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Chrysler expecting up to 200,000 9-speed transmissions for 3 models this year

Striving for improved fuel economy, we already knew that Chrysler will begin using a nine-speed automatic transmission in some of its new products this year, but what we haven't known is that volume at which this gearbox will be used. According to Bloomberg, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has been quoted as saying that the automaker expects to sell close to 200,000 units equipped with this new transmission in 2013. Those gear-rich trannies will be spread out across three models, consisting of the redesigned Chrysler 200, the still-unnamed Jeep Liberty replacement and the Dodge Dart.
This transmission should play a pivotal role in making Chrysler vehicles more competitive in their respective segments. Just for comparison, one of the Dart's key competitors, the Toyota Corolla, still uses a four-speed automatic, and a previous report indicates that the next-generation 200 could get up to 38 miles per gallon on the highway, which is better than most non-hybrid midsize sedans on the market. Marchionne says that the new Jeep model is expected during the second quarter of this year, but there is no word as to when the new 200 or nine-speed Dart will debut, but clearly Dodge would like to have the transmission in its compact yesterday. As for that volume figure, it definitely doesn't seem out of reach since the Dart, Liberty and 200 combined for a total of more than 225,000 units in 2012.
How many more gears can we expect in future cars? Probably not many more, since the CEO of transmission-builder ZF, Stefan Sommer, previously stated that nine speeds was the "natural limit" for transmissions.

Jeep and Ram do the pre-Super Bowl ad thing again

Fiat Chrysler is experimenting this year with pre-Super Bowl advertising that isn't — yet — Super Bowl advertising. The automaker's released five ads so far this week for Jeep and Ram. including two more today for the new Ram heavy duty trucks. But at the moment there are no plans to run them during the game. With a new focus on efficiency, the marketing team at Auburn Hills wants to see how the spots play online. The latest long-form Ram ads are called "Roll Rams Roll" and "Fourth Quarter," to go along with the long-form spot, "Make Sure of It," featuring the new voice of Ram commercials, actor Jeremy Renner. The latter spot represents the beginning of a collaboration with Ram and Renner. The wide-ranging actor will provide vocals for Ram's new campaign called "Led or Be Led" that begins later this month. "Roll Rams Roll" presents the classic scenario of two folks arriving at a four-way intersection at the same time. This time, however, one party is a seriously gung-ho tailgating crew in a Ram 3500 HD pulling a giant travel trailer, the other is a ginormous herd of Rams that have come from across the country to see their namesakes play. "Fourth Quarter" celebrates the unheralded workers who, like the best players, give their all until the final whistle, no matter how long it takes for that whistle to blow. Over in the Jeep-verse, fresh off of crushing a 1963 Gladiator, the off-road brand continues the association with the band OneRepublic that began last summer. The group mostly lets the images do the singing in the spot "More Than Just Words," which pairs the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem with representative visuals. FCA marketing honcho Olivier Francois called the week's commercials "a taste of what's to come." Whether that taste comes during the game, we don't know. Spots are rumored to cost $5.5 million for 30 seconds this year, up from $5.2 million last year, which comes on top of production costs that run into the millions. If an ad does well online, there's a chance it could appear during the show in Atlanta. Otherwise, you can check them out above and below, and watch out for rumored multi-brand Twitter shenanigans during the game. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

FCA profits surge in second quarter

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles gave the cash register a beating in the second quarter, improving its net profit to 333 million euros ($364M US), which is a 263-percent jump over its reported Q1 profit of 92 million euros ($108M US). At the same time, FCA improved its global profit margin to 7.7 percent. Compared year-over-year, in Q2 2014 FCA reported net profit of 197 million euros making this year's Q2 a 69-percent increase, and profit margins a year ago were 4.9 percent. The two big factors for this increase are strong NAFTA sales and Jeep. In the US alone, Jeep sold 222,940 units in Q2 this year, a jump of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. Revenue in the NAFTA region totaled $18.8 billion, adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were $1.45 billion, both of those numbers more than doubling compared to 2014. The vastly better numbers come on marginally more global sales, 1,181,000 units sold in Q2 2014, 1,193,000 units sold in the same span this year. In the US, FCA began charging dealers one-percent more for vehicles to up the margins, a move that helped boost its US margin from 4.1 percent a year ago to 5.8 percent the first half of this year. The company is holding steady on its guidance of global deliveries at 4.8 million and its net profit guidance at $1.1 to $1.3 billion. It has increased its adjusted outlook for the year to $120.5 billion in revenue, and EBIT to "over $4.93 billion." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Jeep FCA