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Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

I sold my Viper, but the memories I'll keep

The following is written by auto industry veteran Tow Kowaleski. The words are his own, but the memories now belong to everyone thanks to his willingness to share. If you're an industry veteran with a story to share, contact us at tipsATautoblogDOTcom.
It became the flame that started the fire of belief in the next life of Chrysler.
I just sold a car. Nothing new. Millions do it every day. But my car was a 1995 Dodge Viper, so maybe it was a bit more unique since just 12,000 were built. And like others selling a car that's been a part of the family for close to 20 years, this was a confluence of emotions for me. I was sad to see it go, but happy to have the cash and one less big, shiny, under-utilized object in my life.

Fiat Chrysler faces $79 million U.S. penalty for fuel economy shortfall

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Wednesday said it faces a $79 million U.S. civil penalty for failing to meet 2017 fuel economy requirements, as regulators reported more automakers were falling short of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions standards. The Italian-American automaker said the payment is not expected to have a material impact on its business. Of 18 major carmakers in the United States, 13 including Fiat Chrysler failed to comply with fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards for the 2017 model year without using credits, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The agency said its review of model year 2017 vehicles showed "automakers falling further behind current standards." The 2017 model fleet fell 1 1/2 miles per gallon short of the 33.8 mpg standard based on yearly performance without including credits, NHTSA reported. The shortfall was a half-mile per gallon for the 2016 model year. NHTSA said more automakers were failing to comply with standards for the 2018 and 2019 model years, "and the potential penalties on automakers, which are passed along to consumers, are expected to continue to increase." The Trump administration has used the widening gap between the emissions of automakers' U.S. fleets, which are skewing toward larger vehicles, and national vehicle CO2 emissions standards to bolster its case for freezing vehicle emissions and mileage standards at current levels through 2026. Environmental groups and regulators in California and other states are fighting against any rollback in standards, saying tough rules are needed to address climate change and reduce consumer outlays for fuel. NHTSA and the Environmental Protection Agency are working to finalize as early as next month a rewrite of the Obama administrationÂ’s fuel efficiency requirements, which call for sharp reductions in fleet-wide emissions by 2026. Fiat Chrysler is paying fines for the shortfall in its domestic passenger car fleet, which includes several front-wheel-drive Jeep and rear-drive Dodge SUVs and some sedans and muscle cars. The automaker killed its slow-selling domestic small and midsize sedans. After paying $77.3 million last year for a 2016 model year fuel-economy shortfall, a Fiat Chrysler spokesman confirmed Wednesday the company had received a letter on the 2017 penalty and has 60 days to pay the fine.