1963 Chrysler New Yorker on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid long-term wrap-up | We're really gonna miss this one

Last year, we had the opportunity to live the (mini) van life for a year, with a loan from Chrysler. Even better, ours was going to be a plug-in hybrid. We took delivery of an Ocean Blue 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited late last summer, and it quickly became more than a simple mode of transportation. The plug-in Pacifica was a much-beloved member of the Autoblog family, so much so that one editor considered buying it at the end of our loan. The end of that loan has, indeed, come, but not before this thing ferried editors, video producers and their families, friends, dogs and a whole lot of their belongings over a considerable portion of the country. It spent a lot of time in the wild woods of Northern Michigan, took a road trip through the Northeast and a vacation to Florida. It braved the cold in Buffalo, New York, on Nokian winter tires. The heated steering wheel didn’t quite keep us warm, but we didnÂ’t mind so much, with this quiet vanÂ’s peaceful manner. We didnÂ’t drive this Pacifica Hybrid out West, but West Coast Editor James Riswick got one in Oregon to find out what it was like, and we told Big Blue all about it. We worried a bit when she went in for a recall, and were proud of how the Pacifica stood up to a rival. In all, we put close to 26,000 miles on the Pacifica Hybrid — roughly 9,000 of which were under electric power alone — before reluctantly giving it back. WeÂ’re not sure where she ended up, but thereÂ’s a good chance that giant interior still carries a part of us with it, whether itÂ’s a stray dog hair under a carpet mat, a Cheerio wedged in a seat cushion or a fingerprint on some tucked-away surface. We loved that damn minivan. Let us tell you why, one last time. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: The Pacifica Hybrid made countless trips with me between my home in Ann Arbor and our office in Birmingham, with a fair share of 500-mile round trips to our cottage Up North. Whenever I had it, my son — who grew from a large toddler to a large pre-schooler over the course of our loan — wanted to sit inside. Sometimes, he wanted to go for quiet laps around the driveway. Others, heÂ’d want to play the letter game on the rear-seat entertainment system, or play with the power doors. HeÂ’d pretend it was an airplane taking us to Dublin again, or a spaceship he could show off to the babysitter. It was a safe, comfortable space for him, and for me.

FCA-Renault revival may hinge on willingness to cut Nissan stake

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault are looking for ways to resuscitate their collapsed merger plan and secure the approval of the French carmaker's alliance partner Nissan, according to several sources close to the companies. Nissan is poised to urge Renault to significantly reduce its 43.4% stake in the Japanese company in return for supporting a FCA-Renault tie-up, two people with knowledge of its thinking also told Reuters. It is still far from clear whether any concerted effort to revive the complex and politically fraught deal can succeed. FCA Chairman John Elkann abruptly withdrew his $35 billion merger offer in the early hours of June 6 after the French government, Renault's biggest shareholder, blocked a vote by its board and demanded more time to win Nissan's backing. Nissan representatives had said they would abstain. The failure, which FCA and Renault blamed squarely on the French government, deprived both companies of an opportunity to create the world's third-biggest carmaker with 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in promised annual synergies. It also shone a harsh light on Renault's relations with Nissan, which have gone from frayed to fried since the November arrest of former alliance Chairman Carlos Ghosn, now awaiting trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges he denies. REVIVAL TALKS Italian-American FCA — whose brand stable encompasses Fiat runabouts, Jeep SUVs, RAM pickups, Alfa Romeo luxury cars and Maserati sports cars — has so far turned a deaf ear to suggestions by French officials that its merger proposal could be revisited. But since the breakdown, Elkann and his French counterpart Jean-Dominique Senard have had talks about reviving the plan that left the Renault chairman and his Chief Executive Thierry Bollore upbeat about that prospect, three alliance sources said. Renault and a spokesman for FCA declined to comment. One of Elkann's senior advisors on the Renault merger bid, Toby Myerson, was expected at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama on Monday for exploratory discussions with top management, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa is likely to attend. Myerson did not respond to a message from Reuters seeking comment. The meeting comes amid mounting strains that may preclude compromise, after Senard warned Saikawa that Renault was prepared to block key Nissan governance reforms in a dispute over board committees.

How a Chrysler New Yorker rally car turned father and son into best friends

Cars have a weird way of bringing fathers and sons together. You might not want to talk to your dad (or son) about politics, but if you can get him into a conversation about 1950s automotive design, then you can chat for hours. The latest video from Petrolicious looks at how Jonathan Auerbach and his dad bonded through racing in long-distance rallies in an absolutely brutish 1951 Chrysler New Yorker.
The Auerbachs have over 10,000 miles in competition on this behemoth of a Chrysler. It packs a 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) hemi V8 with Weber carbs under the hood, and driving it looks more akin to piloting a ship than any kind of on-road vehicle. The New Yorker can take a pounding and just keep going, too. Jonathan says that they hit two deer during one event, and the only damage to the car was some missing trim up front.
The next goal is to prep the car for the arduous Peking to Paris Rally. The big Chrysler should be quite the sight when it rolls across the finish line in France. Scroll down to hear this poignant story about a father and son becoming best friends while racing an American classic. You might want to have a tissue handy, if you're close to your dad, though.