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China's Geely says it has no plan to buy Fiat Chrysler — as FCA stock leaps

HONG KONG — Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile denied media speculation on Wednesday that it planned to make a takeover bid for Fiat Chryslerk Automobiles (FCA), the world's seventh-largest automaker. Geely was one of several Chinese carmakers cited in by Automotive News, which said representatives of "a well-known Chinese automaker" had made an offer this month for FCA, which has a market value of almost $20 billion. "We don't have such a plan at the moment," Geely executive director Gui Shengyue told reporters at an earnings briefing, when asked if Geely was interested in Fiat. He said a foreign acquisition would be complicated, but he did not elaborate. "But for other (Chinese) brands, it could be a fast track for their development," Gui added. However, a source close to the matter said FCA and Geely Automobile's parent firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, had held initial talks late last year, without disclosing their nature. The source confirmed Geely was no longer interested in FCA, noting that the parent company had only three months ago announced its first push into Southeast Asia with the purchase of 49.9 percent of struggling Malaysian carmaker Proton, a deal that also included a stake in Lotus. Geel's denial failed to dent FCA's stock. The price of its Milan-based shares has jumped more than 10 percent to a 19-year high since Automotive News first reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources, that FCA had rejected the Chinese offer as too low. FCA stock on the New York Stock Exchange rose sharply on Monday from $11.60 to $12.38 and on Wednesday was trading at $12.84. FCA declined to comment on Wednesday. FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly called for mergers as a way of sharing the costs of making cleaner, more advanced cars, but he has repeatedly failed to find a partner and retreated from his search for in April, saying FCA would stick to its business plan. He has also spoken of spinning the successful Jeep and Ram divisions off from FCA. Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen, and General Motors have both said they are not interested in talks with FCA. On Wednesday, Geely Automobile reported a doubling of first-half profit, above expectations, as cars designed with Sweden's Volvo won over domestic consumers. Volvo is a unit of the Zhejiang Geely group, and has recently announced it will share its technology with Geely.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica gets price hike, starts at $38,160

Mopar Insiders says its Chrysler dealer contacts gave the outlet a glimpse at what's coming for the 2022 model year. The most important change to the Pacifica range — we're not including the Voyager and Pacifica Hybrid in this — is the addition of a front-wheel-drive model to the penultimate Limited and top Pinnacle trims. Both are available only with all-wheel drive at the moment, so the change will lower their MSRPs when next year's models arrive on lots. There are a few price increases, however, so the savings won't be as large as one might wish. Pricing for the range based on info from MI's dealer sources, including the $1,495 destination charge, and the increase compared to 2021, is: Pacifica Touring: $38,160 ($845) Pacifica Touring L: $41,785 ($1,170) Pacifica Touring L AWD: $44,780 ($1,170) Pacifica Limited FWD: $49,815 (new for 2022, $495 less expensive than the 2021 Limited AWD) Pacifica Limited AWD: $52,410 ($2,100) Pacifica Pinnacle FWD: $54,270 (new for 2022, $1,320 less expensive than the 2021 Pinnacle AWD) Pacifica Pinnacle AWD: $56,865 ($1,275) Across the range, all the minivans get a rear seat reminder safety alert and the Stellantis Clean Air Filtration System that acts like the minivan's wearing an N95 mask, capturing 95% of particulates in the air including bacteria, allergens, and pollen. Looks like Chrysler's going to start charging for certain exterior colors on a reduced palette. There are ten colors now, all of which are free. Next year there will be seven, and only Bright White, Brilliant Black, and Ceramic Grey will be no charge. Granite Crystal and the new Silver Mist, which replaces Billet Silver, will cost $95. And Fathom Blue and Velvet Red will cost $395.  The entry-level Touring pulls the opposite trick from the Limited and Pinnacle, losing its AWD option. Driving the rear axle cost an extra $2,995 on this trim, perhaps why Chrysler said only 2% of Touring buyers chose the option this year. Next year's Touring gets the Cold Weather Group, with features like heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as standard equipment. That option cost $495 this year and its inclusion might be responsible for the trim's price increase.  The Touring L gets the makes this year's optional $995 Safety Sphere Group standard equipment for next year. That installs features like ParkSense for front, parallel, and perpendicular parking, and a 360-degree surround view camera.

Dodge Hellcat orders on hold due to 'unprecedented demand'

Want to get your hands on a 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger or Charger Hellcat to call your very own? We don't blame you, and you're not alone. According to Motor Authority and confirmed by a spokesperson from Chrysler, Dodge has gotten so many orders for its stable of Hellcats that it simply cannot keep up with demand: "Due to unprecedented demand for the 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats, we are temporarily restricting orders while we validate current orders that are in the system." Put another way, if you're waiting for a Hellcat, your wait is likely to be a lot longer than you'd like. We've reached out to Chrysler to find out how long it might take for a new customer to get a new Hellcat, and we'll update if and when we hear back. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat View 88 Photos News Source: Motor Authority Chrysler Dodge Car Buying Ownership Coupe Performance Sedan dodge hellcat dodge challenger hellcat dodge charger hellcat autoblog black