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Fiat Chrysler to get $105M fine from NHTSA for recall woes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is about to send a powerful message to automakers doing business in the United States, assuming reports of an upcoming $105 million fine against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles comes to fruition. In addition to the record-setting monetary fine, according to The Wall Street Journal, FCA will have to accept an independent auditor that will monitor the company's recall and safety processes and will be forced to buy back certain recalled vehicles. In other cases, such as with Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty models with gas tanks that could potentially catch fire in certain types of accidents, FCA will offer financial encouragement for owners to get their recall work done or to trade those older vehicles in on new cars, according to the report. FCA could reportedly reduce its fines if it meets certain conditions, though those remain unclear at this time. These actions against FCA are being taken after NHTSA began a probe into the automaker over almost two dozen separate instances where the government claims FCA failed to follow proper procedures for recalls and safety defects. Included in those safety lapses are more than 11 million vehicles currently in customer hands. These penalties and fines are separate from the investigation over security problems with Chrysler's Uconnect system that allowed hackers to obtain remote access into key vehicle systems in 1.4 million vehicles. Related Video: Image Credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Recalls Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Safety fiat chrysler automobiles fine

FCA goes all-in on Jeep and Ram brands on cheap gas bet

It's no surprise that as SUV and truck sales remain strong in the wake of unusually cheap gas, Jeep and Ram sales are taking off. What is a surprise is that FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne thinks that cheap gas will be a "permanent condition," and feels strongly enough about it to change up North American manufacturing plans. Jeep appears to be the biggest beneficiary of the product realignment. In addition to increasing the sales estimates for the brand worldwide upwards to 2 million units a year by 2018, the brand will get a flood of investment for new product and powertrains. Consider the Wrangler Pickup to be part of the salvo, as well as the Grand Wagoneer three-row announced in 2014 as part of the original five-year plan. The Wrangler four-door will get at least two new powertrains, a diesel and mild hybrid version, in its next generation. That mild hybrid powertrain may utilize a 48-volt electrical system like the one that's being developed by Delphi and Bosch – which the suppliers think will be worth a 10 to 15 percent fuel economy gain at a minimum. Down the road, in the 2020s, the Wrangler could adopt a full hybrid system. The diesel powertrain is planned for 2019 or 2020. The Ram 1500 is also pegged to receive a mild hybrid system, again potentially based on 48-volt architecture, sometime after 2020. Lastly, Jeep and Ram will take over some of the production capacity of existing plants. The Sterling Heights, MI, plant that builds the Chrysler 200 will now build the Ram 1500; the Belvidere, IL, facility that produces the Dodge Dart will take over Cherokee output; the big Jeep facility in Toledo, OH, will be used for increased Wrangler demand. In 2015, according to FCA's numbers, car and van demand went down by 10 percent, but SUV demand went up 8 percent and truck demand 2 percent. Considering that these are high-margin vehicles, FCA can't ignore the math. FCA also won't build any new factories to supplement production to meet demand, but instead are reshuffling production priorities. Think of it this way: FCA is gambling on cheap gas being a permanent part of our lives, at least into the 2020s. By doubling down on SUVs and trucks, the company stands to win big, unless a spike in gas prices changes the landscape. FCA isn't talking about a Plan B, so they're all in. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

2018 Jeep Wrangler interior revealed with retro touches and bright colors

Easily one of the weakest points of the current Jeep Wrangler (and most past ones for that matter) is the bleak, black plastic interior. Now, thanks to a pair of images from Jeep we get our first unobscured look at the new Wrangler's interior. And thanks to some retro cues, it's a much brighter and more cheerful place. As expected from spy photos, the dashboard's main design features are simple, flat body-color panels positioned in front of the driver and passenger. They harken back to the painted metal dashboards of vintage Jeeps, and at the same time bring a splash of color and contrast to what would otherwise be a plain, average interior. In fact, it's the same strategy used by both the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle. There's more metal-finish trim around the switches that advance the bright look, too. The whole dash is flatter, with things like the grab handle mounted flusher. Everything has a more geometric, crisp shape, with each bank of buttons featuring beveled borders. At the top of the dash is a big touch screen for infotainment. It's possible lower-trim levels will have head units with smaller screens and some more buttons, but at least on this model, it's all about the touchscreen. There are volume and tuning knobs lower, though. This is also where the various climate controls are found. The instrument panel gets a sharp-looking center screen, too, and the analog dials have been reduced from four large units down to two on either side of the screen. Below the climate controls are the window switches, power outlet and media inputs. At the very bottom we find switches for off-road features, indicating that this is probably a Rubicon model. A switch to the left surrounded by red accenting controls the front and rear differential locks, and in the middle is a button for disconnecting the anti-roll bars for greater articulation. On the right are four generic buttons that seem like the auxiliary toggles in the F-150 Raptor, so they should be able to connect to lights, a winch, and other aftermarket accessories. Jeep still hasn't revealed any other details on specifications or pricing. That information will be released on November 29 during the Wrangler's official reveal at the L.A. auto show. We expect it to only offer a V6 at launch with either a manual transmission (shown in the images) or an automatic, with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine coming later. Related Video: