanted a drop-top before then? It turns out the aftermarket had the solution: the Newport Convertible Engineering conversion, which took new PT Cruisers and added a fully functioning convertible top. According to a discussion on Allpar, 54 of these conversions were performed, and I found one of them in a Denver-area self-service yard last month. Newport Convertible Engineering is still around, though they're in Huntington Beach instead of Placentia these days. If you want a Tesla Model S or Range Rover convertible, they'll build it for you. The NCE conversion for the PT Cruiser cost $9,900 (about $15,715 in 2022 dollars) plus the $17,000 sticker price of a new PT Cruiser, and included the needed chassis-stiffening modifications and a shortened, hydraulically-actuated rear hatch. The materials used look pretty good, even after 20 years of abuse and neglect. This one had the convertible mechanism ziptied shut in many locations when I found it. Naturally, I cut all those zipties to see if the roof mechanism still worked. It was very, very stiff but proved semi-functional (the zipties appeared to be an attempt to keep a faulty latch mechanism from letting the roof pop open at speed). The roof assembly weighs a lot, though you could spend an extra $3,000 to get a power-actuation system from NCE. This cab must have been extremely noisy and buffety with the top down at speed, but so what? Convertibles are cool. Mechanically, it's an ordinary Touring Edition with a Neon's 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 150 horsepower. You could get a PT Cruiser with a five-speed manual transmission, and many did, but this one has the extra-cost automatic. Starting in the 2003 model year, a 215-horse turbocharged engine became available. Rare, but not valuable. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This commercial is for the factory convertible, but you get the idea.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: The 80-MPGe minivan [w/video]

As automakers rush to add hybrids and plug-ins to every type of vehicle, one popular segment has been overlooked: minivans. If the idea of a hybrid minivan makes sense to you, that's because it's a smart idea, and one that we're surprised hasn't happened yet. So kudos to Chrysler for not just making it happen, but for creating a plug-in version with an estimated 80 miles per gallon equivalent. You can read all the practical details of the 2017 Pacifica (not Town & Country) here. For the sake of this story, we'll focus on what's different with the hybrid model. Yes, Chrysler is just calling it Pacifica Hybrid, not Plug-In Hybrid, because the company's executives think that when people hear "plug" they think "range anxiety" and freak out. That's not a worry here, though, because when the 16-kWh battery runs out of juice, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 kicks in and the minivan functions as normal. Just don't run out of gas. With a full charge, the Pacifica Hybrid can travel up to 30 miles on electric power. And though the gas engine is the same 3.6-liter V6 found in the non-hybrid model, it's detuned to 248 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque. Charging the battery takes just two hours on a 240-volt plug, and Chrysler houses the battery pack underneath the floor in the middle of the van, where the wells for Stow 'N Go seating are found on gas-only models. So no, you can't get Stow 'N Go seats on the hybrid, but the third row does still fold into the floor. Powertrain aside, the Pacifica Hybrid is nearly identical to its gas-only sibling, save the addition of the charge port on the driver's side front fender. Unique wheels in 17- and 18-inch sizes can be had, and the Pacifica Hybrid only comes in Touring and Limited Platinum trims. You can read more details on the hybrid system in the release below. First hybrid powertrain in minivan segment "Due to its large footprint and multiple daily trip patterns, the minivan is ideally suited for electrification technology," said Bob Lee, Vice President and Head of Engine, Powertrain and Electrified Propulsion Systems Engineering, FCA – North America. "The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica lives up to this promise and then some, with efficiency, power and refinement." Launching in second half of 2016, the Pacifica Hybrid is the industry's first electrified minivan.