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Chrysler UConnect wins AOL Autos Technology of the Year Award

The first annual AOL Autos Technology of the Year Award has been won by Chrysler's upgraded UConnect system.
Over 35 entries were considered and narrowed down to six finalists in three categories: Connectivity, Telematics and Active Safety. The judges, which included editors from AOL Autos, Autoblog and Engadget, as well as a number of other auto and tech journalists and luminaries, chose UConnect over the MyFord Mobile app, Audi Connect with Google Maps, Cadillac CUE, Honda's LaneWatch technology and Nissan's Tire Pressure Alert and Refill System. Even readers who were polled on which technology should win chose UConnect.
AOL Autos Editor in Chief David Kiley remarked that Chrysler's UConnect deserved the first Technology of the Year Award not because of what it does, but for how UConnect performs every time it's used. Kiley went on to say UConnect works the way it's supposed to, fills a need and puts a smile on your face. By meeting those requirements, UConnect very much deserved AOL Auto's first Tech of the Year award.

2023 Chrysler 300C Final Drive: Saying goodbye to an American great

DETROIT — ItÂ’s easy to dismiss the Chrysler 300 as an automotive has-been. A relic of another time. A once-powerful, now-dusty piece of history relegated to another era — and the taxi fleet. A weathered 300 is ubiquitous in this area, and the car has disappeared from non-domestic-leaning parts of the country, long overshadowed by the brasher, more powerful Dodge Charger and Challenger. ThatÂ’s also a short-sighted view. When a car is on its way out, its long-standing supporters cling to sepia-toned memories while everyone else has already moved on. In this case, the 300 is going out right. In style. At full power. After a few years of slow sales and solid yet unspectacular power, Chrysler restored the 300C to the lineup, complete with the 6.4-liter V8 and its 485 horses.  IÂ’m testing one of just 2,000 300C models that will be produced for the 2023 model year. After that, the 300 as we know it is done. The entire run (plus 200 for Canada) solid out in 12 hours, so IÂ’m cognizant IÂ’m driving something significant this week. As a refresher, this isnÂ’t the 5.7-liter V8 with a respectable 363 ponies available on the 300S Touring. This is the 392-cubic-inch hooligan offered in the Dodge Scat Packs. ItÂ’s worthy of the “C” — signifying performance — that 300 models have worn since 1955.  The 6.4-liter rumbles and has a deep echo. ThereÂ’s bass to it and a sense of menace. ItÂ’s not that common to drive naturally aspirated V8s these days, even in large sedans, and it makes a difference. Sixty miles per hour comes on in 4.3 seconds. The 300C still has its fastball. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in the Hellcat Dodges is loud and then howls. The 6.4-liter simmers angrily and then barks. Reports say Stellantis simply didnÂ’t have enough Hellcat engines to go around to further boost the 300, but IÂ’ve long felt the NA 392 is a more visceral experience. It certainly feels right in the 300C. It also hews closer to history: The original 300C SRT-8 ran a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter. “The performance factor of the car was always there,” Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles said. It reminds me of the scene in “Gladiator” when Maximus (Russell Crowe) emerges from a fight at the Colosseum. Bloodied and dirty, the crowd and the Centurians guarding him realize this isnÂ’t a random fighter thrust out for the entertainment of the crowd. Unmasked, heÂ’s revealed to be one of RomeÂ’s great generals. With this engine, the 300C no longer feels dusty.

Fiat shareholders green-light Chrysler merger, end of an Italian era

Fiat has just taken a major step away from its Italian heritage, as shareholders officially approved the company's merger with Chrysler. That move will lead to the formation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, a Dutch company based in Great Britain and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, according to Automotive News Europe.
The company captured the two-thirds majority at a special shareholders meeting, although there are still a few situations that could defeat the movement. According to ANE, roughly eight percent of shareholders opposed the merger, which is a group large enough to defeat the plan, should they all exercise their exit rights outlined in the merger conditions.
Meanwhile, Fiat Chairman John Elkann (pictured above, right, with CEO Sergio Marchionne and Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo), the great-great-grandson of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, reaffirmed his family's commitment to the company beyond the merger. Exor, the Agnelli family's holding company, still maintains a 30-percent stake in Fiat.