2022 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L 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.

These cars are headed to the Great Crusher In The Sky

It happens every year. We bid adieu to some cars and trucks that will be missed, and say good riddance to others wondering how they stayed around so long. Whether they're being killed off for slow sales or due to a new product coming along to replace them, the list of vehicles being discontinued after 2012 is surprisingly long and diverse.
CNN Money has compiled a list of departing vehicles, to which we've added a few more of our own. In the slow sales column, cars like the Lexus HS 250h, Mercedes-Benz R-Class and the full Maybach lineup appear, while the Ford Escape Hybrid, Mazda CX-7 and Hyundai Veracruz are all having their gaps filled with more modern and more fuel-efficient alternatives. Obvious exceptions to the rule include models that still sell in decent numbers like the Jeep Liberty and the Chrysler Town & Country (which will eventually be replaced by a crossover-like vehicle).
Check out our gallery of discontinued cars above, then scroll down for more information.

What will Detroit do with the abandoned AMC headquarters?

As with so many other industrial and residential properties in Detroit, the former headquarters for the American Motors Corporation is having a hard time finding a reputable buyer. In October the Wayne County Treasurer held a tax foreclosure auction of 25,000 properties that included the AMC building, the starting bid being $500. Nicholas Casab won the building for $500, but the county voided the sale when Casab didn't pay the $232,000 in back property taxes. Detroit authorities haven't commented on the failed sale, but the city has until January 4 to decide if it wants to keep the building. If it doesn't want to hold onto it, the 1.5-million-square-foot property on 57 acres might be ceded to the Wayne County Land Bank Corporation. No matter who holds the deed come January 5, all anyone really wants is for someone to take possession of the building who will actually turn it into something useful and viable. The property opened in 1927 as a factory for the Kelvinator Corporation. Over the following decades, Kelvinator merged with the Nash Motor Company, and that merged entity merged with Hudson Motor Car Co, becoming American Motors. Chrysler took over the building in 1987 when it bought AMC, then shuttered it in 2009. The complex has produced refrigerators, Sikorsky helicopters, Jeeps, AMCs, and was used as an engineering center for Jeeps and other Chrysler products. Having been through several hands in the past six years, it is cited as part of the cycle of abandonment plaguing Detroit. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free Press Government/Legal Chrysler Jeep Auctions Detroit amc