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Bill Cawthon pointed out that DCX has announced the sale of the Sprinter van in the US, where it is sold as a Freightliner. Sales are handled by DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC, in Charlotte NC, a division of Mercedes. The van is made in Germany but Freightliner's "distinctive features" are added here.
Genciu wrote: "GM sales were up 13%, Ford were up 4.4% and Chrysler sales were DOWN 6% for the month of November. Liberty and PT Cruiser were both up without rebates or low financing. Sebring, Town and Country, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Stratus Coupe, Viper, Caravan are up. Ram Pickups were down 5% due to ramping up the new model and not having V6s yet. Also, fleet car sales were way down, so in a way, that is positive news on the consumer front. A few way downers... Intrepid was down 47%, Stratus Sedan down 38%, Durango down 38% and Ram Wagon down 30%."
Bad news, far worse than we imagined. Despite zero-percent financing AND extended warranties, Chrysler is dropping like a stone.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the Dodge Ram has gone from worst to best in damage caused by a low-speed crash, with $3,843 in damage (that's "best" for a full size pickup). By contrast, the Jeep Liberty racked up $5,667 in damage, far more than the Chevy TrailBlazer ($2,445), which has the best-in-class rating. The Ford Explorer sustained nearly as much damage as the Liberty, $5,432 from four five-mile-per-hour collisions. To be fair, the Liberty is considerably less expensive than the TrailBlazer, and is far more capable than the Explorer.
DCX announced that Chrysler would make Mercedes parts used in future Chrysler vehicles, including rear axles and transmissions. These parts will not find their way into Mercedes-branded cars for the foreseeable future.
Showing the kind of sensitivity Detroit is known for, Ford announced that it would be slashing salaried employee benefits on the same day it said it would donate $1.5 million to create auto mechanic training centers. Ford will lose roughly $630 million in the third quarter. On February 4, Ford will also eliminate one shift at Edison's Ford Ranger plant (which once made Escorts). The company has already announced plans to cut about 5,000 white-collar jobs and suspend executive bonuses, along with a variety of other cost-cutting moves. This leaves General Motors as the only American automaker which is focusing on innovation and new product to grow their way out of rough times.
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Some time ago, Chrysler started a test certified used vehicle program for Chrysler and Dodge. Now, it seems that the program is being expanded and advertised. Johnb300m noted that they are advertising an 80,000 mile/8 year warranty, with the catchline "THEY'RE BRAND SPANKIN' USED".
43,000 2002 Chrysler PT Cruisers and Jeep Grand Cherokees have been recalled due to bad software, which could cause interior lights to go dark - so that the speedometer would be unreadable. No accidents have been caused by this apparently rare issue, and the solution is a fast and simple reprogramming at the dealer.
More seriously - though the press seems to have given it less attention - Mitsubishi recalled 2000 Galant sedans and Eclipse coupes because a power-steering fluid tube could touch the exhaust system and overheat, risking a leak and a fire. We don't know if this affects Chrysler vehicles based on the Eclipse (Sebring and Stratus coupes).
Despite the "cool" ratings of the 300M Special, it looks like the modified 300M - complete with high-energy discharge headlights and styled aluminum fittings - isn't doing so well so far, with under 1,000 ordered. Perhaps Chrysler will actually air commercials featuring their top-end car to stimulate sales.
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