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Junkyard Gem: This 1987 Dodge 600 SE Sedan is suspiciously Benz-ish

The K Platform, introduced for the 1981 model year, saved Chrysler from certain bankruptcy. By 1983, a stretched-out K chassis had been developed; the Chrysler version was the E-Class, while Dodge had the 600. These cars have become all but extinct now, so this '87 600 sedan in a Denver-area wrecking yard is a noteworthy Junkyard Gem. Ford explicitly compared the appearance of the late-1970s Granada to that of the Mercedes-Benz W123 in their advertising, and so the ground was broken for Chrysler to make the allusions to Stuttgart machinery even more obvious a few years later. The name of the Chrysler E-Class was about as subtle as a tire iron blow to the kidneys, and the badging on its Dodge 600 sibling left little to the imagination. 600s came from the factory with several variations of the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 engine, as well as the Mitsubishi "Hemi 2.6" four-cylinder. This car has the 2.5 Chrysler engine, rated at 97 horsepower. Base price was $10,553, about $23,500 in 2017 dollars (the cheapest new Mercedes-Benz E-Class cost $38,600 in 1987, so there wasn't much customer overlap between the two cars). The 600s weren't bad cars for the price, though the build quality wasn't quite up to Mercedes-Benz standards. You'll find this thumbtack treatment on most K-Car headliners that still drive today. The interior is all tan and brown, with plenty of tough industro-velour upholstery and not-so-convincing artificial wood. Aluminum-faced home audio equipment was all the rage during the 1980s, and the trend spread to automotive controls. No cassette in this car, but at least it had AM and FM radio (even plain old mono AM radios were still expensive options on many cars as late as 1987, so the standard AM/FM stereo rig in the 600 was an attractive deal). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. You can't beat the 600!

Gas prices down, 707-hp engine production up... USA!

On Saturday, the United States of America will celebrate its 239th birthday. That means fireworks, barbecues, block parties, and, oh yeah, Hellcat engines and low fuel prices. The most American of (Mexican-built) powerplants, the big, loud, supercharged, 707-horsepower Hemi is slated for yet another production boost to match up with some serious demand, while the dino juice it runs on is cheaper than it's been in over half a decade. The Saltillo, Mexico engine factory already produces some 4,000 Hellcat engines each year – that's in addition to the Tigershark four-cylinder, the 5.7-liter Hemi, and 6.4-liter SRT Hemi V8s – and it's not entirely clear how many more might get added to that total. What we do know, though, is that Fiat Chrysler can't build the engines fast enough. "We're going to build more [Hellcats] for 2016," SRT boss Tim Kuniskis told Automotive News. "It's a small sliver of what we sell, but it really creates a halo for the rest of the lineup. For example, the next highest car, the Scat Pack Challenger, I have essentially a zero-day supply. It's sold out." This bit of good news comes on the back of something equally good – low summer gas prices. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the nationwide average for for "all formulations" of fuel in June sits at $2.885. Ignoring the remarkably low prices we saw in January and February of this year – figures that themselves hadn't been seen since May of 2009 – the national average hasn't sat that low since October 2010. So yes, it's a very a good time to be an American gearhead. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., US Energy Information AdministrationImage Credit: US EIA Green Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Fuel Efficiency Coupe Performance Sedan dodge challenger srt tim kuniskis dodge charger srt

Fiat Chrysler profit up as it closes in on retiring its debt

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reduced its debt by more than expected in the first quarter, putting the carmaker well on course to become cash positive later this year. Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne expects to cancel all debt during 2018 — possibly by the end of June — and generate around 4 billion euros ($5 billion) in net cash by the end of the year. Marchionne has said that forecast does not include any one-off measures, nor the impact of the planned spinoff of parts maker Magneti Marelli, which he hopes to execute by early 2019. The world's seventh-largest carmaker said on Thursday net debt had fallen to 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion) by the end of March, well below a consensus forecast of 2.6 billion euros in a Thomson Reuters poll of analysts. FCA said capital spending fell 900 million euros in the quarter due to "program timing," which analysts said implied higher investments for the rest of the year. The Italian-American group said first-quarter operating profit rose 5 percent to 1.61 billion euros, below a consensus forecast of 1.74 billion, as a weaker performance from its North American profit center weighed. Shipments there were higher due to the new Jeep Wrangler and Compass models. But currency moves hit revenues and earnings, and costs related to new product launches added to the pressure. FCA's shift to sell more trucks and SUVs boosted margins yet again in North America to 7.4 percent from 7.3 percent in the same quarter a year ago, although they were down from the 8 percent recorded in the preceding three months. Marchionne, preparing to hand over to an internal successor next year, is close to his goal of ending a margin gap with larger U.S. rivals General Motors and Ford. The 65-year-old has said becoming debt free and being able to compete on a par with U.S. peers would mean FCA no longer needed a partner to survive and could well succeed on its own. The CEO has previously said tying up with another carmaker would help to meet the huge costs in an industry investing in electric vehicles and automated driving. FCA shares fell immediately after the results, but recovered to trade up 3 percent at 19.71 euros by 1150 GMT, outperforming a 0.4 percent rise in Europe's blue-chip stock index. ($1 = 0.8214 euros) Reporting by Agnieszka FlakRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.