Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Podcasts, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, GMC, Honda, Lincoln, Toyota, Volkswagen

It’s a North American International Auto Show recap for Episode #161 of the Autoblog Podcast. Chris, Sam and Dan mull the top five of the show before speaking more in depth about some unveilings. The new Chevrolet Aveo gets us started before we move on to another sharply styled General Motors concept, the GMC Granite. We touch briefly on the Honda CR-Z, and then Toyota’s FT-CH comes up next before we call it a night with the Volkswagen New Compact Coupe Concept.

We’ll be back again next week with more Autoblog Podcast goodness. Until then, fill in with Joystiq and Engadget. Let us know what you think of our podcast by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening!

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #161 – Detroit Auto Show recap

Autoblog Podcast #161 – Detroit Auto Show recap originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SUV, Chrysler, Jeep, Diesel, Off-Road

If there’s one single item we think the Jeep Wrangler sorely needs, it’s a new powertrain. The current 3.8-liter V6 engine and four-speed automatic transmission are extremely long in the tooth and make Chrysler’s mountain goat feel downright anemic when traveling on paved roads. It could be argued that a small-displacement diesel engine would be the ideal way to add some much-needed grunt and improved fuel efficiency to the iconic off-roader, but apparently that’s not going to happen – at least not here in the United States.

Says Michael Manley, president and chief executive officer of the Jeep brand, “We have no plans at the moment for diesel Jeeps in North America, although one of the things I’ve learned in this business is to never say never… I wouldn’t rule it out, but specifically on Nov. 4, we were commenting on diesel in Europe.”

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean the 70-year-old Civilian Jeep won’t get any updates at all. According to the Toledo Blade – the Jeep brand’s hometown newspaper – Chrysler is likely to use its new Pentastar V6 engine, which we’d hope would also include a new six-speed automatic transmission, in the Wrangler starting next summer. Also, we’re told that more special edition models will join the recently unveiled Islander and Mountain models. Thanks for the tip, Tom!

[Source: Toledo Blade]

No diesel Jeep Wranger for North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler, Dodge

CNNMoney.com is reporting that Chrysler will be the only U.S. domestic automaker to air a commercial during this year’s Super Bowl. The spot in question will be 60 seconds long, the most expensive length to buy during the big game, and advertise the Dodge Charger of all vehicles. Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna C. Gutierrez is quoted saying, “What better way to illustrate to our customers that we are still here than to air on the Super Bowl…” Oh Dianna, we could think of a few ways.

Has Chrysler determined there are so many people who believe it’s disappeared that spending millions on a Super Bowl ad to remind them it hasn’t is a good idea? This idea ranks right up there with boarding a private jet bound for the nation’s capital to ask for money from Congress. In other words, it will backfire. The expense of buying air time during the Super Bowl to advertise the outdated Charger could easily be seen by some as a waste of money, dollars that could have been used to do better things, like, say, developing a better Charger.

There’s nothing Chrysler can say in a commercial that will wipe out the ill will that remains in some people’s hearts after the government loans and forced bankruptcy, so Chrysler should do what its cross-town rivals are doing: be quiet and start developing better products. Once the folks at Chrysler build a better Charger (and Avenger, Caliber, Journey, etc.), then we’ll by happy to watch their Super Bowl ad. Until then, we’re more looking forward to watching spots from Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Audi and Volkswagen on February 7.

[Source: CNNMoney.com | Image: Jamie Squire/Getty]

Hail Mary Pass? Chrysler buying 60-second Super Bowl spot for Dodge Charger originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sedan, Chrysler, Luxury

If you plan on visiting the 2010 Detroit Auto Show when it opens to the public, head to the Chrysler display, specifically the area where they’ve cordoned off the Chrysler Lancia concept. Behind that rebadged Lancia Delta is a large video screen playing a Chrysler promotional video. Nothing special, right? Wrong. The video in question is apparently showing sneak peeks of future Chrysler models. We were too busy asking Chrysler spokespeople why the Lancia was even at the show (to which they offered little insight) to even notice.

While a few different vehicles/concepts are shown in the video, the most obvious and interesting is what could be the next-gen Chrysler 300. From what little we can see of it, the car appears to be a concept version of the next-gen 300 that we may see unveiled in the near future, possibly at the Chicago Auto Show in February or New York Auto Show in April.

While we don’t have the video itself, there is some hand-held footage of the Chrysler Lancia concept on YouTube with the video playing on the wall in the background. That’s after the jump, but you can also view some screen grabs in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Joseph!

[Source: YouTube, Picasa]

Continue reading Next-gen Chrysler 300 previewed in auto show video?

Next-gen Chrysler 300 previewed in auto show video? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Chrysler, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Saab, Smart

We cover a lot of automotive ground here at Autoblog every week, but even with our obsessive watch on the industry, things still get away from us. So we hereby present the Autoblog Weekender, a place where we might be able to leave no story unturned.

This week Hannibal and Face stop by along with some freaky hip dude called Reggie White, the Tucker Torpedo Convertible controversy is not over, the Nissan GT-R challenger for the FIA GT1 series takes a bow in high-res photos, as does Heffner’s R8 Twin Turbo, somebody puts wood paneling on a Smart Fortwo, and who knew Bentleys could tow in reverse?

And that’s not even the half of it. Follow the jump for the week’s leftovers, and let us know what you think of the first Weekender in Comments.

Continue reading Introducing the first-ever Autoblog Weekender

Introducing the first-ever Autoblog Weekender originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota

Key to the survival of any business are repeat customers, and automobiles are no different. The data miners at R.L. Polk & Company have announced the winners of their 2009 Automotive Loyalty Award after wading into facts and figures tracking customer loyalty to automotive nameplates. This is the 14th year Polk has presented the awards, and three new categories noting loyalty among specific ethnic groups were added this year.

Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer went to Toyota, unseating General Motors from its nine-year run. Toyota cleaned up two more categories – Mid/Full-Size Car for the Toyota Prius and Mid/Full-Size SUV for the Lexus RX – and also secured one of the new ethnic category awards, taking home the honors for Asian-American brand loyalty.

Honda took awards for Overall Loyalty to Make as well as picking up the new African-American and Hispanic loyalty awards. Most Improved Loyalty went to Audi for its 4.9 percent bump in customer retention. Ford’s F-Series pickup and Mustang ponycar won their respective categories, while the Subaru Forester, Range Rover, and Chrysler Town & Country repeated wins in their segments. The BMW 3 Series, Mini Cooper, and Porsche 911 also took home hardware. More details are given in the press release posted after the jump.

[Source: R.L. Polk & Co.]

Continue reading Polk announces 2009 Loyalty Award winners, Toyota bumps GM

Polk announces 2009 Loyalty Award winners, Toyota bumps GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Recalls, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

The Office of Defects Investigation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced the recall of some 24,177 late-model Chrysler Group vehicles over potentially faulty brakes. The problem effects the MY2010 Chrysler Sebring, Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro, and the 2009-2010 Dodge Ram.

The problem in question involves a retaining clip for the brake booster input rod – part of the brake hydraulics – which could be either be deformed or missing entirely. In such cases, the brakes could fail entirely and, suffice it to say, cause a crash.

If you own one of these 24,000 vehicles, the government agency advises that you contact your local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer for servicing post-haste. Details in recall notice after the jump.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

Continue reading Recall issued for potential brake failure on 2010 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles

Recall issued for potential brake failure on 2010 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Videos, Chrysler, Humor

So we found this new website after our trip to the D for the 2010 Detroit Auto Show called Do You Come with the Car? It’s written by an anonymous auto show model who, as we speak, is likely standing on a platform in Cobo Hall fielding that very same question from some old guy who thinks he’s funny. We’ve always been fascinated by this trade, so her insights into the inner workings of the auto show model profession, particularly while the Detroit show is open to the public, are interesting, at least to us.

Her latest blog post illustrates just one of the many frustrations with which auto show models have to do deal on a daily basis. A reporter from FOX Toledo roped a Chrysler model named Lauren into an on-camera interview – you may remember her from our gallery – and then uses the occasion to ask such probing questions as “Is that comfortable?” (referring to her metallic mini-dress) and remarking “I hope you can’t read what my eyes are saying.” Top notch reporting, creepy dude. He increases his creepiness quotient to skin crawling levels by closing the interview with a come on in his final question. Being the savvy, street smart girl we assume her to be, Lauren gives him the cold (bare) shoulder and walks away.

We’re no strangers to accusations of sexism and exploitation when we publish galleries of these models after an auto show, but we very much respect them and what they do. Having been trained to speak knowledgeably about whatever vehicle they’re showcasing, they probably know more about the car than most of us. Hopefully that respect comes across when we’re taking their picture (we usually ask permission first unless the model is posing for a crowd of photogs) and to everyone else when we publish those galleries. We’d certainly hate to be lumped into the same class as this guy. Follow the jump to watch him go down in flames.

UPDATE: Whoever uploaded the video to YouTube has yanked it. We searched for another copy online, but no luck so far. Sorry!

UPDATE #2: Though the video has been yanked, the reporter in question has published his side of the story on the internet, which you can read here. Long story short, the model, Lauren, was in on it the whole time. He further adds that one intention behind the staged interview was to “draw attention to the kind of environment these professionals deal [with] all the time.”

[Source: Do You Come with the Car?]

Continue reading Video: Reporter gets deservedly dissed by Chrysler model

Video: Reporter gets deservedly dissed by Chrysler model originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler, Dodge

According to an Autoblog source, Dodge will abandon the Durango nameplate for the model’s replacement due for 2012. In place of that two-generation designator, Chrysler is exhuming the Magnum nameplate, a moniker used on the low-slung wagon built on Chrysler’s LX platform up until 2008. The new Magnum is expected to be built atop the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee chassis (itself riding on Mercedes-Benz-derived architecture) and skew more toward the crossover segment than the previous rough-and-ready SUV.

Our source originally showed us a screen capture of a Pentastar service training software page on its Chrysler Academy Learning Center confirming the Magnum’s existence (shown above), but at that time, he wasn’t clear what the vehicle was. Since then, our man has learned through a Chrysler zone manager at a New York dealer’s meeting that the line item in question is indeed the next Durango. A secondary source close to the situation confirmed to Autoblog that a name change for the new vehicle is in the cards and that Magnum is under serious consideration, but he was unclear as to whether a final decision had been made.

The Durango was introduced in 1998 and immediately found success riding the crest of the SUV boom. A second-generation debuted for 2004 and ran through the 2009 model year, but the larger redesigned model didn’t meet with the same sort of success as its predecessor, struggling to deal with the collapse of the body-on-frame SUV market and increasingly plentiful crossover options.

It isn’t immediately clear what the reasoning is behind Chrysler’s apparent name change strategy, especially as the 2005-2008 Magnum itself wasn’t considered much of a sales success (it was consistently outsold by its LX platform stablemates, the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger). That said, with the model being more CUV-like than a body-on-frame bruiser, the change seems to make some sense. Further, Magnum remains a powerful nameplate, and the Pentastar has a long history of employing it for any number of different products, including a large B-platform coupe in the late 1970s, a range of engines, and a Mexican-market K-car model in the ’80s. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

Source: Next Dodge Durango to be called Magnum originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Concept Cars, Europe, Crossover, Chrysler, Fiat, Lancia

Remember the nameless Chrysler Lancia (pictured above) from last week’s Detroit Show? According to a report from Autocar, there’s a good chance that the vehicle (a reskinned Delta) is more than just an exercise in filling up space in Cobo Hall. Fiat’s boss Sergio Marchionne is saying that Chrysler could be fully merged with Fiat by the end of the year.

Why would Mr. Marchionne merge two such seemingly distinct and storied brands into one? Because they fill holes in each others’ lineups. “In Europe, Lancia is an undersized, underdeveloped brand, with nothing bigger than the Delta. Chrysler, which has a true global reach, has nothing smaller. Put them together and you have a full line-up,” said the boss.

As for last week’s Pentastar badged Lancia Delta, it could happen… maybe. “The rebadged Delta could quite possibly make a Chrysler vehicle,” explained Marchionne, who went on to explain that a Chrysler’d Delta would not conflict with Lancia. Why? Fiat won’t be selling any Lanica-badged Lancias in the United States. If that’s the case, the merger would be similar to how Renault-Nissan does business, and hopefully not as… how to put this… plain rotten as DaimlerChrysler turned out.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Marchionne says Chrysler and Lancia could be merged within a year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments