2003-2004 News Archive
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DCX sponsors fuel research
Environmentally friendly hydrogen production and storage technologies that could be used to power future automobiles are the focus of three university studies partially funded by the DaimlerChrysler Challenge Fund. These biotechnologies were part of the Life Sciences technology display at the 2003 Detroit Science Center Gala May 16 in Detroit. The three featured technologies are:
Hydrogen Production from Algae and Bacteria, Tasios Melis
In this experimental program, hydrogen is produced by algae and bacteria using sunlight and water. Research in biotechnology provides green algae that releases hydrogen through photosynthesis. The by-product from the photosynthesis provides food for the bacteria which also produces hydrogen through photosynthesis. This may prove to be an ecologically friendly, renewable source of hydrogen.
Hydrogen Production from Sugar, James A. Dumesic, Randy D. Cortright, Mary-Rose de Valladares, and Damon Bresenham
Hydrogen can be produced from water-soluble carbohydrates such as sugars and alcohols. This is a renewable source of hydrogen, and this process offers the opportunity to reform the fuel to make hydrogen on-board the vehicle in a manner that is safe and nontoxic.
Higher Efficiency Packaging for Compressed Hydrogen, Lawrence T. Drzal
Spider Silk fiber may solve several challenges for high-pressure gas storage necessary with compressed hydrogen. Spider silk is environmentally friendly, and for its weight, it is one of the strongest materials found in nature. Spider silk used in this university program to develop high-strength, lightweight composites has a strength-to-weight ratio, or specific strength, that is 20 to 45 times stronger than steel. It is roughly the same as Kevlar or carbon fiber. "As important as the fuel cell vehicle itself, is the issue of how the fuel for these vehicles is produced, " said Thomas S. Moore, Vice President and head of the Liberty & Technical Affairs research group. "These research projects, which we are pleased to support through the DaimlerChrysler Challenge Fund, are addressing two important questions: How do we produce hydrogen fuel for automobiles using renewable, non-polluting resources, and how do we store hydrogen fuel onboard the vehicle?"
Mopar wins drag in Stratus R/T
Whit Bazemore made history for Dodge and the new Stratus R/T Funny Car body during today's NHRA national event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Bazemore won the first race for the new Stratus R/T body and a first for Dodge since the 1998 NHRA event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa. Bazemore finally broke through after posting seven semifinal or better finishes to open the season. The 14-year-category veteran moved up to second in the points after defeating Ron Capps in the final with a 4.869-second elapsed time at 306.81 mph.
"We're contending for a championship stronger than we've ever contended before," said a happy Bazemore in winner's circle. "The aerodynamics of the Stratus is very, very good. It's one of the main reasons we've been so successful this year. We're very excited and grateful to have Dodge involved.
"I tested (teammate) Gary Scelzi's Dodge last weekend," Bazemore added. "And we went 325 (mph) with a 40-mph crosswind. We had the spoiler in a full downforce position. When they made the fastest Funny Car run ever today — we weren't surprised. We're going to try and one-up those guys a little bit. We know the potential of the car and when we're in good conditions again — it's our every intention to go 327 (mph) or faster with these cars -- and we know we can do it."
Bazemore was impressive in his trek through the field. The Indianapolis resident, outran Cruz Pedregon in round one, Del Worsham in round two and Tony Pedregon in the semifinals. Bazemore clocked a 4.813-second elapsed time at 324.59 mph in round two --the second fastest run of the weekend.
Gary Scelzi took his Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car body to new heights in his first round victory today over Schumacher Racing teammate Scotty Cannon. Scelzi and his Oakley-sponsored Dodge made a 326.95 mph pass —- which is the fastest run in NHRA Funny Car history. Unfortunately for Scelzi, tire smoke ended his weekend against Tony Pedregon in round number two.
"All the work that has been done by (Mopar Aero Engineer) Terry DeKoninck has really paid off," Scelzi said. "Mopar has a great wind tunnel and we've spent a lot of time and work on developing this body. It's really starting to pay some dividends. It's unfortunate we lost lane choice today because that's what got us.
"We get to playing these games on the starting line and you can get bit," said Scelzi, on his second round match with Pedregon. "I deep-staged to shorten the race track and it cost us today. I tried everything to disorient Tony on the starting line by knocking that top light out. The kid was on his game and he's tough to beat. I think we have something for them. Lane choice was critical, because when we backed up, the concrete was sticking to the wheels — and what do you do? You can't put the car by the wall. The rubber was actually pulling the concrete up. Our car is acting like it was at the beginning of the year. I'm pretty happy with what we have right now. Tony ran a 4.79 and weren't taking us lightly — we want them to know who's parking next to them."
Grand Cherokee Overland gets diesel in Europe
The UK version of the Grand Cherokee Overland has been fitted with the five-cylinder 2.7 litre common-rail turbo diesel engine used on the Limited, as an alternative to the high-output V8. The Mercedes engine, with 161 bhp of power and 295 lb ft of torque, is paired with a five-speed Mercedes automatic transmission and can do 0-60 in 11.2 seconds, with 29.1 mpg combined city/highway and a top speed of 118 mph.Quadra-Drive® four-wheel drive, a skid plate, and premium interior, sound, and exterior equipment are standard. 2003 models also include a softer suspension and easier power assist on the brakes. The Grand Cherokee Overland 2.7 CRD costs £31,495 on-the-road (including VAT), with a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty. The Limited is, as in the US, less expensive, and has a choice of straight-six, V8, or (unlike the US) diesel.
DCX, UPS, US work on fuel-cell delivery truck
DaimlerChrysler, the EPA, and United Parcel Service will work together at Ann Arbor on delivery vehicles powered by fuel cells. The vehicles will be used in normal UPS delivery operations, and will be fueled at a hydrogen refueling station. An F-Cell, a Mercedes A-Class powered by a Ballard fuel cell, is expected to begin letter delivery toward the end of this summer. Next year, a fuel cell Mercedes Sprinter van (with Dodge badging) will begin delivering larger packages. (Thanks, Doug Hetrick)
Dodge Ram hybrid to be built in 2004
Almost lost in the DaimlerChrsyler press release on the fuel cell UPS trucks was a note confirming that the hybrid-electric Dodge Ram pickup would be built next year. The innovative design features "through the road" gas / electric motor balancing, and reportedly will increase both acceleration and gas mileage, while providing a source of portable electric power. The
Pacifica gets five stars in each test
The Chrysler Pacifica gained NHTSA's highest rating, five stars, on all frontal and side impact crash tests, after an intensive effort to make the vehicle as safe as possible. In addition to having gone through computer and real crash testing throughout the development process, the Pacifica has three-row side curtain airbags mounted in the ceiling, which provide full side window coverage, and an inflatable knee blocker to protect the driver's leg and position the driver for best airbag coverage. The Pacifica was also designed to avoid accidents with optional all wheel drive and "sport sedan cornering and handling."
DCX reneges on Canadian promises
DaimlerChrysler has gone back on a pledge to open a new plant in Ontario to replace the Windsor full-size van facility, which will soon be closed down as Dodge sells rebadged Mercedes vans instead of its own, long-neglected full-size vans. DCX blamed economic conditions and the Canadian government for not providing corporate welfare. The Windsor factory had been upgraded at substantial cost around the time of the merger, with rumors hinting at full-size SUV production. More recent rumors suggested that a compact pickup and the Razor would be built at a new Windsor plant. "Wheatking" commented: "The way I read that is: We wanted to build the Razor/M80.. but marketing says it won't sell, and we'd need a new plant and new tooling etc... so the ends don't justify the means..Windsor was our first choice but the government didn't pony up the cash.. and with the climbing Canadian dollar, Mexico is looking like a better choice. So we're gonna stick with the cars that we said we'd bring out (no Razor/M80) that are based on current platforms and use current Mercedes parts that we can bill Chrysler for, rather than have Dodge/Chrysler have a vehicle not based around Mercedes parts."
Neon SRT-4 notes
We spent half an hour in a Dodge SRT-4 today. The well-tuned Neon combines desirable Neon traits with desirable Spirit R/T traits, and in the process absolutely blows away most competitors, especially the Toyota Celica and Acura RSX. Acceleration is very strong but also very smooth, so that while it posts similar figures to the Spirit R/T, it does so without as much need for driver skill and cooperative roads. Acceleration is strong from any engine speed, with no need to be up in the high (4,000+) rpms before getting turbo boost and a kick in the pants. The interior is nicely done, with tasteful chrome accents and a visible if small boost/vacuum gauge. Handling is very good but ride is not compromised - again, a vast improvement over the Celica and RSX, not to mention the Camaro. As a modified Neon, the SRT-4 has a good-sized rear seat and trunk, too. The engine is fairly loud with a rumbling, Camaro-style sound that could easily be muted with a muffler if the owner desired a sleeper. The seats are very supportive with clear sides which make it a little hard to get out, and may cause larger people some consternation, but help to keep people in the targeted size range very stable around turns. They can most likely be replaced with Neon seats quite easily. This is a very enjoyable car, and Chrysler could probably sell three times as many, especially if they were to actually place television ads.
Pay hikes delayed
Chrysler is once again delaying merit pay raises for salaried workers and raising white-collar workers' co-pays for prescription drugs. Merit raises are being delayed until at least October 1 from July 1. The moves are being justified by DCX because sales are down 7.2 percent, while the US market is down 4 percent as a whole. The drug co-pay brings Chrysler employees to rough parity with GM and Ford, at $7 for generics and $15 for brand name pharmaceuticals.
Mitsubishi execs told to buy Mercedes
Mitsubishi's CEO, Rolf Eckrodt, who was brought in from and by Mercedes, asked Mitsubishi exeuctives to trade in their cars for Mercedes models to feel a part of the DaimlerChrysler family. He notably did not mention Chrysler, with which Mitsubishi is sharing a large number of new cars - all of Chrysler's upcoming cars and one SUV will be on Mitsubishi platforms or share at least 20 percent of their parts with Mercedes. Mitsubishi is the fourth largest Japanese automaker, and the most popular among younger Americans. As with Chrysler, Mitsubishi has been assigned a role within DaimlerChrysler, and will not be on Mercedes turf - within three months of his arrival, Eckrodt eliminated funding for luxury cars, saying he wanted Mitsubishi to be an "Asian- oriented, stylish, sporty brand."
Mitsubishi is profitable in North America, but loses money in Japan and Europe. Eckrodt has cut costs in development by sharing platforms and components with Chrysler and Hyundai, and has increased quality by using Chrysler's and Mercedes' models. He also sold most of its truck and bus division to other Mitsubishi companies and DaimlerChrysler, and eliminated 14 percent of the company's jobs.
Jeep Compass reportedly approved
Mike's Jeep News cited sources saying that the Jeep Compass has been given a green light for production. While not Rubicon-trail capable, the price should be a little less than the Liberty it will be based on. It will focus on on-road ability, and will probably have a base 2.4 liter four-cylinder. Production is unlikely before 2005.
Chrysler Group $100 million for marketing
According to The Car Connection, Chrysler will be spending an additional $100 million over the summer months to try and boost their sluggish sales. This money will reportedly NOT be spent on incentives, but rather, real advertising! We'll have to wait and see...
GM to make play for new customers
General Motors' innovative "Test Drive" program will be reinforced by a new ad campaign where the world's largest automaker will admit to having made mistakes, while reinforcing its current commitment to making the best cars and trucks. GM will admit past quality flaws while showing current quality efforts (which led to a good showing in J.D. Power, as the top domestic, with the best and second best quality assembly plants in North and South America). The program seems to have the stamp of Bob Lutz ("the New Dodge") behind it.
Shakeup in Chrysler management
Marketing and sales head Jim Schroer, hired from Ford only two years ago, will be leaving at the end of this month. Joe Eberhardt, 39, will succeed Schroer as the head of the Sales, Marketing and Service organization, effective June 1, 2003. [This can only bode well for Chrysler's failing sales and marketing efforts].
In addition, DaimlerChrysler Board member Thomas W. Sidlik will take over the corporation's Global Procurement and Supply post, succeeding Gary C. Valade, who will retire at the end of the year. (Both were Chrysler Corporation executives.) Peter M. Rosenfeld, 45, will move up to Chrysler Group Executive Vice President for Procurement and Supply in December, and will, like Eberhardt, be on the Chrysler Group Executive Committee.
Joe Eberhardt, 39, is, not surprisingly, a Mercedes import. He has been the President and CEO of all DaimlerChrysler U.K. operations (including Mercedes and Chrysler) since October 1999. Under his leadership, DCX sales in the United Kingdom have more than doubled while dealer profitability has improved. Eberhardt had previously been in sales leadership positions at Mercedes-Benz in the United States for over ten years. During that 1988-99 period, Mercedes more than tripled its sales volume in America. He also led the product marketing and development area for the Mercedes-Benz passenger car business both in the United States and on a global basis.
Joe Eberhardt was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on August 26, 1963. Peter Rosenfeld joined Chrysler in 1982. (Thanks, "91redbaron.")
Jeep Compass to ride on Mitsubishi Lancer platform?
Paul Lienhart at globalautonet.com wrote that the "Jeep" Compass "soft roader" will not simply be a softer, lower, lighter Liberty, but will actually be based on a car platform. The Compass now has program code MK74, platform GS (the next-generation Mitsubishi Lancer, which does have Chrysler engineering input), and a plant (Belvidere, where the Neon is currently made). It will go into production around January 2006. It is possible - maybe even likely - he is mixing up the Compass (which was to appear in 2004 or 2005) with a small "Dodge" SUV.
Gary Scelzi sets record in a Dodge funny car
Gary Scelzi has set an official national speed record in his Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car thanks to a 327.98 mph pass during the third qualifying session for this weekend's NHRA Nationals. Scelzi ran within one percent of that speed this weekend, making a 328 mph record official.
New Chrysler $100 million ad campaign
Chrysler will launch a $100 million campaign revolving around incentives called the Summer Sales Drive. Like the "Best Values in America," it will be shared by all three brands. As CEO Dieter Zetsche has said he wants the brands to be separated more, and to rely on incentives less, this campaign may seem counter-productive to some.
Daimler incriminated in falsifying statements
Bloomberg News found out that Daimler-Benz strategy head Ruediger Grube referred to the acquisition of Chrysler Corporation as a takeover, not a merger,three months before the event. This was among 12,000 documents made public in the $15 billion Kerkorian lawsuit, which is based on the idea that DCX would be more valuable if it had been a merger - or that D-B would have had to pay a premium for Chrysler instead of receiving a discount if it had been honestly titled an acquisition. The "merger of equals" was to have five representatives from each company on the supervisory board, but Chrysler is now represented on the management board by two members, one of whom is soon to retire. This discovery is bolstered by a number of other documents showing Daimler-Benz's plans to discard Chrysler's standing as an equal as soon as the combination was completed. When confronted, DCX executives have tended to say they changed their minds about an acquisition in favor of a merger, but Juergen Schrempp told the Financial Times he had misled the public and always intended to have an acquisition.
More Ford safety problems
Dallas, Texas, has suspended Crown Victoria squad car purchases because of safety issues, and asked other cities to follow. Meanwhile, Illinois is suing Ford over what they call a design flaw in the fuel tank which has resulted in at least 14 deaths around the country. They are hoping for class action status. Ford denied safety problems, and installed many older cars with plastic shields which were later found to have marginal, if any, effectiveness in Ford's internal tests. Similar lawsuits have been filed across the country.
Detroit News helps Ford with propaganda
Detroit News has been running a week-long Ford propaganda blitz, sidelining embarassing parts of Ford's history - a dismal early safety record, the callousness of the Pinto decision, Henry Ford's Nazi statements and writings, the assaults of employees, the home invasions of employees by Ford thugs, and other rather nasty bits. They are now asking readers for "tales about this icon of American industry and the family that helped make Detroit into Motown," in preparation for more favorable articles.
Chrysler resorts to yet more incentives
With Dieter Zetsche frequently telling reporters he does not want to resort to incentives, Chrysler has countered poor sales of the brand new Pacifica not with lowered prices or even - gasp - advertising to tell people what it is and why they should buy it, but with $1,000 rebates and yet more cost cutting. New incentives including 1.9 percent 6 year loans, more interest-free five year loans, and $500 to $1,000 boosts on existing rebates. The new ad campaign, which we reported on earlier, focuses exclusively on incentives, and breaks down brand identities by using the same slogans for each one.
Chrysler drops Hummer lawsuit
Chrysler has dropped its trademark lawsuit against Hummer, whose GM-based H2 has entered the mass market with a seven-slot, vertical grille. GM is planning an H3, presumably a TrailBlazer with new sheet metal.
Chrysler announces May sales with mixed results
Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 217,411 units in May 2003 vs. 216,563 from May 2002, a three percent decline when calculated on a day-rate basis (though Bill Cawthon noted that May 2003 sales are actually greater than May 2002).
Bright spots included record May sales for the Ram, up 26 percent from last year, and a surprising spike in Durango sales, up 38 percent to 12,588 vehicles for the month. Other May bright spots include a hike in Liberty sales (up 17 percent) and Wrangler sales (up 8 percent). The Chrysler Concorde went up 32 percent, the Stratus up 13 percent, and the dying Ram Van up 20 percent.
Year to date, Chrysler is down 6%, losing over 50,000 units - Chrysler brand down 14%, Jeep 4%, Dodge Car 10%, Dodge Truck 2%. Minivans are down 11%, cars 10%, trucks 5%, SUVs 3%. Winners year to date are the Ram (up 9%), Viper, Concorde (up 15% but it hardly matters with the better-selling Intrepid down 26%!), Liberty, and Wrangler, with the Durango holding roughly steady.
U.S. Sales Summary Thru May 2003
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Sebring 10,540 11,763 -14% 45,875 55,252 -18%
Concorde 4,502 3,280 32% 17,089 14,782 15%
300M 2,909 2,930 -4% 13,402 13,513 -2%
LHS 0 192 -100% 0 552 -100%
Prowler 21 144 -86% 408 815 -50%
Crossfire 0 0 0 0
CHRYSLER CAR 17,972 18,309 -5% 76,774 84,914 -10%
PT Cruiser 10,563 13,727 -26% 51,303 62,526 -19%
Pacifica 2,471 0 0% 4,828 0 0%
Voyager 1,880 4,918 -63% 8,538 19,144 -56%
Town & Country 14,131 14,250 -5% 55,374 57,321 -4%
CHRYSLER TRUCK 29,045 32,895 -15% 120,043 138,991 -14%
CHRYSLER BRAND 47,017 51,204 -12% 196,817 223,905 -13%
Wrangler 7,557 6,723 8% 26,672 25,218 5%
Liberty 15,908 13,082 17% 65,958 60,399 8%
Grand Cherokee 15,919 16,700 -8% 74,629 87,149 -15%
JEEP BRAND 39,384 36,505 4% 167,259 172,766 -4%
CP CAR 17,972 18,511 -7% 76,774 85,519 -11%
CPJ TRUCK 68,429 69,400 -5% 287,302 311,757 -9%
CPJ DIVISION 86,401 87,911 -5% 364,076 397,276 -9%
Neon 13,364 12,903 0% 56,027 55,981 -1%
Stratus 11,376 9,704 13% 48,523 49,207 -2%
Intrepid 10,942 13,450 -22% 42,588 56,751 -26%
Viper 274 155 70% 1,044 685 51%
DODGE CAR 35,956 36,212 -4% 148,182 162,624 -10%
Dakota 11,417 13,806 -20% 49,599 55,917 -12%
Ram P/U 44,074 33,657 26% 177,186 161,286 9%
Caravan 23,872 31,944 -28% 110,486 118,048 -7%
Durango 12,588 8,799 38% 46,179 44,846 2%
Ram Wagon 0 1,844 -100% 0 7,355 -100%
Ram Van 2,987 2,390 20% 10,362 11,831 -13%
Sprinter Van 116 0 0% 204 0 0%
DODGE TRUCK 95,054 92,440 -1% 394,016 399,283 -2%
DODGE DIVISION 131,010 128,652 -2% 542,198 561,907 -4%
TOTAL CAR 53,928 54,723 -5% 224,956 248,143 -10%
TOTAL TRUCK 163,483 161,840 -3% 681,318 711,040 -5%
TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 217,411 216,563 -3% 906,274 959,183 -6%
Total Minivan 39,883 51,112 -25% 174,398 194,513 -11%
Total Sport Utility 51,972 45,304 10% 213,438 217,612 -3%
Selling Days 27 26 128 127
$1.2 billion loss forecast
DCX has forecast a $1.2 billion loss for Chrysler in the next fiscal quarter. The implications of this are unclear since Chrysler is part of a larger corporation, and profits and losses are determined partly by costing and revenue formulas.
Lemon list out - Chrysler does relatively well
"hemidakota" noted that the lemon list, for the cars with the highest complaint to sales ratios, is out. The Ford Escape has the worst position (the Mazda version isn't listed!), with a ratio of 24,916 - the next worst is, believe it or not, the Toyota Prius, with 14,625. Ford had four models in the Top Ten (including the Lincoln LS), GM had two, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Toyota had one apiece, and Chrysler had one - the Jeep Grand Cherokee, #10. In the top 25, Ford had 5, GM 5, Chrysler 4, and Toyota 3. Others included VW (2), and Subaru (2).
Intrepid, Concorde to be renamed
As they move onto new platforms, the popular Dodge Intrepid and somewhat less popular Chrysler Concorde will receive new names, on the logic that the current names are only attractive to current buyers.
Good enough for Mercedes
The Mercedes A-class will reportedly be built on the new shared small car platform, along with the Lancer and Neon replacement, to save money across the board. (Thanks, Slade59 and keitho.)
Changes at Chrysler in new article
This article documents what we know of changes within Chrysler, Chrysler's influences on Daimler (DCX), and what we can expect in the future. Additions sent by knowledgeable people (not speculation, please) can be sent to the editor at allpar dot com.
Gas mileage to be voted on soon
The Senate may be voting on fuel economy in their energy bill, S. 14, as early as today. At the moment, S. 14 would weaken gas mileage standards in several ways, increasing dependence on imported oil and possibly accelerating global warming. It puts expensive and time-consuming roadblocks into the DOT rule-making process, and extends a loophole for dual-fuel vehicles. Proposed amendments include McCain-Kerry (cross-party) which would likely raise fuel economy standards for passenger cars and trucks to 34 mpg over time; and the Feinstein amendment which would keep the standard at 27.5 but eliminate the truck/SUV loophole.
Child seat safety
NHTSA released its first set of grades for child seat ease of use. None of the seats got less than a B grade overall, though few got an A (experienced parents may be skeptical of the standards). Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Automotive Safety found that some of the new LATCH seats were difficult to use properly.
Anti-Daimler lawsuit moves forward
Merger-related shareholder lawsuits against DaimlerChrysler have now been given class action status. This includes Kerkorian's $3 billion suit, which is also being pursued separately. At issue is whether Chrysler stockholders were damaged by Daimler-Benz's apparently false claims of a "merger of equals." Anyone who owned Chrysler stock that was exchanged for DaimlerChrysler stock, or who acquired DCX shares from the merger through November 2000, can join the lawsuit.
ASOG carrying Allpar news feed!
The Avenger-Sebring Owners Group is now carrying Allpar news live on their page via the magic of RSS. Thank you, guys!
LH and LX schedules
Jim (Stratuscaster) gained this information from fleet news (where Chrysler is pushing the Mercedes assocation hard): Production of the 2004 Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde will end in August. 2005 LX vehicles will them in the 1st Quarter 2004. Fleet Operations will offer specially packed and priced vehicles such as the Sebring LXi, Grand Cherokee, Liberty, and Dodge Caravan, equipped with high value content fleet discount packages to reposition the vehicles near the 2004 Intrepid 22C price point and equipment level. Production of the LX vehicles will begin in late December, 2003/early January, 2004. Production of the Dodge Magnum (the Intrepid replacement) will begin first. It is anticipated that order placement for the Magnum will be available in November with the first deliveries in February. Production of the Concorde replacement should begin 30 days after the Magnum. The LX will include stability control systems (active suspensions.)
First shared-platform car appears
Dan Minick of globalauto.org wrote: "Smart's first four-door four passenger auto (was released)...the Smart forfour shares a platform with Mitsubishi's new Colt. This is the first co-devloped platform to hit the streets in the DaimlerChrysler empire...the forfour and the Colt look nothing alike. Each model looks like a full-blooded family member of the division whose surname they carry. I would bet you'd be hard pressed to notice that these two were even related unless you studied stampings and under carriage bits...I think we'll be expecting great things from the new platforms DC has planned. Expect no cookie-cutter clones, but distinct brand specific models. This is the kind of platform sharing that works."
Chrysler announcements
Chrysler has announced a new ad campaign for the Crossfire, stressing its German construction, design, and components. Meanwhile, Chrysler's Web site notes that DVD-based navigation radio is now available on select vehicles for all three brands; a concept vehicle has a device to help keep focus on the road; and the UConnect hands-free cell-phone system described on our technology page is now available at all dealerships.
New, free premium care plan for Pacifica, Crossfire
The new Chrysler Premium Care Plan entitles all Crossfire and Pacifica owners to a free loaner vehicle any time scheduled maintenance or non-body shop repair is required during the initial three-year/36,000 mile warranty period. Current Pacifica and Crossfire customers will receive their service contract by mail. This is in addition to the 7/70 powertrain plan, the 3/36 towing, and 3/36 basic warranty.
Europeans point out flaws in Bush auto plan
A Detroit News story noted that the Bush administration's focus on hydrogen powered vehicles and nuclear energy is causing conflicts with European leaders. The Senate recently voted to continue Federal support for nuclear plants, and American energy policy is currently focused on very long-term (after Bush's probably second term) plans to convert to fuel cell vehicles, with slight gas mileage increases scheduled to take place in a similar time frame. European leaders tend to support renewable energy sources rather than coal and nuclear fuel, and appear to support more short and mid term solutions. Both see fuel cells as a long term solution, according to the article, but the European perspective focuses on hydrogen produced by renewable processes (e.g. wind and solar) as opposed to creating hydrogen using nuclear, coal, and fossil fuel energy sources. The European Union has committed to having 22% of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2010.
NHTSA proposes new truck rules
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a variety of new rules to prevent deaths and serious injuries in crashes involving SUV/truck rollovers and injuries to car occupants. These include handling ratings and revisiting side-impact crash protection. Rollovers alone killed more than 10,000 people in 2001 alone, leading GM to make stability control standard on large vans. Some have criticized NHTSA's focus on car standards in car/truck accidents, suggesting that this punishes those who buy more efficient vehicles by adding to their cost (we note that the Mercedes ML was designed to cause less injury to car occupants in a collision - that is an alternative route which does not seem to be under consideration.) Public comment is invited over the next 45 days.
GTO ups ante to 350 horsepower
The rear-drive, Australian-based 2004 Pontiac GTO will be released with 350 horsepower, according to GM.
More Chrysler cutbacks
Chrysler's white-collar workforce will be cut by another 2 percent in response to losses at nearly all DaimlerChrysler units. The goal is to save $1 billion by the end of the year, mainly by squeezing suppliers, but also through attrition - that is, losing the most experienced people and not replacing them. Chrysler has already ordered suppliers to provide them with "world class" pricing - according to some, that means the prices Chrysler would get from companies building parts in China, with no engineering costs. In the past, Chrysler won accolades for its supplier relationships, which saved money overall - even though some parts costs were higher - by having suppliers provide engineering and design expertise, and point out ways to make cars more cheaply.
Fuel cells bad for ozone?
According to a group of reputable researchers at the California Institute of Technology, widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel source (President Bush's stated goal) could lead to damage to the ozone layer, which protects people from ultraviolet rays which cause sunburn and cancer. The ozone layer would be indirectly damaged by the leakage of hydrogen.
The report suggested caution before going ahead with a wholesale shift to hydrogen. Congress is set to spend $3 billion on hydrogen research to put fuel cell cars on the road by 2020, though several automakers already have test vehicles in use, and GM plans to have fuel cell vehicles widely available by 2010.
While the vehicles themselves would produce little or no pollution, the energy to distill hydrogen must come from somewhere, and the administration is emphasizing nuclear power and coal, which have security and environmental drawbacks. Some have suggested that spending a fraction of the amount of money that is applied to these technologies to building renewable energy sources would have more impact, especially with regulatory changes to encourage use of hybrid-electric and biodiesel powered vehicles, along with discouraging the least fuel-efficient vehicles.
Thanks to Doug Hetrick for passing along the Detroit News article this story is based on.
Chrysler most improved in plant efficiency
According to the Harbour Report, Chrysler's productivity gained 8.3 percent over last year, the best gain in Chrysler's history and the second-best for anyone since the report began in 1981. Every single plant gained in 2002 over 2001.
Chrysler's Tom LaSorda gave credit to American employees, saying, "We know that our workforce is the key to all the equations that make up the Harbour numbers. Machines alone can't produce vehicles; people produce vehicles, and people are behind all the improvements we are seeing in our plants."
Chrysler led The Harbour Report's year-over-year improvement in assembly operations, with a gain of nine percent in efficiency. The St. Louis (Missouri) North Assembly Plant was the most-improved plant in the report. The plant, home of the Dodge Ram pickup trucks, improved by 28.6 percent during the launch of the Dodge Ram heavy duty pickup trucks, a phase when manufacturing efficiencies are usually difficult to achieve. The Belvidere (Illinois) Assembly Plant moved up in the report's "Subcompact Vehicle" segment, to become the number three performer.
Chrysler achieved an 8.4 percent improvement at its engine operations and a 3.7 percent gain in transmission efficiency. The Kokomo (Indiana) Transmission Plant led the "Front Wheel Drive Transmission" segment to become the benchmark plant in this year's report, with a 3.6 percent improvement.
Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the most efficient overall, but there were also improvements at General Motors, which had the most efficient plant in North America, (Oshawa #1 plant in Canada, which makes the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo).
Mid-size and large cars are assembled with fewer labor hours than are subcompact and compact cars, though they may have more parts and components.
Mitsubishi actually gained efficiency by reducing automation in its Illinois plant, relying on humans instead, for savings in monitoring and maintenance.
The report also noted that only 12-17% of the total cost of a car is labor, though the three Japanese companies that are the most efficient were also the most profitable. Honda, on average, earned $1,661 on every vehicle it sold in North America last year. Nissan earned $1,289. Toyota earned $1,182. Conversely, GM only made $337, Chrysler lost $1,679 and Ford lost $1,913.
Rumor - 2004 Minivans
"Kerryman" reported: DCX has simplified the entire line of domestic minivans for '04. The "Sport" model is gone in both SWB (short wheelbase) and LWB (long wheelbase) with the SXT having additional content to fill the gap. The eL is also gone [not that most people knew it existed].
Dodge loses the ES model to give the high end customers over to Chrysler Town & Country. Content on the SXT and eX Grand Caravans will target the Honda LX and EX, respectively.
Short wheelbase Caravan SE now only will have the 4 cylinder, no V-6 option [apparently giving up against the Sedona]. Chrysler will not have the 4 cylinder option on their SWB Town & Country.
Dodge will also have an "Anniversary Edition" Grand Caravan, with some additional doo dads and badging, limited production run of only 10,000 vehicles. No signs of avy external changes to body panels or appearance. [This report implies that the Chrysler Voyager has quietly been dropped.]
"Eddievedder" reported: "2004 model buildout is December 23, 2003. look for something in the 2005 that the world has been waiting for from Chrysler minivans. 2005 model year job 1 (start of production) is slated for the first week of January 2004."
Jeep, large car teams merged
Automotive News noted that Chrysler is combining its Jeep and large-car (LX) product development teams. A single vice president will oversee future Jeeps and large, rear-wheel-drive vehicles, though product developers and engineering chiefs will remain separate. The goal is to gain cost savings by using more common components in the two lines, and to apply lessons in refinement from the LX to the Jeeps. Eric Ridenour, Chrysler group vice president of product development, said no employees would be lost in the move.
According to the article, Craig Love's job as vice president of Jeep and large-car development will become more strategic in nature, with daily operating responsibilities pushed down to vehicle line chief engineers.
The rationale for putting large cars and Jeeps together is their longitudinal engine placement and unit body construction (except Wrangler, which is still body-on-frame).
Perhaps most soothing to those concerned about Jeep's future are quotes in the article from George Murphy, senior vice president of global brand marketing. "We wouldn't make a CR-V, a Ford Escape or a RAV4 for the Jeep brand. Jeep is the real thing...We will set a floor. If we can do it on a car-based vehicle, I wouldn't rule it out. But there are minimum standards for Jeep so that Jeep is always Jeep."
It is worth noting that a Jeep that could handle the Rubicon trail was once built on the extended K platform. The JJ concept was never put into production, apparently due to financial constraints at the time.
(Thanks, Doug Hetrick!)
News volunteer wanted
Wanted: reporter to post news briefs in this section. Requirements: good command of English, willingness to put in 10-15 minutes per day. Compensation: your name in lights and my gratitude. Computer knowledge needed: none. Apply by writing to newsposting (at) allpar (d.o.t) com. (Address typed that way to avoid spambots)
Chrysler productivity comparison
Chrysler PR noted that the company had major improvements in productivity in 2002 over 2001, but Chrysler still lagged far behind Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and GM, and was marginally behind Ford. Several people have noted since then that, from 1994 through 1996, Chrysler actually had the highest productivity of any company producing cars in North America, according to a 1997 Chrysler release. Without having appears that Chrysler's productivity has fallen while other companies have risen.
In 1998, before the merger had an impact, though, Chrysler was spending 32 hours per vehicle, while GM spent 30 and Nissan spent 17. (In 2002, Chrysler spent over 40 hours per vehicle). GM lost $104 per vehicle, while Chrysler made $1,520 per vehicle.
It must be noted that labor time is only about one fifth the cost of building a vehicle. Development, marketing, and other costs may be more significant.
Monster Mopar Weekend
Richard Benner, Jr. reminded us that Monster Mopar Weekend will be September 6th and 7th at Gateway International Raceway across from St. Louis. "We have been running this show for OVER 18 YEARS. This is an ALL CHRYSLER show and we have lots of fun. This is a great show. LOTS of OLD cars to see and drool over. Last year we had a small attendance of DSM (Diamond-Star Motors) and ASOG (Avenger-Sebring) people. You should see the people LOOK at OUR cars. Let's show them a lot more cars this year. BRING YOUR CAR/Truck out. Any Chrysler/Mitsu vehicle or any vehicle powered by Chrysler engines welcome. This is the show where I took the Chrysler Turbine pictures. Mike Eberhardt usually is there, driving the turbine car around for all to see."
Chrysler chief engineer profiled in Detroit News
Chrysler chief engineer Eric Ridenour was profiled by Detroit News - see the link below for details. It also describes changes to the platform teams and some details on future product moves which have not been publicly discussed.
Welcome news posters...
Rich Hutchinson, who has often taken over the news section when I am away, has graciously volunteered to do this task once again this week, while I visit the vast open prairies. Also please welcome new volunteer Dalton M. Jones, a Cleveland-area freelance journalist, environmental scientist, and all-around car guy.
Mercedes to use Chrysler platforms? (Speculation)
Much has been made of the slow conversion of current Chrysler cars to platforms from Mitsubishi and Mercedes. The Neon will share with the Lancer, the Stratus with the Galant, the Crossfire is a better-tuned SLK. However, there is movement in both directions. Several people have pointed out similarities between the upcoming Mercedes CLE and the Chrysler LX models, and it seems almost certain the CLE will ride an LX platform. Likewise, the new Mercedes commercial van and ML appear to derive directly from the next-generation Grand Cherokee. This may lead to the ironic sale of rear-drive Dodge or Chrysler vans "on a Mercedes platform" which was originally created by Chrysler in the United States.
[Analysis:] In general, it seems that DaimlerChrysler is inexorably if fitfully moving to become a single corporation, in the same way that AMC was slowly absorbed into Chrysler. And, just as some would say Chrysler was really absorbed by AMC based on a large variety of process changes, some can make the argument that Chrysler, by changing the methods used by Mercedes and Mitsubishi, will have made its own indelible mark on Daimler-Benz / DaimlerChrysler.
DCX consolidates commercial trucks
Even as the three car divisions of DaimlerChrysler are being merged, the various commercial truck divisions seem to finally be in the process of consolidation. DCX will use standardized engines, transmissions, and axles at Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Mitsubishi Fuso, and Hyundai, possibly cutting material costs by two-thirds, with the change taking place by January 1. The commercial truck division had an operating loss of nearly $400 million last year, contributing to DCX's current weakness.
Source for sharing with Mercedes
Several people have asked for the sources of information on parts sharing from Chrysler to Mercedes. Some of this is from bits and pieces released by DCX itself - some from postings by various different people on both Mercedes-oriented and Allpar's own forums. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have direct nonpublic links to any Chrysler insiders who would be able to shed clear, unmistakeable light on upcoming products or even the clear lineage of current vehicles - but we can piece things together and, like MacRumors, when there seems to be a pattern of rumors, assemble them and hope it works. Of course this can be manipulated by Chrysler, as it was when everyone including mainstream glossy magazines said the second-generation Neon would have a four inch shorter length, and it turned out to be longer for more interior space. There are also times when information is accidentally or intentionally (e.g. test balloon) leaked via premature Web postings, executive statements, etc.
Chrysler sales, June 2003
Chrysler reported sales of 198,962 units in June, a 6.6% increase compared to June 2002, calculated on a day-rate basis. Chrysler had the most improved sales of any U.S. manufacturer on a day-rate basis, though in terms of actual volume, Chrysler dropped about 1.9% from 2002. GM reported a 1.5% day-rate basis increase, though total sales volume was down 6.5%. Ford, which no longer reports based on DSR, reported a drop of 7.7%.
The Chrysler Pacifica recorded sales of 6,642 units in June 2003, more than double the total in May 2003 when 2,471 vehicles were sold, but still disappointing. The Crossfire was just introduced and registered 275 sales even though officially it will start to sell in July.
The Ram was as always the top seller with 41,115 units sold in June alone, over 34,053 in June 2002. Though it will soon be replaced, the Durango managed a 10 percent hike. The Wrangler also increased seven percent month to month. Month to month figures often fluctuate considerably, so Allpar uses year to date sales (on a day sales rate basis) as a bellweather. By those standards, the picture is not so bright.
The Chrysler Concorde posted a 16% gain, offset by a 7% fall in the 300M and a whopping 25% fall in the Intrepid. Since the Intrepid outsells the Concorde by a fair margin, this is not a good sign. On the lighter side, this is the last year for the LH series, so the company has done little to market them. Overall, Chrysler's cars experienced an 8% loss year to date.
Chrysler minivans were pounded, with the Town & Country down 3% but the Voyager down 56% and the PT Cruiser down 17%. That's a loss of over 13,000 units for the PT, another 13,000 units for the Voyager, and 2,000 for the Town & Country. All in all, Chrysler vans and such were down 10%, even with 11,000 Pacifica sales so far (which almost make up for the loss of the Voyager). Perhaps Chrysler will do some serious "why you should buy it" advertising on the Pacifica to boost sales. Product advertising on the other Chryslers would probably help, too, rather than the current incentive mania.
Jeep saw moderate rises in Wrangler (5%) and Liberty (7%) sales, with a 13% drop in the soon to be replaced Grand Cherokee - Jeep's volume leader and highest-cost vehicle with 103,298 sold last year to date and only 89,728 sold this year to date. The result was a net loss for Jeep.
The Neon, now sold only as a Dodge in the US, posted another 3% decline, even though it remains very competitive and its new transmission tuning makes both the automatic and manual more attractive. Dodge has not advertised these changes, however.
The Stratus posted a moderate increase of 5%, most of it coming in the past month. As noted, the Intrepid is down 25%, a loss of 17,000 units which dragged total Dodge Car sales down 8% year to date.
Dodge trucks were a mixed bag, with the Dakota falling 12%, the Caravan falling 7%, the Ram Van falling 11%, and the Ram Wagon gone - but the Ram Pickup gaining 12% (23,000 units!), the Durango climbing 3%, and the Mercedes Sprinter being phased in with 298 units, most of them in June. Total Dodge Truck change - an increase of 5,000 units for no daily-sales-rate change at all.
Overall, year to date, Chrysler is down 4% on a daily sales rate basis, with cars down 8% and SUVs down 2%. As the Honda Odyssey increases production and new minivans from Toyota, Ford, and Nissan make a buzz, the minivans are falling to the tune of a 10% drop - over 26,000 units in the first half of the year alone!
On the lighter side, with Chrysler’s marketing hopefully in much more capable hands, and a huge number of new vehicles due in the next two years, the company’s fortunes may well change.
(Thanks to Bill Cawthon for sending us the release and for bringing the competitive sales information to our attention.)
Setback for DaimlerChrysler in Shareholder Suit
A U.S. judge has struck down part of DaimlerChrysler’s motion to dismiss multibillion-dollar shareholder lawsuits over the merger that formed the company.
The lawsuits contend that Daimler-Benz’s 1998 merger with Chrysler, though billed as a "merger of equals," was planned and executed as a takeover. Investor Kirk Kerkorian and other former Chrysler shareholders contend that had they known the deal was to be a takeover of Chrysler, they would have demanded a higher price for their shares
Delaware District Judge Joseph Farnan said investors could not have been reasonably expected to suspect the deal was a takeover. He did not rule on the rest of DaimlerChrysler's motion to dismiss, saying he would do so at a later date.
GM continues trial program
General Motors has judged its overnight loaner ("test drive") program to be a success, providing good publicity, showing pride in its vehicles, and exposing more people to cars they may otherwise have judged by reviews only. The program will be continued through the summer, posing an interesting alternative to Chrysler's incentive-publicizing ad blitz.
Howell Automotive Neon SXT
The Howell Automotive 2003 Neon SXT will be on Car & Driver TV on August 9th and 10th, and in the September issue of Car & Driver Magazine on sale in early August.
Mopar Sets Third Annual Super Stock Hemi Challenge
INDIANAPOLIS (July 3, 2003) - The third annual Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge will once again be contested in conjunction with the 49th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The Challenge, which is slated for Friday, Aug. 29, matches the nation's elite limited production 1968 Super Stock Hemi Darts and Cudas in a heads up shootout for $10,000. A new Hemi block will be awarded to the runner up.
"We're expecting a huge turnout this year," said David Hakim, Mopar Performance Parts product line manager. "Many new cars are being built just for this race. It's quickly becoming one of the crown jewel events for NHRA's Sportsman category."
In 2001, West Virginia's Bucky Hess won the inaugural Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge in his 1968 Barracuda; while last year's event went to Michigan heart-surgeon Richard Beshore and his 1968 Hemi-powered Cuda.
"We do have one major rule change from last year," Hakim noted. "There will be no mandated use of a spec fuel. Racers can use any fuel they wish, provided it passes NHRA fuel check. We wanted to let the racers run their choice of fuel because their engine tune up, in many cases, is dictated by the type and brand of fuel they use. These cars are so finely tuned that it makes a big difference."
NHRA's vaunted Super Stock category has had an illustrious and long history within the sport of drag racing. Household names like Ronnie Sox and Dick Landy dominated the category back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the late 70s and early 80s however, the presence of Hemi Super Stock racers began to dwindle due to a lack of parts and engine development. It wasn't until 1980s, when Mopar Performance Parts reintroduced the cast iron Hemi block and heads, that engine wizards like Ray Barton and Don McCallum began to revitalize the category.
"These cars were, and still are technological marvels due to the passion and dedication these racers put into them," Hakim said. "Not to mention that Mopar Performance Parts is committed to keeping the Hemi heritage alive both on the track and on the street for years to come."
-Mopar.com-
Chrysler moving to flat-folding third-row seats in minivans
DETROIT -- Acknowledging that flat-folding third seats have become a major selling point for soccer moms and other minivan fans, Chrysler is planning to outfit its Chrysler and Dodge minivans with flat-folding third-row seats sometime in 2004.
The change is designed to help Chrysler compete against minivans from Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda, where the third-row seat stows in a well to create cargo space. The redesigned 2004 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans will have the feature when they go on sale this fall.
The popularity of the Honda Odyssey minivan is attributed in part to its self-stowing third-row seat. The back on the third-row bench seat in Chrysler minivans folds down, but to maximize cargo room, the heavy bench seat must be fully removed, which can require two people.
Chrysler hopes the change will allow it to continue its domination in minivan sales. It held a 38.3 percent share of the segment with 211,867 sales through June, but it has lost 0.8 percentage points of market share compared with the first half of 2002.
-RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News
Ford told to pay $1.9 million in officer's death
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A police officer's widow who blames his crash death on a defect in his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser has won a $1.9 million jury verdict against the automaker.
Mercedes least reliable DCX brand?
According to J.D. Power's survey of three year old cars, designed to provide a better indicator of long-term quality than the initial quality studies (which can measure factory and dealer prep more than actual quality), the lowest-ranking DCX brand was Mercedes, with 318 defects per 100 vehicles. That's over double Toyota's level, and higher than Plymouth, Dodge, or Chrysler. The article noted the irony of Mercedes' posturing about improving Chrysler's quality. It is also worth noting that Honda was beaten by three American brands, two from General Motors.
Kia was the worst performer in the study, followed by Ford's expensive Land Rover. Other unusually poor performers in three-year defect rates were Volkswagen, Suzuki, and Daewoo. It is worth noting that Volkswagen and Land Rover sell at a premium - as do Volvo, Mercedes, and Audi, which appeared to "deteriorate" rapidly after good initial-quality showings.
Chrysler sues lawyers
In a case of "man bites dog," Chrysler is suing three Texas lawyers who fabricated a product liability lawsuit with evidence tampering and attempted bribery. The company also is filing a grievance with the Texas Bar saying the lawyers, Robert Kugle, Robert "Trey" Wilson III and Andrew Toscano of the former Kugle Law Firm of San Antonio, should no longer be permitted to practice law.
The lawsuit accuses the three of an "attempt to extort settlement" in a lawsuit seeking $2 billion from Chrysler. A Texas appellate court has described their conduct as "an egregious example of the worst kind of abuse of the judicial system."
Today's actions by Chrysler followed its discovery that an investigator hired by the Kugle Law Firm offered bribes and tried to influence witnesses, including police officers and a paramedic, during preparations for the Fabila v. DaimlerChrysler Corporation case. The original product liability lawsuit followed a fatal rollover accident in Mexico in 1996. In the hours after the accident, the driver's wife told officials that her husband had fallen asleep while driving and the car drifted toward oncoming traffic.
After the lawsuit was filed, the plaintiffs changed their story and alleged that a steering defect in their 1995 Dodge Neon prompted the accident.
After the accident, Tom Persing, an expert hired by the Kugle Law Firm, took photos showing that the steering system was intact and functional. However, when the Kugle Law Firm made the vehicle available to Chrysler for inspection, the steering decoupler was broken. The Kugle Law Firm never disclosed the Persing inspection and photographs.
Shortly before the photos were obtained and the fraud was exposed, Wilson admitted to Persing that "we were running a bluff and they called our hand."
In depositions, police and emergency personnel testified under oath that they had been contacted by an investigator for the Kugle Law Firm asking them to change their testimony. The paramedic testified that an investigator for the Kugle Law Firm had tried to "intimidate him" with surveillance photos of himself and his family. After a week-long hearing to investigate those actions, the judge dismissed the case against Chrysler Group, sanctioned the attorneys for almost $1 million and referred the attorneys to the State Bar of Texas for disciplinary action.
Trey Wilson and Andrew Toscano still practice law in the same courthouse in which they were sanctioned. Robert Kugle relocated to Mexico.
Chryslers at Carlisle starts tomorrow
Possibly the best Mopar show in the US, the 2003 Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals (including Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep) includes a show field, swap meet, and car corral. This year's event will feature a special display of Mopar police vehicles. Mopars, new and old, concept cars and special guests will keep guests entertained. Giveaway: 1965 Dodge Dart convertible.
Mopar Announces 'Big Block Party' for Downtown Golden, CO
Golden, Colorado will host the second annual Mopar 'Big Block Party' this Thursday, July 17, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This event celebrates the fifteenth Mopar Mile-High Nationals at historic Bandimere Speedway and will also serve as the national unveiling of the new Mopar 'Bling Bling' Funny Car paint scheme. Gary Scelzi's Dodge Stratus, driven by Schumacher Racing’s Whit Bazemore, will also be on display. The fastest Funny Car in NHRA history at 328.06 mph, Scelzi’s Stratus has won two races this year and is second in points, chasing Tony Pedregon for the Funny Car championship.
Mopar factory drivers Bazemore and Scelzi, and Pro Stock drivers Darrell Alderman, Allen Johnson, Larry Morgan and Gene Wilson will be on hand for autographs, starting at 7 p.m.
The Mopar 'Big Block Party' is open to the public. The $15 admission includes food and beverage, entertainment, access to the driver autograph session and the national unveiling, and a free poster of the Dodge Stratus Funny Car.
Pacifica marketing changes
As part of the Pacifica relaunch - an effort to gain some much-needed publicity for the minivan that looks like, well, a minivan - a special area has been set up on the DaimlerChrysler media web site, and notifications have been sent out to registered journalists. While no new information appears to have been added to the sparse publicity reports - focusing mainly on features, styling, and German technology, and without the strong detail and spotlighting of competitive advantages that appear on this site's Durango, LH, Neon, and 300M sections - the existing articles are easier to find.
One interesting note for those watching progress on folding seats for Dodge and Chrysler minivans is a list of major components which differ between the two lines (in the flexible manufacturing sections). These include the engine box, underbody sub-assembly, and body sides. The Pacifica and vans share underbody framing and panel lines.
Chrysler is still listed below the lower-volume Maybach and Mercedes lines - it seems brands are listed by price.
Chrysler considers dumping diva
Her heart will go on, but her days with Chrysler may be numbered. DaimlerChrysler is considering dropping Celine Dion from its television commercials. Chrysler dealers and industry analysts complain the TV spots haven’t been performing at bringing customers into showrooms. While admitting that the course of the ad campaign is uncertain, Chrysler Group’s marketing and sales chief Joe Eberhardt defends the Dion ad campaign, claiming it has at least brought the Chrysler brand greater attention. Dion’s contract with Chrysler is good for three years.
NTSB weighs in on van safety
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that 15-passenger vans receive reinforced roofs and safety belts for all passengers to enhance safety in accidents, especially rollover accidents. The recommendations came as part of a two-year study of crashes involving vans used by church groups and schools.
According to the NTSB, nearly 300 people died between 1991 and 2000 in accidents involving 15-passenger vans. By NTSB estimates, more than 500,000 such vans are in service. NTSB Chairwoman Ellen Engleman notes that these vehicles are often used as commercial buses, although they are marketed as private passenger vehicles and are structurally inadequate to protect all their passengers.
Such vehicles are often driven by drivers with no training beyond that required for a general driver’s license, although, according to the NTSB, the high-capacity vans can be very difficult to control in extreme situations, such as when a tire fails.
Other recommendations the Board made include better training and more restrictive licensing of van drivers, better interior padding, lap and shoulder belts for all passengers, and the inclusion of electronic stability control. The NTSB can only recommend changes in safety rules, however; enforcement falls to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA.
NHTSA figures claim that the risk of rollover in a van carrying ten or more passengers is almost three times greater than in a van carrying five or fewer passengers. When the passenger count increases to 15 or more, the risk of rollover rises to almost six times.
Currently, only Ford and General Motors sell the large vans. DaimlerChrysler has discontinued its Ram Van, replacing it with the more modern, Mercedes-built Sprinter, which seats a maximum of ten passengers.
Aside: Allpar contributor hits AutoWeek
Rich Hutchinson, an Allpar contributor, noted that every Mopar owner and fan has an opportunity to correct misperceptions:
"Some of you might recall that there was a blurb on the SRT-4 in Autoweek recently, and the disrespect afforded the Neon in general ticked me off enough to write.
"If the mags tick you off, WRITE TO THEM! You just might get published, like I did in the July 14th issue :) The letter was of course lightly edited, but the points I made came across well. They stripped out the Neon Tao link, but the neons.org and allpar links remained."
Chrysler to show pride in marketing?
Chrysler's new marketing chief, a Mercedes native who once headed that automaker's North American marketing, echoed the sentiments of many Allpar forum members in a recent interview. He noted that incentives damaged Chrysler's long-term reputation, that the products themselves must be emphasized much more in commercials, and, perhaps most important to those who opposed the takeover, said that he would not emphasize the use of Mercedes components.
Union talks open
Contract talks between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit automakers opened this week, with DaimlerChrysler AG first to go to the bargaining table with the UAW.
DaimlerChrysler cautioned the union, however, that financial realities, among them rising health care costs, smaller market share and smaller profits, won’t allow a contract as generous as 1999’s — the last year a contract was negotiated.
The 1999 contract granted yearly 3 percent pay increases, extra holidays, and a ban on plant closings.
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. talks also opened this week. Contracts with the UAW expire in September.
NHTSA studies headlamp complaints
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports it has received nearly 5,000 complaints from citizens since 2001 regarding glare from high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlamps. The lights, also known as xenon, have been available on premium cars since the mid-1990s and have lately been appearing on more affordable models.
Drivers who own them seem to swear by HID lamps, but other motorists claim they are distracting or generate excessive glare. Part of the problem may be that HID lamps, with their unusual bluish tint, tend to draw more attention to themselves.
NHTSA is exploring the possibility of regulations to control glare from automotive lighting, such as headlamp height limits for light trucks, or new rules regarding headlamp aiming.
NHTSA looks into Chrysler complaints
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun a safety investigation of 450,000 1998 through 2003 Dodge Durangos, spurred by complaints centered on the upper ball joints. NHTSA says it has received complaints alleging that ball joints have failed, causing suspension collapse or loss of steering control. Other complaints allege premature wear of the ball joint.
Additionally, NHTSA has begun an “engineering analysis” investigating the ignition/transmission interlock on 1999 Dodge Stratus, Plymouth Breeze, and Chrysler Sebring cars. NHTSA says it has received complaints that the cars can roll unexpectedly when parked. More rigorous than an investigation, an engineering analysis may lead to a recall. 217,000 cars could be affected. Allegedly, 28 accidents have occurred, with five minor injuries.
(A personal observation here: I know from reading some bulletin boards that Dakota ball joints wear out quickly, and mine have been making ominous noises the past couple of months. I think Dakotas use the same ball joints as Durangos. Dodge dealers will only sell them as part of the control arm assembly, which could cause people to put off having the work done. I hope DaimlerChrysler will do the right thing and replace these parts for free before someone gets hurt.)
No new small car for Dodge
Chrysler’s executive president of global sales, marketing and service, Joe Eberhardt, says there are no plans to develop a sub-Neon small car for Dodge, saying the subcompact market is probably too competitive for such a car to turn a profit. He acknowledges the need for an entry-level car, but offers no clue how Chrysler might meet that need.
Big loss for DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler reported second-quarter earnings of $115 million while also announcing losses by Chrysler Group totaling $1.1 billion. DaimlerChrysler’s net second-quarter earnings were off last year’s by 91 percent.
DaimlerChrysler issued a profit warning last month for Chrysler for the second quarter, due mainly to the cost of incentives and slimmer margins. Chrysler Group expects new models to contribute to a better performance for the remainder of the year.
So soon? Incentives for Pacifica
Chrysler is offering a $1,600 navigation system for free on the Pacifica, its long-awaited new crossover wagon. The program is intended to stimulate sales, especially of the loaded models. Though the Pacifica was only recently introduced, sales have been off to a slow start.
(Opinion mode again: An unusual new model like Pacifica should be selling like gangbusters without incentives. This doesn’t portend well for the new design direction. Where is the marketing? I can’t recall the last Chrysler ad I saw on TV or in print.)
Schrempp: Chrysler is safe
The recent announcement of Chrysler’s $1.1 billion loss for the second quarter of 2003 has spurred industry speculation as to the fate of the division. But Juergen Schrempp, chairman of DaimlerChrysler, insists his company is committed to keeping the Chrysler brand within DCX’s overall strategy.
The latest numbers are especially disappointing since a restructuring plan in 2001 was to have yielded earnings of $2 billion a year by this year. But Chrysler has posted losses since 2000 and the ongoing price and incentive war with GM and Ford has cut into profits. A cost-cutting plan is underway to offset the incentives, and layoffs have not been ruled out to trim costs even further. All this occurs as a roll-out of new products begins, starting with the Pacifica and the Crossfire. These models are intended to take the Chrysler brand upmarket, but the Pacifica has already had to resort to incentives to lure buyers.
Changes for used-car program
Chrysler has tweaked its certified used-vehicle program, adding 3-month/3,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage to supplement the 8-year/80,000-mile powertrain warranty. Chrysler also knocked $100 off the certification fee to dealers, bringing it down to $295. The changes, which apply only to used 2003 vehicles, is expected to make certified used cars more appealing for dealers.
Dodge tries for racing grand slam
This last racing weekend of July 26-7 2003, in the ARCA race at Pocono, Long Pond, Pa., Casey Mears won the two feature races, one on Friday and one on Saturday in his Dodge Intrepid. And he just about ran off and hid from everyone else.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at Michigan International Speedway, the Dodge trucks qualified 1, 2, 3 and 8 of the top 12. Then for the race on Saturday Dodges finished 1,2,3 and 4 with Brandon Gaughon leading the way.
In the NASCAR race at Pocono, we had Ryan Newman on the pole and then winning the race in his Intrepid, which was his fourth win this year. Look for him and the other Dodges at Indy this weekend.
Now in the less than perfect category and for the NASCAR Busch race at Pikes Peak International Raceway, only two Intrepids ran, finishing eighth and eleventh.
Moving on to the NHRA and drag racing at Pacific Raceway, Seattle, Washington, five professional classes were in competition. In Top Fuel and Funny Car, Chrysler Hemi style/type engines power every entry and won both events.
John Force won in Funny Car, insinuating that his Mustangs are Ford powered. He's hired to do this, but that does not mean they are. Likewise, in the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car, both classes were won by Chrysler Hemis despite the presence of Chevys.
NHRA PRO STOCK is the toughest class to qualify in any form of automotive racing. There may be 40-45 entries trying for 16 spots with the difference between the quickest and slowest of only .05 SECOND. In this event 4 Dodges qualified with one of them taking out the only Ford qualifier in the first round. Larry Morgan made it to the final round in his Dodge only to lose to the baddest Pro Stock Chevy on the planet.
In the World of Outlaw Sprints, Danny Lasoski is and has been the points leader in his Mopar powered car, owned by the present NASCAR champ Tony Stewart. Tony's own Midget uses the Mopar four-cylinder powerplant, along with many other midget racers.
Opinion: can any other manufacturer lay claim to performing this well in so many categories? The answer is a flat NO. Chevy could do it all except most of the NHRA classes. Except for a few diehards, Ford only shows up at the NASCAR events. Mopar also did it some several months ago and actually won the two races that they didn't this time. But it will only happen about once every blue moon.
High-buck cars do poorly in J. D. Power survey
A survey by J. D. Power and Associates found unexpected results for anyone who assumes that more expensive cars must have better service records. Premium Euro brands like BMW, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz fared less well than some bread-and-butter makes.
The survey measured the number of dealer service calls that were for repair, versus the number of visits that addressed routine maintenance. Buick came in first place with only 21% of service calls for repair. Land Rover was worst at 62%. BMW was 47%, and Mercedes was 48%. Pontiac and Lincoln scored 33%, Dodge was 36%, and Chrysler came in with 49%.
UAW officials optimistic a strike can be avoided
About 800 officials of the United Auto Workers are meeting in Dearborn, Michigan this week to discuss the details of a national strike. The word among most, however, was that a strike is unlikely. A spirit of cooperation, probably fueled by the poor economy, seems to be the motivator.
The current 1999 UAW contract with GM, Ford, and the Chrysler Group expires September 14.
Chrysler Group announces 2004 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep produ
As a public service, I’ve cut through most of the press-release fluff (some of which is entertaining in its foolishness) and extracted some of the most interesting highlights for the 2004 model year, which I’ll post here over the next day or so.
2004 Dodge Highlights, Part I
2004 Durango
The Durango is all-new for 2004 with styling similar to the recent concept Durango, a meaning huge grille and headlamps set down in low-mounted fenders. Maybe not beautiful, but at least striking. Engines are the 3.7 L V6, the 4.7 L V8, and the 5.7 L Hemi. A “Fold-and-Tumble” third row seat is offered. The Durango is longer, wider, and taller than the previous model and with that third row down and the second row up, Dodge claims it has more cargo room than a Tahoe, Expedition or Sequoia. A “tow/haul” transmission on V-8s improves transmission performance while towing and downshifts automatically on long downhills. UConnect™ hands-free communications system with Bluetooth™ technology can recognize up to seven different Bluetooth-equipped cellular phones and responds to voice commands, utilizing a microphone in the rearview mirror and the stereo system’s speakers for hands-free conversations. If people are going to talk and drive, anything that makes it safer is good, I guess. Side curtain airbags are available for all 3 rows. Oh, and, believe it or not, for the first time on Durango, a sunroof is offered.
2004 Ram 1500 For 2004, Ram 1500 adds the UConnect™ hands-free cellular with Bluetooth™ technology, too. A new electric-shift, full-time four-wheel drive system splits torque 48%/52% front/rear under normal driving conditions, and it has high and low ranges and a transfer case lock for people who understand what four wheel drive actually is. The “tow/haul” feature appears here, too. A 34 gallon gas tank is available on Quad Cab standard bed trucks (That’s a $51.00 fill-up with gas at $1.50 a gallon). There’s also a “Work Special” package, which seems to be a nice way of saying it’s stripped.
2004 Ram Heavy Duty (2500/3500) For 2004, Dodge Ram Heavy Duty features a new automatic transmission for the High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel, a new “Off-Road” package and a factory-built “box off” option for the commercial market. UConnect™ hands-free cellular phone system with Bluetooth™ is available. The high-pressure common-rail injection High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel becomes more user friendly, adding the optional 48RE automatic transmission. The V-10 Magnum is gone. And Dodge would also like you to know, and this is a direct quote: “The rear suspension, common to both two-wheel and four-wheel drive models, is equipped with leaf springs. “
2004 Ram SRT-10 Dodge’s F-150 Lightning butt-kicker is the Viper-powered 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10, with 500 horsepower, 525 lb.-ft. of torque, 505 cu. in. and a 500-watt “ear-melting” (sounds messy) sound system. Dodge claims it runs to 150 mph and hits 60 mph in just over five seconds. The Dodge Ram SRT-10 rides on a Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) modified suspension, lowering it and adding new front and rear strut assemblies and a rear sway bar. Standard shocks are replaced by Bilstein mono-tubes. Also new are performance-tuned springs and 22-inch custom “Viper-style” wheels with 305/40R22 Pirelli Scorpion tires. Standard ABS brakes squeeze 15-inch rotors in the front. Rear brakes are modified Ram Heavy Duty brakes with 14-inch rotors. Front and rear, the calipers are red and the front fascia incorporates cooling ducts to promote brake cooling for track use. Dodge claims the SRT-10’s rear wing is fully functional at reducing lift and drag. The SRT-10 is available only in black, red or silver.
Dodge 2004 Highlights, Part II
2004 Caravan and Grand Caravan They get a tire pressure monitor warning lamp, a new keyless entry/security key design, and some updated audio/entertainment options. 2004 Dakota Finally gets the 210-hp 3.7 L V6 from the Jeep Liberty. The 5.9 L V8 and the R/T model are finished. The Stampede package continues, with front and rear body-color fascia moldings, ground-effect bodyside moldings, 16 x 8-inch aluminum wheels, wheel flares and rear stabilizer bar.
2004 Sprinter With the creaky old Ram Van finally discontinued, the Dodge Sprinter, sourced from Mercedes, carries on as the commercial-grade work van. A few highlights: stability control, heated windshield with rain sensor, three wheelbases, and two roof heights. The engine is a 2.7 L diesel with 154 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft. of torque. Dodge claims 22 average mpg and a vehicle range of nearly 550 miles. The five-speed auto features manual shifting by tipping the gearshift left or right. Oil change intervals are stretched to every 10,000 miles, and extended maintenance intervals are possible with the optional Active Service System (ASSYST). ASSYST adapts service intervals to engine load, allowing intervals up to 20,000 miles. Oil changes at 20,000 miles? Scary.
Dodge Cars to follow...
Dodge 2004 Highlights Part III (or They Still Make Cars Too)
2004 Dodge cars have fewer new developments to report than the trucks:
2004 INTREPID Gets an SXT package with the high-output 3.5-liter SOHC V6 (250 HP, 250 lb.-ft. of torque), 16-inch chrome wheels, P225/60R16 all-season “touring” tires, an “touring” suspension, a spoiler, and a bright exhaust tip.
2004 NEON Trim levels for are the SE, the SXT, the R/T, and the SRT-4. The SRT-4 was Sport Compact Car magazine’s 2003 Sport Compact Car of the Year. Its 2.4-liter turbo (230 HP and 250 lb.-ft. of torque) gets a new engine control module with updated calibration for a broader torque curve. A new torque-sensing limited-slip differential is standard for 2004, as are BF Goodrich KDW2 three-season tires. An sunroof becomes available.
2004 STRATUS COUPE A new SXT package. 2004 STRATUS SEDAN Four trim levels (SE, SXT, ES, and R/T) get a restyled front end and a freshened interior in 2004. An autodimming rearview mirror is available, as are steering wheel radio controls.
2004 VIPER SRT-10 Viper White paint joins Viper Red, Viper Black and Viper Bright Silver Metallic. When you're a Viper, you don't need special names for your colors, you just name them after you. Other new appearance features are red brake calipers, trunk carpet and a folding tonneau cover.
Jeep 2004 Highlights
2004 GRAND CHEROKEE Jeep reports a freshened look with a new front fascia, new grille and new fog lamps, which they say debuted at the beginning of 2003. Five trim levels are available: Laredo, the new Special and Freedom Editions, Limited and Overland. A new Navigation Radio has a 4.9-inch full-color display, AM/FM Stereo, CD Player and navigation system that uses DVD technology all in one unit. 2004 LIBERTY Liberty gets the Bluetooth cell phone system being introduced on other Chrysler models.Liberty Renegade is offered with rock rail protection and black accent bodyside moldings. 2004 WRANGLER An AM/FM/CD radio is now standard. New colors are offered along with a few interior upgrades.
2004 Chrysler Highlights
300M
New is a navigation system featuring turn-by-turn voice prompts, with an Infinity® Premium sound system.
CONCORDE
Little new to report here.
CROSSFIRE
This new model features about 39% Mercedes engineering combined with out-there boattail styling. Under its hood is a Mercedes-sourced 3.2-liter, 90-degree V-6, 18-valve SOHC engine available with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. About 15% of production is scheduled to be sold outside the U.S. (Isn't crossfire what happens when your plug wires are too close together?)
PACIFICA
Another new model, Chrysler’s tall wagon/short SUV "sports tourer" features a navigation system integrated with the speedometer, Infinity® Intermezzo™ 5.1 digital surround sound system, six-disc in-dash CD/DVD changer, SIRIUS® satellite radio, UConnect™ hands-free communication, power liftgate and sun roof. SecureShield laminated glass is said to improve safety and reduce external noise.
PT CRUISER
PT adds a second turbocharged engine, putting out 180 HP, to join the existing 220 HP unit. With these turbos, the PT can finally cash the performance check written by its street rod looks.
SEBRING CONVERTIBLE
Gets a restyled front fascia, with scalloped headlamps, new grille and wheel designs. SEBRING COUPE
Little new to report.
SEBRING SEDAN
Gets a light restyling with new headlamps and grille, and a new Limited trim level.
TOWN & COUNTRY
A Platinum series will offer 16-inch chrome-clad platinum finish wheels, chrome interior door handles, two-tone leather seating, Rear Seat Video® entertainment system, six-disc CD/DVD changer, embroidered floor mats and Platinum Series badging.
Chevy to copy two Chryslers
While the wagon version of the new Chevrolet Cavalier replacement looks remarkably like a downsized version of the Chrysler Town and Country, the upcoming HHR mid-sized SUV looks remarkably like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, though GM is spinning its ancestry towards the 1940s Suburban, according to Auto Week (thanks, Doug Hetrick). The HHR will have four doors, will seat five people, and will have folding back seats to accommodate a flat floor. The engine will be a four cylinder, ranging from 140 to 220 horsepower.
Mopar sweeps NASCAR qualifiers at Nashville!
Ellis Brasher pointed out that Mopar's Dodge Intrepid-style NASCAR racers did well in qualifying races at Nashville, earning the top five positions - ahead of Chevrolet and Ford. From nascar.com, the car numbers, drivers, sponsors, average speed, and finish time behind the leader.
1 #18 Chad Chaffin Dodge Dickies 156.844 30.596 Leader
2 #62 Brendan Gaughan Dodge The Orleans Hotel 156.670 30.630 -0.034
3 #4 Bobby Hamilton Dodge Square D 156.653 30.651 -0.055
4 #1 Ted Musgrave Dodge Mopar Performance Parts 156.267 30.709 -0.113
5 #2 Jason Leffler Dodge ASE/CARQUEST 156.109 30.740 -0.144 6
Mopar gains year's first FWD victory at NHRA all-motor race
Scott Mohler earned a victory in the All Motor class of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summit Sport Compact drag racing series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on July 26.
Mohler's win in his Team Mopar/Darrell Cox Racing 1998 Dodge Neon marked the first time this season that a front-wheel-drive vehicle has claimed an event victory in the All Motor class.
Fundamental definitions of the All Motor class dictate that vehicles must be full bodied with original floorpan and no power adders. Vehicles may be rear-, front-, or all-wheel-drive and utilize 4-cylinder or 2-rotor engines.
The extreme disparity between the rest of the All Motor class and the rear-wheel-drive, rotary-engine Mazda RX7s stifled most front-wheel-drives in the division. However, Mohler's team has worked relentlessly all season to overcome those handicaps using persistence, ingenuity, and Mopar power.
Mohler has reached the final round in all five events this season. Mohler's victory left him only five points out of first place in the driver standings, sandwiched among three rear-wheel-drive Mazdas.
"It was great to finally pull out a win this year," Mohler said. "But the divisions are a little imbalanced. The rear-wheel-drive rotaries are very solid competitors. They have the advantage of running G-Force clutchless transmissions, whereas we are using a stock five-speed manual 2002 Neon R/T transmission with a Mopar limited slip differential." For the second half of the season, the NHRA has imposed a 50 lb. weight penalty for clutchless transmissions. "That should shorten the gap between us and them even more," Mohler said. "But, of course, rear-wheel-drive is always going to have a slight advantage over front-wheel-drive, no matter what the weight breaks are.
"A lot of my fellow front-wheel-drive competitors were really rooting for me going into the final in Vegas. We feel, even with the recent rule changes, that the All Motor class should be front-wheel-drive only. That is what our sport was founded on: front-wheel-drive drag racing."
Adding to the satisfaction of the Vegas victory was Mohler’s first No. 1 Qualifier ranking of the season. He qualified with a 10.657-second elapsed time at 128.52 mph. Mohler turned in his best time of the event in the semifinal round of eliminations, when he clicked off a 10.506 time against a close 10.526 by Leslie Durst.
Mohler's 1998 Dodge Neon is powered by a naturally aspirated Mopar 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. The vehicle turns out approximately 310 horsepower to the wheels, along with an estimated 220 ft.-lbs. of torque. Mohler shifts a stock 2002 Neon R/T five-speed manual transmission in the car. Other stock Mopar components used in the car include the engine block, crankshaft, fasteners, rocker arms, hydraulic lifters, and all gaskets and seals. With this plethora of original equipment Mopar parts, the 2.4-liter motor achieves a compression ratio of 16.5:1 and redlines at 10,000 rpm.
Mohler and his record-setting Team Mopar sport compact counterparts, Shaun Carlson and Mike Crawford, will take it to the strip next on August 8 and 9 at the Texas Motorplex.
Chrysler posts quality gains
Chrysler reported that its quality has been rising according to external and internal metrics, thanks partly to better launches (such as the PT Cruiser, Liberty, and Ram, which used methods developed by the former Chrysler Corporation). The new Aero-Acoustic Wind Tunnel facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has also enabled the Company to successfully manage two of consumers' primary, industry-wide concerns: vehicle wind noise and fuel economy.
Some of the results include a 15% improvement on first-time-through powertrain manufacturing capability, resulting in smoother, more efficient assembly processes; a 68% reduction of problems per vehicle; cutting in half of overall warranty expenses since 1996; and a 13% lower expense per unit after nine month in service, comparing model year 2003 to 2002.
Chrysler offers discounts to employees of suppliers, others
Chrysler will begin offering "preferred" new-vehicle pricing to employees of Chrysler Group suppliers, beginning in August 2003. The program gives all United States employees of Chrysler suppliers (and the suppliers' subsidiaries) an opportunity to buy or lease Dodge, Jeep, or Chrysler vehicles one percent below factory invoice, with rebates still applying. A similar offer was made to members of certain enthusiast organizations.
The offer helps to tie suppliers into the company, tighten bonds with enthusiasts and suppliers, and incidentally to stem the substantial sales losses Chrysler has been suffering without the expense of ever-higher incentives, while the company awaits new marketing and models.
Supplier companies must complete an enrollment process before their employees can participate.
Jerry Flint writes about Chrysler
Andrew Renth pointed out this rather interesting article which echoes many of our webmaster's conclusions.
ClickOnDetroit has Allpar link (comment)
An article in ClickOnDetroit actually links to Allpar's Hemi page...if you're out there in the news media, we appreciate any link we can get!
Recent Mopar racing wins
Daryn Pittman captured the $100,000 purse for winning the Historical Big One at Eldora Speedway. The 24-year-old led 36 of 40 laps, and drove the last eight laps on a hastily-patched right rear tire. Pittman overcame a poor initial qualifying effort to start the Feature on the pole, after turning in solid Heat Race performances.
Friday, at the Night Before the Big One, Pittman won an eight-lap Heat Race and finished 12th. Danny Lasoski drove his Mopar to a ninth-place finish.
Lasoski, who topped the point standings for 46 of the first 47 events, overcame troubles and charged to an eighth-place finish after starting the race from 24th Wednesday at Hartford (Mich.) Speedway Park. His team had to replace a defective ignition box and an engine before the Feature.
The famed Knoxville Nationals are up next, with winged racing this Wednesday through Saturday. Lasoski has won 81 events in his career at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and already has two Feature wins there this season.
The #29 Mopar Midget car owned by Dino Tomassi visited victory lane in the biggest Midget event of the season Saturday evening. Josh Wise piloted the car around the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks 1/2-mile clay oval and led every lap to win the finale of the 26th annual Belleville Nationals.
J.J. Yeley broke A.J. Foyt's 42-year-old record for USAC National victories in a season last Thursday. Yeley has 20 wins in 50 starts. His phenomenal season includes 35 top-three finishes so far.
Josh Wise drove the Dino Tomassi Racing #29 Mopar to victory lane Saturday at the biggest Midget race of the season - the 26th annual Belleville Midget Nationals at Belleville (Kan.) High Banks. Wise led all 40 laps of the finale of the three-day event. He also earned the pole position by winning the fifth heat race of the evening. The two other Mopar drivers finished in the top six: Jay Drake, third and Tracy Hines, sixth.
Friday at Belleville, Hines was the top qualifier, and proceeded to win his heat race and the Trophy Dash. Wise finished third in the 25-lap feature.
Thursday at Belleville, J.J. Yeley broke the all-time USAC National record for wins in a single season. He eclipsed the mark of 19 that was set by A.J. Foyt in 1961 and later tied by Sleepy Tripp in 1988 and Jay Drake in 2000. Drake drove his Mopar to a third-place finish in this Thursday race.
Last Tuesday, Tracy Hines drove his #11 Mopar to a dominating victory at Eagle Raceway. Hines led 37 of 40 laps and was the fastest qualifier. The victory also catapulted him into the lead in the USAC National Midget standings.
Currently, Hines is second in the Midget standings, a mere 39 points behind the top spot. Jay Drake's Mopar holds the fourth spot.
The USAC Sprint cars competed at Salem (Ind.) Speedway Sunday, where Drake drove his Mopar into the third spot and J.J. Yeley finished seventh. Yeley now has 24 top-five Sprint finishes on the season and 25 top-10s. He leads the points by an astonishing 253 points ahead of the next closest competitor, Jay Drake, who also uses Mopar power in his sprint car. Cory Kruseman, Yeley's Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises teammate, is a solid 6th in the standings.
The USAC Sprints tour Illinois this week, with events Thursday at Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track; Friday at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway; Saturday at Tri-City Speedway. The larger Silver Crown cars will also attack the one-mile dirt course at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in pringfield on Saturday.
Pro Stockers put on exhibition at Mopar Nationals
The barbed wire-clad Pro Stock dragsters used their weekend off to travel to National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio, and show off at the 23rd annual Mopar Nationals. They joined tens of thousands of Mopar enthusiasts and approximately 3000 show/race cars from nearly every Chrysler vintage imaginable. The Dodge Dart was the featured vehicle.
Regular drivers Larry Morgan and Allen Johnson made passes along with crew members Bob Glidden and Tom Lee. Glidden, a drag racing legend and crew chief for Larry Morgan, looked at home in Gene Wilson's Dodge Stratus, but has no plans to operate a race vehicle in competition. Lee, who drove Darrell Alderman's Stratus, is a clutch and throttle linkage specialist for Johnson & Johnson Racing and has extensive Pro Stock driving experience in the IHRA.
The Team Mopar Pro Stock contingent races next at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway August 15 through 17.
Musgrave picks up 30 points on leader
Ted Musgrave finished second at Nashville Superspeedway Friday, driving his #1 Mopar Dodge Ram across the finish line 1.2 seconds after race winner Carl Edwards.
As a result of his success at Nashville, Musgrave picked up 30 points on the leader, Brendan Gaughan, in the point standings. He held his third overall position and is now behind Gaughan by only 21 points. Musgrave has nine top-five finishes in 15 races this season.
The next NCTS race is scheduled for the half-mile track Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Wednesday, August 20 at 8:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED Channel.
Ted Musgrave finished second and moved to within 21 points of standings leader and fellow Dodge driver Brendan Gaughan.
Francis wins World Dirt event at Freeport
Steve Francis won a World Dirt Racing League event last Thursday at Freeport (Ill.) Raceway Park, leading from flag to flag. It was his fifth victory of the season in various late-model dirt series.
In Xtreme DirtCar competition, Francis notched two top-10 finishes last week. He came in seventh at West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway Tuesday. He finished ninth Saturday in Wisconsin at the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway.
Francis is currently fourth in XDCS points. The only XDCS event scheduled for this week is Tuesday, at Joplin (Mo.) 66 Speedway.
Chrysler announces platinum series
To celebrate 20 years of minivan leadership, Chrysler will introduce a limited edition Platinum Series of vehicles this fall. Each pre-DCX vehicle will receive a platinum model: the 300M, Sebring Convertible, PT Cruiser, Sebring Sedan and Coupe, and Town & Country.
The Platinum Series Chrysler vehicles will be available in Graphite Metallic, Bright Silver Metallic, or black. Features include leather seats, satin silver bezels, chrome or platinum clad wheels, and unique interior features. Each features special Platinum Series badging.
The Platinum Series Chrysler 300M is enhanced by a distinctive Deep Slate/Light Taupe two-tone interior, chrome door handles, deep gloss black turn signal mirrors, and 17-inch chrome wheels. The model comes complete with a standard 360-watt Infinity II Cassette/CD player and a SIRIUS satellite radio system, with a one-year SIRIUS subscription. The MSRP is $31,425, which includes the destination fee.
The Platinum Series Chrysler Sebring Touring Convertible features a black cloth roof, stylish two-tone leather seating with preferred suede inserts, unique 16-inch Platinum clad "Bladerunner" wheels, a power driver seat, satin silver interior accents, and interior chrome door handles. The MSRP is $28,585, which includes the destination fee.
The Platinum Series Chrysler Sebring Touring Sedan features Platinum clad "Bladerunner" wheels, two-tone leather seating, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio steering wheel controls, satin silver interior accents, and a power driver seat. The MSRP is $22,555, which includes the destination fee. The coupe, at $25,615, gets a two-tone leather interior, chrome wheels, power driver seat, four-disc CD changer, and an automatic day/night mirror.
The Platinum Series Chrysler PT Cruiser features the new 180 horse turbo engine with an automatic transaxle. An AM/FM six-disc CD changer radio with SIRIUS satellite radio capability, unique two-tone leather seats with power seat height adjuster, and chrome clad wheels on the exterior augment the premium, dynamic feel of this vehicle. The Platinum PT also features bright pedals and a new, leather-wrapped steering wheel with satin silver painted spokes, a chrome/body-color front fascia, chrome bodyside moldings, a chrome exhaust tip, chrome door lock knobs, front door sill scuff plates with bright winged logo inserts, a chrome shifter bezel, and a satin silver shift ball. The MSRP is $24,965.
The Platinum Series Chrysler Town & Country celebrates 20 years of minivan leadership by including a Rear Seat Video system, six-disc CD/ DVD player, pop-up rear cargo organizer, and removable center console. This ultimate minivan comes complete with a body-color roof rack, platinum clad wheels, two-tone leather interior, chrome interior door handles, and a satin silver instrument panel bezel. The MSRP is $34,320.
Allpar still runs through power blackout
Our lights went out just after 4 pm, despite valiant efforts by PSE&G to keep them on...the lights all around HostRocket went out...but our server remained up, thanks to an impressive battery of backup power supplies and diesel generators. Our thanks to you guys!
Gary Howell Neon in Car and Driver
Car and Driver invited Gary Howell, of Howell Automotive, to set up a heavily modified car for a comparison test of sport compacts. The only American-designed entry, Gary's Neon was also the only vehicle to rely on natural induction (no turbocharger or supercharger). Unfortunately, clutch problems led poor results which led to Gary's placing seventh - but once the problems were fixed (unfortunately after the judging), Gary's Neon outperformed most of the other vehicles, despite costing much, much less. We look forward to seeing the results next year.
The exact URL, which our system won't accept, is http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=6947&page_number=6
Ford angers workers with move, but gets Carroll Shelby
The bad news for Chrysler is that Carroll Shelby, who contributed to Chrysler's knowledge of performance and its supply of performance- savvy engineers with the production of a variety of hot-rodded L-bodies and K-cars - including the high-performance, reasonable-cost Shelby Lancer - is moving back to Ford, where he created the Shelby Mustang, AC Cobra, and other classic vehicles. Shelby was credited with working on the Viper, as well, and it does reflect his tastes - an emphasis on cheap performance at a reasonable price, without amenities. At the same time, Ford is angering its employees and the UAW by moving production of mid-sized cars to Mexico and Canada with the next generation of vehicles. /opinion/ Ford has apparently observed that Americans are patriotic when it comes to putting flag decals on their cars, but not when it comes to actually buying them. /end opinion/
PT Convertible, Charger dates
The Detroit News wrote that the Dodge Charger would finally be produced in March of 2005, as a 2006 model. Meanwhile, AutoWeek wrote that the PT Cruiser Convertible would appear in March 2004 - but had no price estimates, and pricing of the various PTs has been erratic.
One lawsuit down, one to go
DaimlerChrysler AG has settled a class action lawsuit for $300 million, providing cash to former Chrysler investors who (collectively) approved what they believed to be a merger, but which was in reality meant to be a takeover. The plaintiffs had been seeking $22 billion, the estimated difference between the stock price for a hostile takeover and the stock price for a true merger. The settlement is pending "a definitive agreement" and court approval.
A separate $8 billion case by investment company Tracinda is still pending.
Get $500 off a Chrysler T&C in addition to current rebates!
When the "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is released on DVD next week, it will supposedly come with an "activity card." When this card is activated on your computer, you get a $500 coupon towards the purchase of a Chrysler Town & Country minivan. This promotion is in addition to other incentives that Chrysler already offers. So if you're planning on buying a Chrysler T&C between now and January, buy the $24 DVD first!
LH soon to disappear, LX to be produced
Several sources have now confirmed that the LH production line is very soon to be torn out and replaced by the more flexible LX lines. The LX, which is said to cover at least seven different vehicles at this point, will be made starting in January 2004 or so, but will not be available in dealers until about March, as preliminary models will be field tested in controlled situations (e.g. rental outlets, fleet duty). The LX will have rear wheel drive, a variety of wheelbases, and wagon, sedan, and (reportedly) coupe versions.
Side airbags seem to save lives - lots of them
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, side curtain airbags which cover the head, chest, and abdomen cut fatalities in side crashes almost in half. Side airbags have become common in vehicles from economy cars to SUVs in recent years, with the Chrysler Pacifica becoming the first vehicle to have all three rows of seats covered by side airbags.
Site posts secret Ford documents, anti-Jewish writings
blueovalnews.com, which was shut down by Ford through a legal battle some years ago (a Federal judge actually claimed that no Web site could be considered as "press") but came back to life after an appeal, is currently posting not just the direct phone numbers of key executives, but a list of "secret warranties," internal Ford documents on the cost benefits of safety reductions and other issues, and, now, a link to a sample of Henry Ford's fabled anti-Jewish rhetoric, which Adolph Hitler claimed to be his inspiration. /Opinion/ (One can, if desired, lay a few million deaths at Ford's front doorstep.) It's an interesting read, especially at Ford's 100-year anniversary, when the company is doing its best to link itself to an ideal history, bringing back Henry Ford's relationships to famous innovators of the day, and promoting Bill Ford as an inheritor of Henry's ideals. We only hope that BIll has left a few of Henry's ideas behind. /end opinion/
Corolland posts updated Corolla-Neon shootout
Corolland has updated their Neon-Corolla comparison after a week-long test drive of the 2004 Corolla, which has grown to the Neon's size and nearly matched the Neon's power (but not its acceleration). Following their review is a decent-sized section comparing the two cars, with notes on the Civic following.
2004 Durango introduced - bigger, more efficient
Chrysler has introduced its 2004 Durango, making its interior room on par with full-sized SUVs, while raising gas mileage and improving safety and interior conveniences. Click here for details.
Racing news, September 3
Lasoski sweeps Harvest Classic, regains series point lead
Team Mopar star Danny Lasoski had one of the best runs of his career at the Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway this past weekend, regaining the series point lead at the same time. Lasoski made a clean sweep of the “Harvest Classic,” taking the checkered flag in each “A” main of the three-day event in his No. 20 Tony Stewart Motorsports, Mopar- powered entry.
Lasoski's team entered Sunday’s event final with confidence, as his strong performances in the Friday and Saturday preliminary events had locked him into the pole position of the first Dash race in Sunday’s event finale. Lasoski won the Dash, which put him on the pole for the “A” main. Taking the lead on the first lap, Lasoski led flag to flag en route to his third win in as many days. “The Dude’s” elated crew met him in Victory Lane, with crew chief Jimmy Carr carrying a broom, symbolizing Lasoski’s sweep of the event.
Last Tuesday at Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway, Lasoski set Quick Time for the 24th time this season. Lasoski, the defending event champion, finished third in the A-main.
Lasoski said: "Paul Kistler built me a great Mopar engine. It’s kind of experimental, and it really ran good tonight....I have to thank my whole crew tonight. The J.D. Byrider, Home Depot, Mopar car has been running good the last month or so. Starting sixth like that, you never know what’s going to happen, but Jimmy Carr [crew chief] did a great job and gave me a great car.”
Seven-second barrier feeling the heat
Several race teams in the NHRA Sport Compact division are on the brink of cracking into fabled seven-second territory, and the Team Mopar/NuFormz entry driven by Shaun Carlson has been burning the midnight oil to get there first.
The teams take to the track at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., Saturday and Sunday. The track is known for its favorable conditions for setting drag racing records.
Carlson currently holds the NHRA record for fastest front-wheel- drive pass, thanks to his 8.22-second at 181.70 mph in May. Carlson also built the engines of the first cars to crack into the nine- and eight- second categories, so he is highly qualified to bust into the sevens.
"Prior to [running a nine], there was a lot of skepticism that a front- wheel-drive car could not possibly do that," Carlson said. "Now we're really hoping to impress people." Stay tuned as the haste race continues.
New 300C Touring Concept to be shown
A wagon version of the 300C sedan, essentially a Magnum in 300C clothing, is being introduced at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt on September 9, presumably because the Dodge brand is not sold in Europe. The 300C Touring concept will include a Hemi engine and all wheel drive. Around 4 in 10 vehicles sold in Europe are wagon variations.
Chrysler noted that the Hemi "is very fuel competitive in its class and produces more power and torque than any Chrysler brand passenger car engine since the 426 HEMI of the ‘60s and ‘70s."
AP covers alternative-fuel site
A new gas station in San Diego allows electric vehicle owners, ethanol users, propane customers, and, perhaps most important, biodiesel burners to refill their vehicles, in a full-service retro-1950s environment. The biodiesel comes from fish fry grease, the ethanol from cheese plant waste. Electric car recharging is free. The Regional Transportation Center mainly sells ordinary gasoline, but since California wants 10% of new vehicles to be nonpolluting by 2018, the RTC may be positioned for dominance in its area. It also includes a repair garage, and a neighboring facility sells alternative-fuel vehicles with blue ovals on their grilles.
(Thanks to Doug Hetrick for calling our attention to this story)
Meanwhile, the first area to receive a shipment of authentic London taxis, with roomy interiors and efficient diesel engines, will be - Metro Detroit.
Chrysler August sales
In August, GM was up about 4% compared to 2002, while Ford was down about 15% and Chrysler was down 6% yet again. Toyota made substantial gains in its bid to become America's #3 automaker, actually beating Chrysler in the month of August to be #3 in overall sales. Toyota already sells more Corollas than Chrysler and Dodge sell cars, and sells more cars than Chevrolet or Ford (thanks, Bill C).
Dodge Ram continued to post gains, up 12% over August 2002 on the strength of new models. The Pacifica moved up to 7,436, its best month but still disappointing, and perhaps one reason for a new, lower price on 2004 models. The Caravan actually increased month-to-month 33% in August, very good news. Durango sales also went up 21% month to month. Chrysler Group finished the month with 468,643 units of inventory, a 66-day supply.
Looking at year to date sales:
Cars
The Neon, despite its best-in-class performance and the halo effect of the SRT-4, has been falling both year to date and month to month, currently at 7% (over 6,000 units) below 2002 levels. Stratus and Sebring both fell, 7% and 20% respectively - that's about 25,000 units lost. Concorde continues to be up a little year to date over last year despite a rather nasty 45% fall in August, with the 300M down 16% for the year despite a 44% fall in August; Intrepid is down 24% for the year after holding steady in August. The Crossfire is up to 1,593 units all told, beating the Prowler's final-year production. The Viper is still gaining, at 1,631 units.
Minivans, SUVs, and pickups
Toyota's Sienna seems to be a runaway success, and may be limited only by production for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Chrysler minivans are down 8% for the year, which translates to over 25,000 units, despite a 10% rise in August over last August.
The PT Cruiser continues to fall, now down to 23% below 2002 levels, with August 2003 sales half that of August 2002. Still, it's at 77,629 so far this year, which is far above what CHrysler was predicting, and a good compensation for low Neon sales.
The Pacifica is now at 25,763 sales for the year, and should sell better than the Chrysler Voyager but not the Plymouth Voyager. Profit margins may be higher - we do not know with the new pricing scheme.
Jeep is still seeing better sales of the Wrangler and is holding steady with the Liberty, with the Grand Cherokee down 12% as the replacement comes closer. The Durango is actually up 5% for the year. Sprinters are still moving very, very slowly. Total SUV sales are down 3% year to year, 7% month to month.
The Ram continues to sell well with over 300,000 units so far this year, a 13% rise over 2002 (that's over 40,000 vehicles!). The Dakota likewise continues to slip, with a 17% decline that is now accelerating.
Overall, Chrysler is down 7% month-to-month, 3% year-to-year.
(Thanks, Bill Cawthon, for sending the sales information to us.)
| Month Sales | DR % | Sales CYTD | DR % | |||
| Curr Yr | Pr Yr | Change | Curr Yr | Pr Yr | Change | |
| Model | ||||||
| Sebring | 7107 | 11200 | -0.34 | 69762 | 87351 | -0.2 |
| Concorde | 1311 | 2461 | -0.45 | 23229 | 22275 | 0.05 |
| 300M | 1716 | 3162 | -0.44 | 19007 | 22725 | -0.16 |
| LHS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 552 | -1 |
| Prowler | 0 | 101 | -1 | 511 | 1136 | -0.55 |
| Crossfire | 706 | 0 | 1593 | 0 | ||
| CHRYSLER CAR | 10840 | 16924 | -0.34 | 114102 | 134039 | -0.14 |
| PT Cruiser | 6745 | 14035 | -0.5 | 77629 | 101430 | -0.23 |
| Pacifica | 7436 | 0 | 0 | 25763 | 0 | 0 |
| Voyager | 1179 | 2922 | -0.58 | 12689 | 29604 | -0.57 |
| Town & Country | 9967 | 11011 | - 0.06 | 90311 | 92391 | -0.02 |
| CHRYSLER TRUCK | 25327 | 27968 | -0.06 | 206392 | 223425 | -0.07 |
| CHRYSLER BRAND | 36167 | 44892 | -0.16 | 320494 | 357464 | -0.1 |
| Wrangler | 6797 | 6794 | 0.04 | 46908 | 44484 | 0.06 |
| Liberty | 16352 | 21511 | -0.21 | 108296 | 108739 | 0 |
| Grand Cherokee | 20050 | 23298 | -0.11 | 128340 | 146763 | -0.12 |
| JEEP BRAND | 43199 | 51603 | - 0.13 | 283544 | 299986 | -0.05 |
| CP CAR | 10840 | 16924 | - 0.34 | 114102 | 134644 | -0.15 |
| CPJ TRUCK | 68526 | 79571 | - 0.11 | 489936 | 523411 | -0.06 |
| CPJ DIVISION | 79366 | 96495 | - 0.15 | 604038 | 658055 | -0.08 |
| Neon | 9681 | 12849 | -0.22 | 83637 | 90094 | -0.07 |
| Stratus | 5578 | 10762 | -0.46 | 71662 | 77767 | -0.07 |
| Intrepid | 5671 | 5909 | 0 | 63430 | 83549 | -0.24 |
| Viper | 222 | 98 | 1.35 | 1631 | 1072 | 0.53 |
| DODGE CAR | 21152 | 29618 | - 0.26 | 220360 | 252482 | -0.12 |
| Dakota | 9382 | 14659 | -0.34 | 78446 | 94910 | -0.17 |
| Ram P/U | 43824 | 40440 | 0.12 | 302480 | 269395 | 0.13 |
| Caravan | 21194 | 16585 | 0.33 | 172525 | 180288 | -0.04 |
| Durango | 12647 | 10875 | 0.21 | 78083 | 74972 | 0.05 |
| Ram Van/Wagon | 2612 | 2183 | 0.24 | 17369 | 28360 | -0.38 |
| Sprinter Van | 211 | 0 | 0 | 731 | 0 | 0 |
| DODGE TRUCK | 89870 | 84742 | 0.1 | 649634 | 647925 | 0.01 |
| DODGE DIVISION | 111022 | 114360 | 0.01 | 869994 | 900407 | -0.03 |
| TOTAL CAR | 31992 | 46542 | - 0.29 | 334462 | 387126 | -0.13 |
| TOTAL TRUCK | 158396 | 164313 | 0 | 1139570 | 1171336 | -0.02 |
| TOTAL CAR & TRUCK | 190388 | 210855 | -0.06 | 1474032 | 1558462 | - 0.05 |
| Total Minivan | 32340 | 30518 | 0.1 | 275525 | 302283 | -0.08 |
| Total Sport Utility | 55846 | 62478 | -0.07 | 361627 | 374958 | -0.03 |
| Selling Days | 27 | 28 | 205 | 206 |
Countdown to the Mopar Million
In less than three weeks the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora will commence, bringing the start of one of the most anticipated events in sprint car racing history. The event is one-of-a-kind, with an unprecedented $1 million purse, international interest, and some of the most prestigious names in the sport.
In addition to being the title sponsor of the largest race of the year, Team Mopar will also have three competitors participating in the event. USAC National Sprint Car Series points leader J.J. Yeley, Cory Kruseman and Jay Drake will compete under the Mopar banner. Additional teams among the 150 entrants may also utilize stout Mopar V-8s for the event.
When the idea of the Mopar Million Sprint was introduced, Eldora Speedway owner Earl Baltes spent a lot of time listening to race fans. After much discussion and several fan-based inquires, Baltes announced at the 2003 O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals that the race would be a non-winged event, with the entry list capped at 150 entrants.
The unique format for the event, which will pay out $800,000 in prize money to the participants of the "A" main, is relatively familiar to the Eldora Speedway staff. Baltes has been surprised at the number of entries for the event.
"To be honest, we never thought we would reach our cut-off limit of 150 teams, but that has happened and we've even had to return some entries," Baltes said. "This tells us that the interest among the racers is there."
Fan response to the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora has been outstanding leading up to the running of the event. Baltes expects a standing-room-only audience for the two-day event, with some fans even traveling across oceans to attend the historical event.
DCX to cut costs yet again
Following the old adage "to grow the tree you must cut the roots," DaimlerChrysler is embarking on another round of cost-cutting, according to Motor Trend quoting Focus Money magazine. An internal source said all managers are being asked to save money, and a task force is looking at further consolidating development, purchasing, and sales of Chrysler and Mercedes. This time, it is notable that the cost cutting extends to both primary DCX brands - that is, Mercedes is included. (Thanks, Doug Hetrick)
Jerry Jenkins wins Mopar Stock challenge
Jerry Jenkins won the third annual Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge. The event, which matched the nation’s elite limited production 1968 Hemi-powered Barracudas and Darts in a heads-up eliminator, was held in conjunction with this year’s rain-delayed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Jenkins and his 1968 Barracuda defeated fellow Modesto resident Dave Raybourn in the final, winning the $10,000 bonus check.
"Coming out here, not just winning it, but outrunning everybody was our goal," Jenkins said. "We wanted to be the quickest out here. Everybody was complaining that the only reason we were fast was that we were from California, and ran on all the good tracks. We wanted to come out here and prove that we were quick everywhere.
"These Challenge races are the main reason we run these cars. We pay our admission to run in this Mopar Challenge, and the bracket part of the program is just something to do because it’s here. We run everyone heads up, and that’s what makes it fun. We want to thank Mopar Performance Parts for holding this great show and putting up the money. I hope they try and get more of these organized."
Mopar Performance Parts Product Line Manager, David Hakim was pleased with the event and said, "The 2003 Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge has been a tremendous success with the 26 entries that competed. The level of competition this year was intense, and increased dramatically over last year. It's the most cars we have ever witnessed compete in this event."
GM, VW give away electronics with cars
On the heels of Volkswagen's "Pods Unite" campaign, which gives away an Apple iPod with the purchase of a car (the iPod costs around $300 retail and is the most popular digital music player in Japan), Saturn has announced that those who buy a 2003 Saturn through September 30 will receive an $800 Dell Dimension 2400 home computer. Buyers are asked to donate their old computer or the new one, if they do not want it, to the National Cristina Foundation.
Zetsche to present another turnaround plan
On September 7, Dieter Zetsche will be presenting another turnaround plan for DaimlerChrysler Corporation, which makes and sells Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles in the United States. Oddly enough, sources quoted by the Detroit News suggested that these plans involve yet more layoffs and management shakeups, coupled with increased demands on unions and shedding of yet more parts plants. Notably, Deutsche Bank, whose investment in DaimlerChrysler AG allows the giant corporation to do business as usual, has analysts who have been talking about a spinoff of Chrysler, which is now interlinked in design and supply with Mitsubishi and Mercedes. Further investment in models, owner and enthusiast relations, viral marketing, and other innovative or inventive solutions do not appear to be options.
Mopar racing - weekend update
Mopar's Larry Morgan trekked to the semifinals during today's rain-delayed 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
On the strength of a strong fifth-place qualifying effort, Morgan moved into the semifinals before falling to Kurt Johnson. Against Johnson, the Newark, Ohio, resident took a (.029 to .037) of a second starting-line advantage, but his 6.873-second elapsed time at 201.88 mph wasn't enough in the end. Johnson posted a quicker 6.831-second pass at 201.88 mph.
"I'm so proud of both of these teams today," said Morgan, commenting on teammate Gene Wilson's second-round appearance. "We just made a horrible run on that last one. But, it was a great weekend for us. I have nothing to complain about. We don't have but a dozen runs on our new Stratus. It's going to be a great race car. (Chassis builder) Rick Jones and (Mopar aero-thermal engineer) Terry DeKoninck have done a great job with this new car. And I can't say enough for how hard my team has worked to get us to this point. I'm really looking forward to Reading (Pa.) because I think we might have something for them."
Morgan, who won this event back in 1989, beat six-time U.S. Nationals winner Warren Johnson on a holeshot in round number one. His .018 of a second reaction time and 6.834-second pass at 200.95 mph was enough to hold off W.J.'s slightly quicker 6.823/202.58 combination. In the second round, Morgan left on Jim Yates and pulled away with a 6.862-second elapsed time at 201.04 mph. Yates recorded a slower 6.867-second lap at 201.10 mph.
Wilson traveled to the second round in his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus today. The Georgia resident lost to Jeg Coughlin, Jr., after posting a 6.870-second elapsed time at 201.13 mph. Despite having a slower reaction time by .006 of a second, Coughlin's 6.812-second lap at 201.16 was quick enough to eclipse the 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year.
Wilson moved into the second round after defeating Taylor Lastor in round one. The 30-year-old Wilson drove around the slower Lastor with a 6.844-second elapsed time at 201.07 mph.
Mopar's Allen Johnson did his job on the starting line, taking a .030 of a second advantage on Coughlin, Jr. But, Coughlin's 6.814-second elapsed time at 201.16 mph was enough to beat out Johnson's 6.855-second lap at 201.07 mph.
"The right lane seems to be a couple hundredths slower than the left lane," Johnson said. "That's the case in Pro Stock, you have to run well in qualifying and pick up lane choice. When you run behind the fuel cars, there is always a better lane out there. The team did what we needed to do, we made the third best run of the round in that lane, and I did my job, but it wasn't enough. We'll regroup at Reading (Pa.) next weekend.
Mopar Funny Car Wrap Up…
Gary Scelzi and the Oakley Dodge Stratus lost in the first round to Tim Wilkerson. Scelzi, who qualified second, experienced mechanical trouble and only run a 4.968-second elapsed time at 299.80 mph. Wilkerson drove to a quicker 4.829-second pass at 321.27 mph.
"We put a hole out right at the hit of the throttle," Scelzi said. "We haven't done that in a long time. We recycle our stuff all the time and I have no idea what happened. Whatever happened, it completely ruined us from the hit of the throttle. It tried to drive out of the groove, and it almost hit the centerline. I saved it, but it dropped another cylinder at the top end as well. It's unfortunate, but we have a good race car and we've been really good since Denver. We'll be good again, but this isn't the race you want to get bit at. But you can't choose, so we'll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and go do this thing again next weekend."
Whit Bazemore, driver of the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, was edged out in his first round loss to Cruz Pedregon. The local Indianapolis resident made a 4.886-second lap at 316.67 mph, but it wasn't enough to run down Pedregon's 4.887-second elapsed time at 313.88 mph.
"That was a very tough loss," Bazemore said. "I feel really bad for the team because we had such a great car this weekend. I did the best I could, but it was only decent. Cruz did a slight better job on the lights (.061-.069) and he won. We got beat. This is why we don't run these races on paper because anything can happen. We'll suck it up because we have three more in a row. I'm excited to think about where we are going to be within the next three weeks."
Viper quality to decline with assembly changes?
We received a copy of a notice purportedly given to Viper employees on Friday which represents a fundamental shift in the way Vipers have been built since 1992. A person who said they were an employee reported that the line will no longer stay in position until each person finishes their task, wtih a 37 minute average cycle time, but will not move until someone pushes a stop button. Word has gone out that management will be looking at who presses the stop button. This may sound like ordinary cost-cutting, but it is important to note that the Viper uses prototype-level parts, so that holes may not be completely cut, formed parts may need reworking, brackets rebending, etc. In short, managers are trying to use relatively unfinished parts to create an $83,000 production-quality car. Employees are concerned that the current emphasis on making all cars profitable will end with the Viper being discontinued or outsourced, or, at the least, become lower quality than it currently is. A copy of the instructions was included, and appears to be very credible.
Mopar announces SRT-4 parts
Mopar®, Chrysler Group's parts and accessories brand, is launching a complete line of performance upgrades designed to make the Dodge SRT-4 even quicker.
These Mopar Performance Parts are - or soon will be -- available at local Dodge dealers.
The Stage 1 Turbo Upgrade Kit pushes the power and performance of the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine in the 2003 Dodge SRT-4 to 240 horsepower and 260 ft.-lbs. of torque. The kit consists of four fuel injectors, which produce a10 percent greater flow rate than stock injectors, and one Mopar Performance powertrain control module (PCM). The PCM has been calibrated for increased wide-open throttle and part-throttle boost, more aggressive exhaust note during deceleration, improved turbo response, enhanced first-gear boost schedule for a higher performance launch and a boost hold feature during wide-open throttle shifts. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Stage 1 Turbo Upgrade Kit (P5007862) is $399. (A Stage 1 Turbo Upgrade Kit will be offered for the 2004 Dodge SRT-4 - part number, pricing and timing to be announced.)
The new Mopar Performance SRT-4 Cat-Back Exhaust System is a mandrel bent, 2.5-inch diameter T304 stainless steel system, compared to the production 2.25-inch, providing reduced back pressure and a deeper exhaust note. The dual outlet tips are a full 4-inch outside diameter of highly polished stainless steel, giving a no-nonsense appearance from the rear of the vehicle. The MSRP for the SRT-4 Cat-Back Exhaust (P4510461) is $385.
Mopar's limited-slip differential is another high-quality component that helps make the SRT-4 even quicker. The Quaife automatic torque-biasing (ATB) differential is available exclusively from Mopar. The unique design improves handling and steering, and powers both drive wheels under nearly all conditions. It senses which wheel has better grip and biases the power to that wheel. It does this smoothly and continuously, and without ever completely removing power from the other wheel. Available in October, pricing is not yet announced for Mopar’s LSD (P5007923). Note: This LSD is standard equipment on the 2004 Dodge SRT-4. (An installation kit - P4510588, available in October - is required when ordering this part.)
The Mopar Coilover Suspension Kits are a result of a partnership between Mopar Performance and KW Suspensions. Utilizing DaimlerChrysler specifications to ensure optimum performance, the kits feature new stainless steel INOX technology exclusive to Mopar Performance. The Mopar Coilover Kits’ thread design and aluminum spring perches allow SRT-4 owners to easily adjust vehicle height. Additionally, the special thread shape and specific properties of the polished suspension struts ensure that virtually no corrosion occurs - even after years of the strongest weather influences.
The basic Stage 1 suspension components include a set of higher rate drop springs (P4510458) that utilize production Dodge SRT-4 dampers and an anti sway bar kit (P4510454). Both components will be available in early October.
The Stage 2 Mopar Coilover Suspension Kit is an introductory coilover system - height adjustable only. Its fixed-valve dampers are calibrated to provide a balance between “comfortable” road feel and sporty driving.
Stage 3 Mopar Coilover Suspension Kits are height- and rebound-adjustable, and include up to 50 percent more adjustability than Stage 2 settings. This allows the driver to tune the SRT-4 suspension to even greater degrees, from a “comfortable” ride, to sporty, to stiff - tailoring road handling to the driver’s specific needs.
MSRP for Stage 2 is $1,395 (P4510447), while Stage 3’s MSRP is $1,625 (P4510586). Stage 2 and Stage 3 Suspension Kits - for the 2003 and 2004 Dodge SRT-4 - are now available.
The Mopar Performance Short-Throw Shifter is a direct, bolt-on, self-contained unit. It offers a dramatic improvement in shifting performance due in large part to reduced shifter travel or "shifter throw." In performance driving scenarios, the additional seconds -- or fractions of a second -- a factory-equipped shifter takes to go from one gear to another may result in slower lap times. The Mopar Short-Throw Shifter gives the racer a competitive advantage. The Mopar Performance Short-Throw Shifter (P4510485) is available for a MSRP of $119 (for both the 2003 and 2004 Dodge SRT-4).
The new Mopar Performance Turbo Blow-Off Valve Kit reduces intake air charge temperature by venting the hot compressed air to the atmosphere and not re-circulating it into the intake system. The Blow-Off Valve Kit is a must-have accessory that enhances the distinctive turbo sound of the Dodge SRT-4. The BOV Conversion Kit (P4510548) is now available for the 2003 and 2004 Dodge SRT-4 for an MSRP of $69.
Mopar Performance has developed a full line of gauges to fit the needs of the street-performance enthusiast. These gauges are available only through Mopar and feature an aluminum bezel and four different face styles. The styles include silver with the SRT logo, silver with the Mopar logo, carbon fiber with the Mopar logo and white with the Mopar logo. The types of gauges available are boost, nitrous, voltmeter, exhaust gas temperature, oil pressure, fuel pressure, air-fuel ratio, water temperature, a 2-inch tachometer and a 5-inch tachometer. Mopar also offers single or dual gauge pods that mount on the driver's side "A" pillar. MSRP for Mopar Performance gauges range from $45.73 for a 2 1/16-inch voltmeter to $318.26 for a 5-inch tachometer. Pods for the Dodge SRT-4 range from $29.50 for single pods to $37.80 for dual pods (all pods are for 2 1/16-inch gauges).
Chrysler denies new turnaround plan
Chrysler has denied that Dieter Zetsche is set to present a new turnaround plan to the DCX Board, contradicting an earlier "leak." Since DCX CEO Juergen Schrempp is only now returning from a deal in China, the presentation of a new plan today is less than likely - though it is possible that yet another shake up indeed in the works, but will not be presented at this time.
Zetsche presents to Board after all
Though Dieter Zetsche updated the Board on Chrysler's current problems and his plans to resolve them, DCX has not released any information on what he said or will be doing.
GM releases new minivan-crossovers
Though the Pacifica is still not selling anywhere near as many units as hoped, and the Aztec and Rendezvous were not massive successes, GM has announced no less than four new minivan-SUV hybrids, to be produced as 2005 models. These will be the Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Saturn Relay, and Pontiac Montana SV6. The SV6 is apparently a restyled Montana, which is a restyled Chevrolet Venture.
September 11
It is September 11 again, and we briefly beg your indulgence as we remember those who sacrificed their lives, and those whose lives were simply taken.
We hope that our national leaders will soon begin to place a real priority on national security, perhaps placing it ahead of personal gain and repayment of favors. We see national security being ignored in terms of air cargo not being inspected, our seaports continuing to operate as though little had happened, El-Al anti-hijacking measures ignored, and terrorist groups allowed to continue if they are not specifically targeting Americans, and we do not see any investigation of the CIA, which trained and funded Osama Bin Laden when he was fighting the Soviets, and which has sponsored and trained many other terrorist groups without any thought as to long-term consequences. We see cybersecurity being fully and totally ignored, with the Homeland Security head of cybersecurity post remaining unfilled, perhaps because of the baggage that comes with the largely symbolic position. And we see chemical plants and shipments by truck and by rail remaining largely unprotected. We see our leaders acting as though the rest of the world simply does not matter, reducing support and creating enemies.
We worry that all these issues and their potential to allow another tragedy of the level of September 11, 2001...or worse. We urge you to join with us in urging our leaders in Washington to put resources where they will do the most good...and to not worry about how industrial leaders and campaign contributors will react.
And a moment of silence, please, for those who are no longer with us, and for those who have lost loved ones.
Thank you for your time.
Union talks, Smart brand
The Detroit News reports that Chrysler and the UAW are near an agreement, possibly allowing a simultaneous agreement with GM, Ford, and Chrysler. The new contract will, according to the News' sources, have fewer wage and pension increases, more flexible work rules, and allow anti-absenteeism measures. The UAW is standing firm on health care coverage while allowing greater deductibles and copayments, as well.
The UAW and Chrysler have reached a four-year deal which will be the pattern for pacts with GM and Ford. As expected, there will be no major cuts to health care coverage, but slight increases in copayments will reduce costs for the automaker. There will be a combination of lump sum payments, annual wage increases, and pension increases, with greater flexibility for Chryselr to sell plant, move workers from place to place, and cut indirect costs such as maintenance. Chrysler reportedly wants to sell no less than five parts plants, while Ford is looking to move production to Mexico and close both the Edison and St. Louis plants. Chrysler has already lost 26,000 jobs. We do not yet know whether Chrysler was given the ability to sell its parts plants, or whether the UAW negotiated its way into Mercedes' plants.
DCX's smart brand will introduce a special "i-move" version of the smart cite coupe with an integrated Apple iPod, matching Volkswagen's move to give away the popular electronic music player with each new purchase. VW has also made modifications to allow the iPod to work with their cars. Dell, ever innovative, linked up with GM and is giving away a free desktop computer with each Saturn purchase.
Presidential candidate Howard Dean, a doctor who is currently Governor of Vermont, has announced his auto policy. This includes elimination of the "light truck" loophole, which allows some pickups and SUVs to have no gas mileage ratings and lets anything defined as a multipurpose vehicle or pickup have more lax gas mileage standards; he noted that gas mileage has been getting lower each year as the number of traditional cars has declined. His overall goal is for 40 mpg on average by 2015, which many believe to be a reasonable number given advances in technology (Toyota, for example, will be increasing gas mileage on all models by providing hybrid-electric powertrains as an option across the board - most of these vehicles will probably not be sold in the United States, however). He noted, "Japanese automakers understand the opportunity that opens up as consumers become more energy-conscious. Instead of opposing California's strict emissions requirements, they built and marketed the hybrid gas-electric cars that are on the road today....American engineers can lead us even further, to the next generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles." Dean also proposes greater use of renewables in electric generation, including wind power (increasingly relied upon in Europe) and other methods, with a goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020. The Bush administration has publicly called for decreases in the nation's use of oil and has shifted Federal funding to fuel cell vehicles, but has also fought attempts to actually increase gas mileage, and has supported subsidies for high-priced SUVs.
The new UAW contract provides Chrysler with "flexibility," including the right to sell seven parts plants. Based on past actions, Allpar expects these plants to be sold or closed within the next two years. We do not have word on whether the plants would remain unionized under their new owners, whether they would be sold or closed, or whether they would be moved offshore or to other states. On the lighter side, now that the contract negotiations have ended, DCX is expected to announce a variety of new vehicles, including a small pickup (referred to as the M80, the name of a concept truck).
The UAW not only did not win rights to organize the Mercedes plants in the United States, according to the Detroit News, but also agreed to allow a number of Chrysler parts plants to close. This is the News' list: To be closed: Indianapolis foundry, McGraw Glass To be sold: New Castle, Indiana to Metaldyne, Huntsville Electronics, Alabama (we believe to Siemens), Detroit Axle, New Venture Gear in Syracuse, NY (makes manual transmissions - former joint veture with GM), and Toledo (Ohio) Machining and Forge.
Even as we hear rumors of new construction at the Pillette Road (Ontario) plant, DCX has announced that a proposed new van plant in Pooler, Georgia, will not be opened after all. DCX's reasons included a weak dollar and soft commercial van sales. Perhaps Sprinter demand was also not as strong as expected, even after the Freightliner badge was removed and a Dodge label put in its place. Some have suggested that a new family of full size rear-drive vans, including a minivan and commercial versions, may be built at Pillette Road or elsewhere. The rumor mill suggests that with the contract signed and ratified, Chrysler will announce a flood of new vehicles.
Detroit News posted a meandering article by Doron Levin on DCX's direction regarding Chrysler, pointing out that strategy of using the brand as a way to sell Mercedes components and vehicles (such as the Sprinter and Crossfire) is in full force. While her article sounded like something written by Mercedes publicists - "With hindsight, DaimlerChrysler is realizing how far behind GM and Ford it is...Lately, though, Chrysler models are using more and more Mercedes technology..." - it does point out that DCX has been unable to figure out the American auto market. However, we have been noticing another round of cost-slashing throughout Chrysler Group, additional plant sales, and an almost total lack of investment in whipping up enthusiasm among employees, fans, and, most important, potential buyers.
To show what Chrysler could probably do if it showed the will, we have linked to the Toyota MR2 review on our sister site, Corolland, which covers (to a far lower degree) modern Toyota cars. /OPINION/ The MR2 appears to be based on the Corolla, using that car's engine. There were concepts of Neon roadsters, but these were never produced "due to cost considerations" - the mantra of failed leadership at Chrysler. It seems that Chryslerl succeeds when it invests in its people and technology, and fails when it takes cost-cutting to extremes. /END OPINION/
Just-Auto notes that Mitsubishi will be getting its own version of the Dodge Dakota pickup, albeit with a V6 and no V8 option. This may help to attract buyers who only buy Japanese vehicles, while rounding out Mitsubishi's American lineup. At one time, Mitsubishi designed and built the Dodge D50 light pickup.
Chrysler will be selling the original Tomahawk concept as well as up to nine replicas through Neiman Marcus, for $555,000 each. The motorcycle, however, cannot be licensed, so they cannot be legally driven on public roads. A Chrysler spokesman told Reuters they were meant as rolling sculptures. Rumors had the Tomahawk selling for under $200,000, most likely at a loss or breakeven price, for publicity purposes - but still fully drivable. Wolfgang Bernhard, Chrysler's not particularly respected first mate, was said to be enthusiastic about that project.
General Motors reported a 15% rise in sales, 10% in cars alone; however, Chrysler's sales continue to freefall, despite the popularity of the group's biggest seller, the Dodge Ram. The Grand Cherokee was also a bright spot with a 9% increase over September 2002. The Pacifica has slowly started to increase in sales, with 7,589 sold in September. In general, though, there is no good news in this month's sales reports, unless you count the Neon not losing any more ground. There will be ten new product introductions over 12 months, starting with next month's Durango launch (November 15). Chrysler ended the month with an 86 supply of vehicles. Note that for the month and the year, minivans are down 9%. The Concorde and 300M are selling at half the volume of September 2002, with the Intrepid down 30% as well, month to month. PT Cruiser is down 42%, Voyager 46%, Sebring 23%, Wrangler 29%, Liberty a stunning 38% on this new, class-leading vehicle. Month to month, even the Ram is down in sales! It almost seems as though someone has been running ad campaigns that devalue the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands, making it seem that Chrysler - sorry, DAIMLERchrysler - doesn't value them much itself. The bright spot is a new set of commercials, reportedly made with Peter DeLorenzo's help, that actually spotlight Chrysler's current products and their advantages, without resorting to bragging about a few German parts in a way that suggests the rest of the vehicle, being American, is substandard. By brand, Chrysler is down 8%, Jeep 18%, Dodge 16%. Year to date Chrysler is down 6% overall (Chrylser brand down 10%, Jeep brand down 6%, Dodge brand - which by far has the most volume - down 4%). Chrysler, UAW reach deal; parts factories to go?
smart car to have integrated iPod
Presidential hopeful Howard Dean's auto policy
UAW contract allows sale of seven plants
Chrysler plant sales and closing
Georgia van plant scrapped
DCX gives up on increased sales
Toyota MR2 reviewed
MMC to get Dakota version
Tomahawk a reality...sort of
Chrysler sales fall, GM rises
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Sebring 6,299 7,871 -23% 76,061 95,222 -20%
Concorde 1,328 2,606 -51% 24,557 24,881 -1%
300M 1,479 2,701 -48% 20,486 25,426 -19%
LHS 0 0 0% 0 552 -100%
Prowler 0 56 -100% 511 1,192 -57%
Crossfire 578 0 2,171 0
CHRYSLER CAR 9,684 13,234 -30% 123,786 147,273 -16%
PT Cruiser 6,305 10,424 -42% 83,934 111,854 -25%
Pacifica 7,589 0 0% 33,352 0 0%
Voyager 1,163 2,067 -46% 13,852 31,671 -56%
Town & Country 7,022 7,446 -10% 97,333 99,837 -3%
CHRYSLER TRUCK 22,079 19,937 6% 228,471 243,362 -6%
CHRYSLER BRAND 31,763 33,171 -8% 352,257 390,635 -10%
Wrangler 4,770 6,448 -29% 51,678 50,932 1%
Liberty 10,253 15,783 -38% 118,549 124,522 -5%
Grand Cherokee 16,410 14,412 9% 144,750 161,175 -10%
JEEP BRAND 31,433 36,643 -18% 314,977 336,629 -6%
CP CAR 9,684 13,234 -30% 123,786 147,878 -16%
CPJ TRUCK 53,512 56,580 -9% 543,448 579,991 -6%
CPJ DIVISION 63,196 69,814 -13% 667,234 727,869 -8%
Neon 10,574 10,121 0% 94,211 100,215 -6%
Stratus 7,117 8,950 -24% 78,779 86,717 -9%
Intrepid 5,127 7,416 -34% 68,557 90,965 -25%
Viper 110 263 -60% 1,741 1,335 30%
DODGE CAR 22,928 26,750 -18% 243,288 279,232 -13%
Dakota 8,285 11,133 -29% 86,731 106,043 -18%
Ram P/U 31,669 33,924 -11% 334,149 303,319 10%
Caravan 12,522 12,344 -3% 185,047 192,632 -4%
Durango 7,225 8,685 -20% 85,308 83,657 2%
Ram Van/Wagon 1,014 2,747 -65% 18,383 31,107 -41%
Sprinter Van 275 0 0% 1,006 0 0%
DODGE TRUCK 60,990 68,833 -15% 710,624 716,758 -1%
DODGE DIVISION 83,918 95,583 -16% 953,912 995,990 -4%
TOTAL CAR 32,612 39,984 -22% 367,074 427,110 -14%
TOTAL TRUCK 114,502 125,413 -13% 1,254,072 1,296,749 -3%
TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 147,114 165,397 -15% 1,621,146 1,723,859 -6%
Total Minivan 20,707 21,857 -9% 296,232 324,140 -9%
Total Sport Utility 38,658 45,328 -18% 400,285 420,286 -5%
Selling Days 24 23 229 229
Thanks again to Bill Cawthon for sending over Chrysler's figures. The opinions stated are not his.
Ford to build new cars in Mexico
Patriotic Americans demanding a "true American car" will be faced with one more dilemma shortly, with Chrysler owned mainly by Germans (and run accordingly), and all of the former Big Three using more Asian technology and components. Soon, Ford will be replacing the Taurus with two lines of mid-sized cars, one of which - the Ford Futura - will be built in Hermosillo, a town in northern Mexico.
While Chrysler builds Hemi engines and PT Cruisers in Mexico, it had in the mid-1990s sought to locate new manufacturing in the United States and Canada, near or in existing plants, and had been phasing out the use of Mitsubishi engines and platforms. However, under German leadership, Chrysler's new cars are all combinations of Japanese, German, and American engineering and components. The reverse side of this is the use of American engineering and components in German and Japanese models such as a Mitsubishi version of the Dakota, and Mercedes versions of the Grand Cherokee and, reportedly, the LX car. Likewise, Ford has used its ownership of offshore companies to spread the use of American components and designs. To a lesser degree, General Motors has done the same.
Both General Motors and Chrysler are building their mid-sized cars in the United States.
California to stop setting anti-pollution trends
Front-runner Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is leading in the polls presumably due to intensive media coverage rather than his abuse of women (continuing into 2000), and admiration of Hitler's rags-to-riches story, has said that he would end the California Air Resources Board (CARB), formed and empowered due to the air inversions over parts of California which keep smog in place, resulting in actual death and health problems. However, CARB has angered automakers with demands for no-emission vehicles, and has angered hot rodder, muscle car enthusiasts, and some vintage car owners with other rules and limitations.
Detroit News notes that CARB "imposed limits on auto exhaust before the US EPA was even established...has been at the forefront of every major advance in emissions technology...beginning with the catalytic converter in the 1960s." Several states use CARB standards.
Schwarzenegger owns several Hummers, averaging less than 10 mpg. Schwarzenegger promised to convert one of the vehicles to run on hydrogen. He also pledged to cut air pollution in half and uphold the state's greenhouse gas law, but also to abolish the California Environmental Protection Agency and CARB, making those promises seem unlikely to be carried out.
Chrysler cutting jobs yet again
As Daimler continues its "grow the tree by cutting the roots" program, Stuttgart is considering cutting 4,500 jobs after losing $1.1 billion in the second quarter (making Chrysler's losses since the takeover almost equal to its cash reserves at the time). Jobs cut would be factory electricians, toolmakers, and machine-repair specialists. These positions would presumably be outsourced.
It is worth noting that insiders have said that Chrysler funds are still being siphoned off to Mercedes via creative accounting, such as royalties on parts or designs, and consulting fees during joint operations.
New Mercedes: informal poll says chicken, not Studebaker
As Chrysler designs large cars and minivans designed to look like SUVs, small SUVs designed to look like hot rods, and Neons designed to look like Subarus, it is interesting to see what is being developed across the pond. Tell us (via the feedback function of this news column) whether YOU think the Mercedes pictured here is designed to look like a giant chicken or the car Studebaker would have made if they had a bad day.
Racing roundup
Mohler wins at Englishtown, sets All Motor E.T. and speed records
Scott Mohler blasted to his second victory of the season, Sunday, at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.
Mohler shattered the national All Motor division elapsed-time and speed records in the process, as a result of his 10.056-second pass at 135.10 mph. He backed up the monumental run in the final round when he turned in a timeslip of 10.071 at 135.89 mph while racing against Leslie Durst.
Team Mopar now holds NHRA records in two of the three Sport Compact divisions in which they have entries. Shaun Carlson set the Pro FWD class record in May with a 8.228-second pass at 181.70 mph.
Mohler drives 1998 Dodge Neon powered by a 310 horsepower, naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter Mopar engine. He manually shifts the 5-speed transmission from a stock 2002 Dodge Neon R/T.
With the win, Mohler took the lead in the All Motor point standings. He received an extra 20 points for setting the class E.T. record. With one event remaining, it is unclear how far ahead Mohler is, however, because the NHRA allows competitors to throw out their two worst performances.
Mohler won last season at Englishtown, and was runner-up at the track in early May of this season.
Mohler's Mopar teammates Mike Crawford and Shaun Carlson were not as impressive at Englishtown, scoring only one round victory, courtesy Crawford's 8.67-second pass victory against Angela Proudfoot.
The NHRA Sport Compact season finale is scheduled for Oct. 25-26 at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway. Mohler looks to defend his point lead for the championship, while Crawford can achieve his own championship if he excels at Pomona and works his way out of second place.
Yeley picks up victory number 23, has Sprint championship wrapped up
The J.J. Yeley train rolled on at the Terre Haute Action Track Saturday, as Yeley scored his 23rd USAC win of the season. Yeley lead the last 27 of 30 laps in the "Fall Harvest Classic" to take the win in his No. 20 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises Mopar.
Yeley crossed the finish line nearly three seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tracy Hines, who used his own Mopar power to earn the top qualifier award. Hines' Hoffman Auto Racing USAC Sprint team recently announced their switch to Mopar for next season.
Yeley wasn't the only Team Mopar driver to have an outstanding weekend, as Cory Kruseman and Jay Drake also picked up strong finishes on the flat half-mile track. Kruseman started on the front row and was the only driver other than Yeley to lead a lap before finishing a strong eighth. Drake took the checkered flag in sixth position for his 27th top-10 finish of the season in the Sprint series.
Two hours of Terre Haute footage will be televised at 10 p.m. on Oct. 30 on Speed Channel. All times are Eastern.
The chilly yet thrilling Mopar Twin 25's at Indianapolis will be telecast at 10 p.m., this Saturday on Speed Channel.
Dave Steele also scored a victory for Team Mopar over the weekend, thanks to his victory at Irwindale Speedway, Saturday, in the USAC Western Midget Series. It was the fifth win in the last six races for Dino Tomassi Racing.
The USAC National Sprint Car series invades NASCAR country for its finale this week, at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Wednesday, in the "Charlotte Dirt Doubleheader Nationals."
The USAC Silver Crown Series will conclude its season this Saturday at the New York State Fairgrounds, with the running of the "Ferris Salt City 100." J.J. Yeley has clinched the USAC Sprint championship and will be crowned at Lowe's Motor Speedway this Wednesday.
Yeley's victory Saturday was his 13th win of the season in USAC Sprint competition, leaving him in contention to tie the record set by racing legend Tom Bigelow, who set the mark of 14 sprint series wins in a season.
At South Boston, Ted Musgrave picked up 42 points on the series leader Brendan Gaughan, and is now only 58 markers behind with four events remaining.
Musgrave pulls much closer in points
Ted Musgrave drove his No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram to a solid third-place finish on the short track at Big Daddy's South Boston (Va.) Speedway, Saturday.
Musgrave persevered after wrecking his truck in practice qualifying it into the third spot after his Ultra Motorsports team thrashed to rebuild it. His qualifying laps marked the first that Musgrave had driven the fixed machine.
Texas Motor Speedway is next up on the NCTS schedule this Saturday. Check out the action live on Speed Channel beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Morgan returns to semifinals
Larry Morgan drove his Mopar Dodge Stratus to its second straight semifinal appearance Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. Morgan also turned in his best qualifying effort of the season thanks to his clutch 6.758-second pass in the final qualifying round.
In the semifinals, Morgan red-lighted against eventual race victor, Warren Johnson.
"I knew I had to have a good light on Warren," said Morgan. "He had lane choice and had run a little better in previous rounds."
All four Team Mopar vehicles qualified for final eliminations for the second week in a row. Darrell Alderman picked up one round win for Mopar, but Allen Johnson and Gene Wilson were edged out in the first round by their competitors.
Television coverage from Maple Grove will air from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday (Oct. 12) on ESPN2.
The next event on the NHRA schedule this weekend will be the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas. Qualifying will air on ESPN Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eliminations will be televised from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on ESPN2 and replayed Oct. 15 from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. All times are Eastern.
Francis qualifies for a pole
Steve Francis drove his No. m15 Mopar Dodge Intrepid to the pole position in the fifth heat among 66 entries Friday at the West Virginia Motor Speedway in Parkersburg. The $25,000-to-win event had to be postponed due to rain.
Francis is fifth in XDCS points, courtesy of his two victories and 24 top-10 finishes.
The 14th annual Xtreme Shootout concludes the XDCS season this Friday and Saturday, culminating with a $55,000-to-win A-feature. The race will be held at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga.
Lasoski grabs two more quick times, still in tight point race
Team Mopar's Danny Lasoski turned in two quick time awards over the weekend, as the World of Outlaws series made appearances at three racetracks in four days. His Paul Kistler Mopar engine has now earned him 27 quick times on the season.
Lasoski and the No. 20 Tony Stewart Motorsports team set the pace at the Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., both nights of the Williams Grove National Open event. "The Dude" clicked off a time of 16.729-seconds during the preliminary event on Friday at the historical half-mile track, while blazing the competition Saturday night with a lap of 16.450 seconds.
Lasoski took three top-10 finishes over the weekend, with a fifth at the Port Royal Speedway last Thursday, a third place podium finish in the Williams Grove National Open Saturday, and a sixth place finish in Sunday's event at the Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway.
Lasoski and the World of Outlaws Series move to the country's heartland this week, competing at the Texas Motor Speedway Friday and Saturday.
LX information
Chrysler is showing the LX cars at a number of events, with dealer staff and journalists invited to look at and hear about the cars. Of interest, a retuned version of the 200 horsepower 2.7 liter V6, producing the same power but with more torque at lower speeds, will be used as the base engine on both vehicles, with a 3.5 liter V6 optional, and the Hemi V8 at the top. All will get the Mercedes five-speed automatic. Gas mileage is said to be "surprisingly good," despite the 4,000 pound weight of the cars. At five meters long, the 300C is the same length as the 300M, but it has more interior space, and the wheels (18") have been pushed further out towards the ends.
The interiors of the LX cars are fairly similar, but the instrument panels are very different, with the Magnum having very deep, circular gauge pods, and the 300C carrying the 300M's panel over with small changes - no woodgrain, but shinier gauges with a silver background instead of white.
We will be updating our LX pages shortly with more details and photos from these events.
The Durango and Crossfire were also shown. The Durango has been given a current-generation Ram front end appearance, with the rear getting the Liberty's tail-lights for a more interesting, less boxy overall look than the original (or competing Chevrolet and Ford models).
New Pacifica available in Canada
Chrysler Canada has announced the introduction of the "M" Package on the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica with the front-wheel drive version selling for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $39,900 (Canadian - that's under $30,000 US).
The new Pacifica models come without heated leather seats, power lift-gate, and six-disc CD/DVD changer as standard equipment, and without heated leather seats as an option. The all wheel drive version is $42,500 (Canadian). The savings for this package is about $3,500 (Canadian).
In any version, the Pacifica remains a six-passenger four-door vehicle that blends the attributes of a sports sedan, a minivan and a sport-utility vehicle. It features the same 250-horsepower 3.5-litre V6 engine and AutoStick automatic transmission. The tall wagon-like body and fold-flat second- and third-row seats provide the utility of minivan. The three rows of seats and available all-wheel drive provide the seating/cargo flexibility and traction of a sport-utility vehicle (SUV).
The Chrysler Pacifica debuted earlier this year as an early 2004 model. Canadian-specification M package vehicles will be produced beginning later this month and are available immediately for ordering at any one of over 500 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge retailers across Canada.
The Pacifica is built exclusively at Chrysler Canada's Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, the original home of the minivan.
Chrysler triples SRT-4 production
The Dodge SRT-4, a turbocharged, hot-rodded version of the Neon, was originally projected at 3,000 units per year. According to a Chrysler marketing executive, the SRT-4 is now up to 9,000 units per year. We at Allpar believe that the SRT-4 is the main reason why the Neon has not lost ground (indeed, the month the SRT-4 came out, Neon sales actually rose), 2003 to 2002: its cachet have caused people to look at the Neon in a new light, and possibly to realize that the Neon beats all other cars in its class in performance.
Racing roundup
Mopar finishes up championship Sprint season 1 and 2
J.J. Yeley was awarded the 2003 USAC Sprint car championship last Thursday, thanks to the crushing Mopar power he enjoyed all season in his No. 20 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises (TSRE) Mopar vehicle.
In the season finale at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Yeley won his 10-lap heat race and cruised to a third-place finish in the feature event.
Yeley finished the Sprint season with 13 victories, nine poles, 31 top-fives and 32 top-10s in 37 events driving the No. 20 Mopar. Yeley ended up 352 points ahead of his closest challenger in the points, Jay Drake.
Drake, like Yeley, also drove a car powered by an 800+ horsepower, Stanton-built, 410-cubic-inch Mopar engine. Drake notched three wins and five poles on the season, and he became the fastest sprint car driver on earth when he orbited Pikes Peak International Raceway at 144.95 mph in July. Drake finished 12th in the season finale.
Cory Kruseman, Yeley's TSRE teammate, won a 12-lap heat semifeature Wednesday in his No. 21 car. Kruseman finished 2003 - his first full season in the USAC National series - in a respectable sixth position in points.
The Sprint series finale from Lowe's will be shown on Speed Channel Nov. 13 starting at 10 p.m.
The USAC National Midget series season picks up Saturday at Big Daddy's South Boston (Va.) Speedway. The Midget season continues through late November.
J.J. Yeley commented earlier this season about the success of his Mopar USAC Sprint car team: "We’re running pretty much the same kind of equipment, as far as cars and parts, as we did last year. The biggest difference is the Mopar engines. They’ve been giving us great power, but they’re smooth enough that we can keep the tires in traction on the racetrack."
Mopar NOPI Drag Race Wars to take center stage in SoCal
The Mopar NOPI Race Wars will feature drag racing at California Speedway in Fontana, as well as numerous other exciting events like a foam pit, glow offs, a gigantic tuner car show, and a swimsuit competition.
Team Mopar drivers Scott Mohler, Mike Crawford and Shaun Carlson will compete in the front-wheel-drive drag racing action. All three vehicles' engines are built by Darrell Cox, who also owns the Mohler and Crawford entries.
Mohler is fresh off an NHRA record-setting weekend where he won the All Motor division at Englishtown, N.J. Carlson is the owner of the NHRA record in his class (Pro FWD), an 8.228 at 181.70 mph pass, the fastest official front-wheel-drive 1/4-mile run on record.
The Mopar NOPI Race Wars should provide Team Mopar an excellent opportunity to test their vehicles, since they will not run the event for points. The team has concentrated on the NHRA Sport Compact division due to time and travel conflicts.
The NHRA Sport Compact season finale is scheduled for Oct. 25-26 at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway. Mohler looks to defend his point lead for the championship, while Crawford can achieve his own championship, if he excels at Pomona and works his way out of second place.
Lasoski remains in championship race
Danny Lasoski picked up a heat race win over the weekend in the "Cheaper Than Dirt Shootout" at the Texas Motor Speedway. The World of Outlaws star and his No. 20 J.D. Byrider/Mopar team finished in 14th position in Friday night's preliminary event, due to mechanical trouble brought on by an on-track collision.
Saturday night's finale saw "The Dude" win the first heat race and drive his Mopar-powered Tony Stewart Motorsports machine to an 11th-place finish.
The World of Outlaws Series moves to the Delta Bowl Speedway in Tunica, Miss., this week on October 17-18.
Danny Lasoski is just 134 points out of first place with six events remaining in the WoO season.
Musgrave stays in tight points fight, Hines impressive in second race
Ted Musgrave drove his No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram to a third-place finish Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway to maintain his strong placement in the NCTS point standings.
Musgrave is third in points with three events remaining on the season. He is only 73 points behind leader Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan, also a Dodge driver, won the Texas race, his series record fourth in a row at the 1.5-mile track.
Tracy Hines traded his Mopar-sponsored No. 37 USAC Silver Crown car for the keys to the No. 27 Dodge Motorsports truck in Musgrave's Ultra Motorsports stable. Hines finished an impressive 11th, after qualifying fourth in his second ever NCTS start.
"We are happy," Hines said. "We are not expected to be a Top-10 Qualifier right now. We were decent on our last qualifying run. I knew the driver had to pick it up because the team had the truck under me all the time."
Ultra Motorsports also enjoyed earning the pole position on Friday, thanks to Andy Houston's skill at piloting the No. 2 Dodge Ram.
The half-mile of Martinsville Speedway is next up on the NCTS schedule this Saturday. Check out the action live on Speed Channel beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Johnson makes semis, LMR wins rounds
Allen Johnson led Team Mopar at the Texas Motorplex, near Dallas, over the weekend.
Johnson drove his Mopar Dodge Stratus through two rounds of eliminations, defeating Bruce Allen and Kurt Johnson, before falling to event winner Greg Anderson, who clinched his 2003 Pro Stock championship at Texas. Johnson's best run of the event was a 6.845-second pass at 201.97 mph.
With two events remaining, Johnson holds the seventh position in the point standings. He is only six points out of fifth place, however, so his Johnson & Johnson race team can gain a lot with good performances to close out the season.
Team Mopar notched two other elimination round victories behind the power of the two entries from Larry Morgan Racing. Gene Wilson rung up a perfect light (0.000-second reaction time) in his first round match with legend Warren Johnson, and Wilson hung on to win by four feet.
Wilson's boss, Larry Morgan, clicked off an awesome .004-second reaction time in his first round match to assist him to a victory over Taylor Lastor.
Team Mopar will gamble at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 24-26.
Mopar Million Sprint on TV Thursday
Two hours of coverage from the historic Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora will be televised on Speed Channel this Thursday, Oct. 16, beginning at 10 p.m.
Held Sept. 19 and 20, this one-time event featured a record total purse of $1 million.
No ground gained in Silver Crown finale
Team Mopar had something of a moody weekend in the "Ferris Salt City 100" at the New York State Fairgrounds. "The Moody Mile," as the facility has been nicknamed over the years due to its constantly changing track conditions, claimed Team Mopar's Jay Drake's machine in a practice accident on Friday of the two-day event. With Tracy Hines competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at the Texas Motor Speedway, Team Mopar was left without a starting position for the event.
Nonetheless, Hines finished the Silver Crown season third in points, while Drake ended with a solid sixth in the standings. J.J. Yeley, who drives the No. 20 Mopar sprint car for Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises, won the Syracuse finale to clinch the season title.
Though there wasn't a Team Mopar member competing on the track, Mopar had plenty of representation in the event. The Mopar Speedshop was on hand for the duration of Super DIRT Week, and Mopar executive Scott Barone hosted a hospitality event for upstate New York DaimlerChrylser dealers. Barone's tent was definitely the place to be, with an outstanding menu, a party atmosphere and music filling the air.
USAC drove a Dodge SRT-4 as the pace car, while Barone participated in pre-race activities and rode along in the pace car for the start of the race.
The USAC National Midget series season picks up Saturday at Big Daddy's South Boston (Va.) Speedway. The Midget season continues through late November.
Tracy Hines finishes the 2003 USAC Silver Crown season a solid third in the point standings. His Team Mopar counterpart, Jay Drake, ends 2003 sixth in Silver Crown division points.
On the west coast, Josh Wise picked up a pole position for Team Mopar behind the power of his Dino Tomassi Mopar at Kings Speedway in USAC Western Midget competition, Saturday.
Steve Francis finished the season in fifth place in the XDCS standings.
Francis has picked up six wins this season in dirt late-model competition.
Francis earns pole, finishes season fifth
Steve Francis started the 14th annual Xtreme Shootout from the pole position in his No. m15 Mopar Dodge Intrepid Saturday, at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga.
Francis earned the pole by winning his 15-lap heat race Friday, and coming back with another victory in the six-lap Action Performance Dash.
Francis ran in the top-three for much of the race before being tapped into a spin on Lap 67 of 100. Francis finished the race several laps down in 20th-position.
Francis finishes the 2003 season in fifth place in the XDCS standings. He picked up 4932 points in 35 races, courtesy two victories, 13 top-fives and 24 top-10s. He earned over $133,000 for his efforts in the series this season.
Mopar up for titles at SCCA finals; 200 mph mark in danger at Bonneville
Two Team Mopar drivers are within one point of being tied for the lead in overall 2WD competition in SCCA Pro Rally competition. The season finale is set to go this Friday and Saturday in Houghton, Mich., in a rally entitled "Lake Superior."
Chris Whiteman, who drives a Dodge Neon SXT in Group 2, leads SCCA Grandmaster Doug Shepherd, driver of a Dodge SRT-4 in Group 5, by a single point: 81 to 80.
Pete Gladysz, the regular co-driver for Shepherd, is in a championship hunt of his own. His 80 championship points ties him for the lead for the Whitaker Cup co-driver title.
Also ahead this week, RaceDeck Racing will again hit the Salt Flats at Bonneville in an attempt to continue rewriting the record books in F Class (2.01-3.00 liters displacement) land speed competition. RaceDeck campaigns a '32 roadster that is powered by a Darrell Cox Mopar A855 engine, the same powerplant as the Dodge SRT-4.
In August, RaceDeck smashed two existing records by over 40 mph. In September they reset their own records and came oh-so-close to breaking the 200 mph barrier (199.478 mph), which has never been done in a four-cylinder roadster.
LX News Update
We've updated our LX page again with details on production dates and, of all things, front license plates. The LX series will include the Magnum and 300, with other vehicles projected to come off the same platform. It will be the first Chrysler vehicle redesigned to work around a substantial number of Mercedes components, as well as the first major departure from the "aero-style" cab-forward designs begun with the LH in 1993 and the first rear-drive car produced by Chrysler since 1989.
Dodge, Jeep to unveil new ad campaigns
The Jeep Trail Rated ad campaign mentioned earlier and the 2004 Dodge Durango ads will be previewed for reporters on October 22.
Chrysler Group will be replacing all TV ads and quite possibly all print ads across the line, thanks to a new marketing chief from Mercedes USA and the consultation of on-line columnist Peter DeLorenzo. The new ads, some of which have been briefly aired possibly as part of a test campaign, have moved far away from the "please, please, buy our cars, here's some money back" ads which we believe have done more to destroy Chrysler's reputation than to sell cars. One, for example, cleverly extolls the virtues of the Dodge Caravan over SUVs and cars. Focusing on product advantages is a new trend in Chrysler advertising for the 21st century.
Dawes to end production of turbo air-fuel meters
Dawes Devices is ending production of its air-fuel meters specifically designed for turbo Dodge and Chrysler cars. These meters are particularly useful for those who have used inexpensive means to greatly increase boost, one of the primary ways to get the old turbocharged minivans to a 13 or 14 second quarter mile. Those interested in boosting the performance of a 2.2 or 2.5 liter Dodge, Plymouth, or Chrysler turbo car may wish to order a Dawes gauge before production ends on October 20.
Pillette Road plant to be torn down?
Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario plant on Pillette Road will reportedly be torn down despite the recent addition of a new paint shop, according to Allpar sources. It is believed the plant will be replaced by a state of the art flexible production facility.
In more sobering news, we have heard that the automatically shifted manual transmission developed by Chrysler engineers may be entirely jettisoned, despite its clear advantages over competing systems - including an instant-start feature (no rolling downhill, and faster takeoffs), dual clutches for extra smooth shifts especially between first and second gear, and the ability to easily override the system for "manual" shifting. The replacement would be a version of a DaimlerChrysler AG system already in use on Freightliner trucks. This system was reportedly to replace the four-speed automatic in truck use. Either system would clearly be an improvement, with little loss of power compared with the current 17-20% losses (the old TorqueFlite had roughly-7% losses).
Weekend race roundup
DaimlerChrysler employees take SCCA 2WD championships
Doug Shepherd, piloting a 2004 Dodge SRT-4, won the final competition of the SCCA ProRally season near Houghton, Mich., bringing in his third driving championship as the overall 2WD champion. He was also champion of the Group 5 division, winning the final six events of the season in Group 5.
This is Shepherd's third driving SCCA championship. His previous two driving championships were earned back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. Shepherd, an SCCA Grand Master, is also fifth in career points in the 30-year history of SCCA Pro Rally racing.
"We pulled it out this year," Shepherd said. "Group 5 looked abysmal at the beginning of the year, but a bit of determination and some luck got us some wins and those put us where we needed to be."
Also in Group 5, Josh Jacquot and co-driver Dave Coleman, editors of Sport Compact Car magazine, took second place in their SRT-4.
Pete Gladysz earned his first career Grant Whitaker Cup as overall 2WD co-driving champion. He navigated for Shepherd for most of the season, but also earned another Group 5 victory with Don Jankowski in the first event of the season, for a total of five wins.
Gladysz said: "We're really the only American car on the ProRally circuit, period. Everyone comes out and sees us as the All-American team, and they've really cheered us on."
Chris Whiteman drove his 2003 Dodge Neon SXT to his first SCCA championship, thanks to his victory at "Lake Superior" in Group 2. Whiteman notched three victories in Group 2 competition.
Michael Paulin, Whiteman's regular co-driver, easily won the Group 2 co-driving championship.
Shepherd and Gladysz are DaimlerChrysler employees with Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO). Whiteman is an engineer at DaimlerChrysler.
Mopar NOPI Race Wars in L.A.
Mike Crawford took No. 1 qualifier position in the Pro 4 Cylinder division at the wheel of a Dodge SRT-4, qualifying at 8.990 seconds at 161.48 mph, and making it through the first round of eliminations but falling in the second.
Scott Mohler’s Dodge Neon suffered a battery cutoff switch failure, but not before he was able to make it through the final round of competition in the Pro Stock class.
At the final NHRA Sport Compact event this coming weekend at Pomona, Mohler will defend his thin six-point lead to sew up the championship. Crawford, 114 points out of first place, will have his work cut out in the Hot Rod division.
ESPN will air footage of Mohler’s win at Englishtown this Sunday from 5:00 to 5:30 a.m. EST.
Musgrave gains on point leader
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, Ted Musgrave, third place in the series, finished 10th at the Martinsville Speedway, placing him at 69 points behind Ram driver Brendan Gaughan and 24 points behind out of second, with two races left in the season.
The next NCTS event is on October 31 at Phoenix International Raceway, to be carried live on Speed Channel beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST.
Lasoski sets track record at Delta Bowl
Danny Lasoski set the track record at Delta Bowl Speedway Friday, behind the brute power of his Kistler-built Mopar engine, rounding the high-banked, 1/3-mile oval in 11.622 seconds at an average speed of 103.252 mph.
Lasoski and his No. 20 Tony Stewart Motorsports team finished the preliminary second and went on to finish fifth in the A Feature Saturday evening. Lasoski still has a solid hold on second place in the World of Outlaws point standings, and he continues to chase Steve Kinser for the championship.
The World of Outlaws is in Texas next weekend, at Lone State Speedway on Friday and at Houston Raceway Park on Saturday.
Drake third at South Boston
Jay Drake, third in series points, drove his No. 71 Stewart/Kunz Mopar midget to a third-place finish in the USAC National Midget series event Saturday at Big Daddy's South Boston (Va.) Speedway.
Tracy Hines, second in points, won his heat race earlier in the day before experiencing trouble in the main feature on the 4/10-mile bullring.
Tucson Raceway Park will host the next Midget event on Nov. 22.
Chrysler profits, DCX does not
Using DCX's possibly misleading accounting systems, Chrysler Group posted an operational profit of $170 million, but losses on Airbus holdings led DaimlerChrysler AG to post a loss of $1.9 billion. This may be the reason why there is yet another cost-cutting push within Chrysler (apparently and unsurprisingly not Mercedes), with a $1 billion target, despite the imminent launch of nine vehicles in 2004 and a substantial number in 2005 and 2006. To be introduced in 2004 are the Chrysler 300C / Dodge Magnum, moderately revised minivans, the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Ram SRT-10 (finally), redesigned or face-lifted Jeep Wrangler, and redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee (the basis of the new M-Class). Coming in 2005 - not announced but based on our beliefs - are a raft of vehicles based on a new small car platform jointly created by Chrysler and Mitsubishi, the Wagoneer version of the Grand Cherokee, yet more LX models, and possibly re-redesigned minivans.
Gas mileage standards to stay where they are
After a massive lobbying effort by automakers, Congress appears to have chosen to leave gas mileage standards where they are, making no effort to reduce fuel consumption even as drilling in what will have been the Alaskan wildlife refuge (an effort which will bring a great deal of profit to oil companies, possibly at taxpayer expense, without fulfilling more than a tiny fraction of demand) draws closer. The sole increase in fuel mileage on the horizon is NHTSA's current rule change, requiring light trucks to rise to 22.2 mpg from their current 20.7 mpg. This is a somewhat deceptive change, since many new vehicles are exempt from the rule - those with the ability to run on ethanol, and, more significantly, large SUVs and heavy duty pickups over the current weight threshold. Political contributions have scuttled efforts by Republicans and Democrats alike to eliminate the loopholes, raise the standards, and/or remove the car/truck differentiation which has pushed automakers to change designs so cars could be sold as SUVs (Chevy SSR, PT Cruiser, etc.).
Ted Musgrave sets track record at 129 mph
Ted Musgrave set the track record in qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway yesterday evening when he circuited the one-mile oval at 129.427 mph on his way to his fourth pole position of the season. This preliminarily puts him in prime position to pick up some critical points tomorrow afternoon in the thrilling NCTS championship race.
Musgrave is currently 69 points behind leader Brendan Gaughan and his No. 62 Dodge Ram team. Four drivers are within 72 points of the lead, with tomorrow's race at Phoenix and the Nov. 14 season finale remaining on the schedule.
Cheer on the No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram of Ted Musgrave on Halloween Friday by watching live race coverage on Speed Channel beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
2004 Durango specs released; production starts
Production of the 2004 Dodge Durango has begun, and Chrysler has released more specifications, including towing capacities and gas mileage (depending on the engine, around 14 city, 18 highway). See our report for details.
Dodge wins informal truck challenge against Ford
A local Ford dealer thought they would show off the new F150 by challenging Chevy and Dodge to a pull challenge. The only one who came to meet the challenge was the Dodge dealer.
Ford backed up their 2004 F150 Triton V8 to the 2004 Dodge 1/2 ton Quad 4x4 Hemi for the first pull. The first pull was done in four wheel drive, high gear. A dead heat, neither truck gave in.
The second pull was in two wheel drive... lots of rubber and smoke... the Dodge dragged the Ford across their lot.
The Ford dealer thought the Dodge had a slight downhill advantage, so they tried again changing vehicle directions. The Dodge pulled them a second time!
Lots of surprised Ford customers on the lot that day...
Sales figures show Chrysler up 11%
Even as GM fell 7% October 2003 to October 2002, Chrysler sales rose 11%, with all three brands showing a rise in sales. Big gainers were the Wranlger, up 60%, the Viper, up 135%, the Ram, up 46%, and the Pacifica, which did not exist last year but sold 7,703 units in October. Grand Cherokee rose 8% while Liberty stayed even. The Dakota went up 19%, possibly on the heels of the Ram.
Losers abounded, including the 300M (down 37%) and Concorde (down 19%); the PT Cruiser, down 32%; the Intrepid, down 58%; and the Durango, down 36%.
Looking at year-to-date, the figures are much more bleak. The LH series, in its last year, received no real marketing except for NASCAR racing, where they are called Dodges and not Intrepids. 300M was down 21%, Intrepid 27% (year to date). The Sebring and Stratus were both down, 18% and 8% respectively. The Prowler with 511 units last year was replaced by the Crossfire, with 587 so far this year, but made in Germany from a modified Mercedes design. The PT is down 25% but still far higher in production than original estimates, which it's still beating. Voyager is down to half its 2002 sales. Wrangler, despite this month's surge, is up only 6% this year, which is offset by the Liberty's 4% shortfall. The Grand Cherokee is down 8% for the year. The popular Neon, which still has strong competitive advantages over many other small cars - not least of which is its "out of the box" performance - is down 6% as Chrysler has done no advertising to resurrect its reputation or point out its racing successes. The Dakota remains down 13% year to date, the Caravan 4%.
The Durango is holding stead, at least, and the Pacifica has sold 41,055 units since its launch, which may make up for the loss of Voyager and Town & Country sales - depending on its development costs.
Based on GM and Chrysler figures, it seems that the Ford F-150 is hurting GM more than Chrysler, with GM sales of the Silverado pickup down 6%, or 3,500 units. GM sold 51,624 of the full-size pickups in October 2003, while Dodge sold 41,162 Rams in the same month. (Year to date, GM has much more of a sales lead, at 568,540 to 375,311).
The Pacifica is at least out-selling the Buick Rendezvous, which is being actively advertised.
At 166,262 units sold in October 2003, Chrysler seems to be safely in the #3 position for now. By comparison, incidentally, Chrysler Group sold 1,787,408 vehicles so far in 2003, while Chevrolet alone sold 2,207,250, GMC sold 472,810 trucks, and Pontiac sold 389,800 (GM as a whole came in at just a shade under four million vehicles).
Chrysler Sales Summary Thru October 2003Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR % Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Sebring 7,001 6,296 11% 83,062 101,518 -18% Concorde 1,593 1,957 -19% 26,150 26,838 -3% 300M 1,570 2,480 -37% 22,056 27,906 -21% LHS 0 0 0% 0 552 -100% Prowler 0 58 -100% 511 1,250 -59% Crossfire 587 0 2,758 0 CHRYSLER CAR 10,751 10,791 0% 134,537 158,064 -15% PT Cruiser 6,511 9,537 -32% 90,445 121,391 -25% Pacifica 7,703 0 0% 41,055 0 0% Voyager 1,979 1,958 1% 15,831 33,629 -53% Town & Country 7,866 7,772 1% 105,199 107,609 -2% CHRYSLER TRUCK 24,059 19,267 25% 252,530 262,629 -4% CHRYSLER BRAND 34,810 30,058 16% 387,067 420,693 -8% Wrangler 6,485 4,052 60% 58,163 54,984 6% Liberty 14,815 14,792 0% 133,364 139,314 -4% Grand Cherokee 18,968 17,626 8% 163,718 178,801 -8% JEEP BRAND 40,268 36,470 10% 355,245 373,099 -5% CP CAR 10,751 10,791 0% 134,537 158,669 -15% CPJ TRUCK 64,327 55,737 15% 607,775 635,728 -4% CPJ DIVISION 75,078 66,528 13% 742,312 794,397 -7% Neon 8,921 9,173 -3% 103,132 109,388 -6% Stratus 7,203 7,221 0% 85,982 93,938 -8% Intrepid 2,315 5,568 -58% 70,872 96,533 -27% Viper 127 54 135% 1,868 1,389 34% DODGE CAR 18,566 22,016 -16% 261,854 301,248 -13% Dakota 9,542 8,043 19% 96,273 114,086 -16% Ram P/U 41,162 28,218 46% 375,311 331,537 13% Caravan 15,399 15,155 2% 200,446 207,787 -4% Durango 5,271 8,218 -36% 90,579 91,875 -1% Ram Van/Wagon 923 2,076 -56% 19,306 33,183 -42% Sprinter Van 321 0 0% 1,327 0 0% DODGE TRUCK 72,618 61,710 18% 783,242 778,468 1% DODGE DIVISION 91,184 83,726 9% 1,045,096 1,079,716 -3% TOTAL CAR 29,317 32,807 -11% 396,391 459,917 -14% TOTAL TRUCK 136,945 117,447 17% 1,391,017 1,414,196 -2% TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 166,262 150,254 11% 1,787,408 1,874,113 -5% Total Minivan 25,244 24,885 1% 321,476 349,025 -8% Total Sport Utility 45,539 44,688 2% 445,824 464,974 -4%
Dodge Charger rumors
Rumors are flying on the Dodge Charger, which according to latest reports from the forums and elsewhere will have "suicide" doors a la Saturn Ion and Mazda RX-8 to provide the function of a four-door and the appearance of a two-door. The Charger will reportedly be available with a variety of engines, with the handling and acceleration of a Corvette in SRT-8 trim, thanks to a shortened wheelbase and weight reductions. The styling will most likely make few concessions to the past.
Chrysler 300 ads appear
Chrysler is advertising the 300 Hemi on various portal sites, noting 340 horsepower - a number which may indicate that the engine is being detuned to prevent damage to the transmission or other components, since it has 345 horsepower in Ram trucks, and normally engines are tuned to have greater horsepower (and less torque) in cars.
Michigan releases squad car test report
The Michigan State Police have released their annual squad car test report, an industry standard for determining the performance and feasibility of different squad cars. Four were tested this year: the Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Intrepid (no longer in production!), and Ford Police Interceptors (Crown Victorias) with two different axle ratios, 3.27:1 and 3.55:1. The Dodge had the smallest engine at 3.5 liters; the Chevy had 3.8 liters, the Ford a 4.6 liter V8. Four special service vehicles were also tested, the Ford Explorer and Expedition, and Chevrolet Tahoes with 5.3 liter engines and two and four wheel drive. This is the first year in some time that neither Dodge nor Jeep had a special service vehicle, possibly because both the Durango and Grand Cherokee are being replaced.
Once again, the Chrysler proving grounds were used. This year, the term "DaimlerChrysler" was removed from its place in the past before "Dodge" (as in "DaimlerChrysler Dodge Intrepid). The cars were driven multiple times by four different drivers. Ford removed underbody air deflectors, saying they were not on the 2004 models.
The overall performance of the two Fords and the Dodge were within a hair of each other, with the Impala lagging slightly - the Dodge and the two Fords did the course in 1 minute, 42 seconds, while the Chevrolet took one minute, 45 seconds. The Dodge actually beat the V8 Ford with the 3.27 ratio, and was only four hundredths of a second behind the 3.55:1 V8 Ford.
The Fords had the best acceleration across the board, with the Dodge only a little behind, and the Chevrolet lagging more. 0-60 times were 8.25 and 8.44 seconds for the two Fords, 8.56 for the Dodge, and 9 for the Dodge. 0-100 times were 22.5 and 23.3 seconds for the Fords, 23.6 for the Dodge, and 26.4 for the Chevy. Quarter mile times were, respectively, 16.3, 16.4, 16.6, and 16.9 seconds, fairly close together, with the Dodge and Fords having nearly identical speeds (86-87 mph) and the Chevy not far behind (84 mph). The top speed of the Dodge was highest at 135 mph, trailed by the 3.27:1 Ford (128), the Chevy (123), and the 3.55:1 Ford. All had electronically limited top speeds.
One of the most important facets of police car performance is probably stopping power. The Impala did best here, in 134 feet, while the Dodge took second place at 137 feet. Neither showed evidence of severe fading, and there were no repeats of the embarassing brake overheats of the first Intrepid squads. The Fords both stopped in similar but excessive times - 150 feet, fully 26 feet more than the Impala.
This year, surprisingly, the Impala took the prize for ergonomics and communications, with a score of 207. The Fords took second at 199.5, the Dodge close behind at 197.
Gas mileage for the Chevy and Dodge were similar at 23 and 22 mpg (respectively), while the Fords trailed considerably at 18 mpg. Oddly, both Fords attained identical mileage despite gear ratio differences.
Compared with last year, the Impala and Ford improved in lap times, while the Dodge stayed the same. All improved their acceleration, and Dodge and Chevy raised their top speeds. Interestingly, Dodge was the only one to have better stopping distances this year - Ford did not improve at all, even though they had the longest stopping distance last year. Indeed, the Ford Expedition and Explorer, and the Chevy Tahoe, all stopped faster than the Police Interceptor!
Minivan 20th Anniversary celebration
On Saturday, 15 Nov, 2003, there will be a celebration at the W. P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan (on the grounds of the Chrysler Technology Center) for the birth of the Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.
All are welcome to attend and help celebrate.
On a personal note- this is about the life and times of minivans and their owners, NOT DaimlerChrysler AG, so check any bad attitudes on the street.
Racing update - another record
In the Funny Car ranks, Gary Scelzi picked up his sixth track speed record of the year when he blazed across the Pomona line at 328.38 mph in his Dodge Stratus during Saturday qualifying . Scelzi holds the national top-speed record of 329.18 mph, which he set earlier this year.
Scelzi drove the Stratus into the semifinals yesterday. He finishes the season sixth-place in the standings. His Schumacher Racing teammate Whit Bazemore had a banner year, winding up a career-best second in points.
It's got a Hemi®: Last week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, it was announced that in 2004 Scelzi will pilot a Dodge Stratus Funny Car that will blend its current Oakley paint-scheme and sponsorship with fierce Hemi graphics. The scheme will celebrate the long history that the Mopar Hemi-based engine block has had in NHRA nitro-powered competition.
Scelzi and the rest of the NHRA national competitors are scheduled to kick off the 2004 season in February.
Meanwhile, Team Mopar put three drivers into Pro Stock elimination rounds of the 2003 NHRA season finale yesterday at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway.
Gene Wilson led the drivers courtesy of his ninth-place qualifying position with a time of 6.780-seconds at 204.23 mph. His team owner, Larry Morgan, drove another Mopar Dodge Stratus into the tenth qualifying position. Allen Johnson qualified his Mopar Dodge into the 16th spot.
None of the drivers advanced past the first round: Wilson had a great reaction-time but lost traction, Morgan came up just six feet short at the line, and Johnson red-lighted by .007 seconds to the eventual event winner.
Johnson finishes the season ranked sixth in the point standings, just four markers out of fifth, for the best season of his career. Morgan ended his strong second-half by vaulting into 11th, closely followed by Mopar teammate and three-time Pro Stock champion, Darrell Alderman. Wilson concludes 2003 ranked 17th.
More minivan celebrations
Chrysler continues to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the modern minivan, a vehicle that fits eight people, yet can get into the average garage and achieves roughly 20 mpg. Auburn Hills product teams are having an employee food drive November 1 to 20, Mike Donoughe (VP, Family Vehicle Product Team) is holding radio interviews on November 10, Windsor Assembly has an event November 12, and the WPC Museum has an event November 15, 10 am - 3 pm, with family activities, contests, prizes, and more, which is free and open to the public. Details on this are at chryslerheritage.com.
Briefs: recalls, Mitsubishi, pensions, more
Chrysler Group is recalling 318,000 Jeep Liberties because of a problem with the lower ball joint seal that could cause drivers to lose control, and will investigate 120,000 other Liberties to make sure they are not affected. NHTSA has received eight complaints, Chrysler ten. Chrysler is also recalling 10,000 Pacificas to repair loose fuel line connections. No injuries have been reported, and both recalls are based on Chrysler internal investigations.
Ford is recalling 257,119 Windstars because the latches that connect the rear seats to the floor could release in an accident. NHTSA discovered the problem, which affects 2001-2003 models. There have been no injuries, according to Ford.
Meanwhile, Reagan-administration "hatchet man" David Stockman, who was used as the "bad guy" to promote unpopular budget cuts (and removed when he insisted on applying those cuts to Republican pork and the military), has reversed himself and suggested that the Federal government give money to automakers and parts suppliers to help fund their pension plans. Industry groups are saying that legacy groups are hurting their ability to compete. We at Allpar agree and believe that the government should fund our pension, too. We would also like some of the research and development money the auto industry is given.
Finally, it appears that Toyota is set to overtake Ford as the world's second-largest automaker, despite Ford's recent acquisition binge. The Ford empire includes Jaguar, Volvo, Mercury, Lincoln, and Land Rover, while Toyota has only the Toyota and Lexus brands. Toyota has not made any massive, front-page acquisitions, relying on organic growth.
DCX in joint venture with Brembo
DCX and Brembo are setting up a 50/50 joint venture in Italy to make ceramic brake discs. Brembo is currently the supplier of choice for many high-performance upgraders. While any part of the DCX empire might use the products, we suspect it has specific applications for the AMG and PVO high-performance groups, since they are selling to people who are more willing to trade off brake lifespan for braking distance. This may also help DCX to avoid using Continental/Teves, which has not provided as much reliability as they could with their ABS and braking systems.
Dieter tells about all 2004 launches
From total secrecy to total transparency in one day: Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler Group head, has told the press about upcoming models to be introduced within the next year. Absent is the Charger, but many other models will probably stir optimism in enthusiasts and stock analysts. Zetsche himself has been on tour in nine cities, showing off new vehicles to selected dealers and press representatives. The next vehicles, whose introductions were already known, will be the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 (January), convertible PT Cruiser (March), Chrysler 300C (April), Dodge Magnum (May), Dakota pickup and Crossfire roadster (September), and Grand Cherokee (November). New to the confirmed-rumors scene is the Wrangler Unlimited in April, the Crossfire SRT-6 in May, and a refresh to the Liberty in November.
Chrysler 300 pricing is now confirmed at $25,000 for the base model (2.7 V6) and $35,000 for a Hemi V8 300C. The 3.5 V6 option was also confirmed. We have heard there will be power boosts for both V6 engines, particularly now that the transmission can handle the extra power.
The Wrangler Unlimited adds 15 inches of length, providing more cargo and rear seat space but also better road manners thanks to a wheelbase extension. Off-road ability is reportedly uncompromised, and a new soft top has two sections for a sunroof effect.
The Liberty refresh appears to be mainly cosmetic, but the Grand Cherokee is much deeper. The wheelbase is longer, as most other SUVs have grown, and the Hemi is optional. A longer vehicle, presumably the Wagoneer, will debut in 2005 with three rows of seats, according to several sources.
The SRT-6 has long been rumored, since it is basically a recast Mercedes Kompressor model, carrying forward existing components to create more excitement. The company is claiming 330 horsepower and 0-60 in just over five seconds, a time similar to the SRT-10 Ram.
Speaking of the Dodge Ram SRT-10, earlier releases had suggested a 0-60 in the mid-6-seconds or even higher; apparently Dodge was trying to hold back to avoid competitors' countermoves. The current figure is for 0-60 in just over 5 seconds.
Bad news for many is the loss of the Jeep Scrambler, a Wrangler-based pickup that had been done in Jeep's distant past.
Chrysler's revisions to the minivans will be shown in January as well, with second and third row flat-folding seats. Also primed for January showings will be the Dodge Slingshot, a three-seater with a three-cylinder engine with 95 horsepower and 45 mpg, reportedly having 0-60 times of around ten seconds. This could be an attempt to bring over a Smart revision, and could also be the basis for the Razor-style vehicle. The Jeep Rescue concept will also be shown, apparently answering GM's use of Jeep-style grilles for Hummers with a Hummer-style boxy body on a Jeep.
SRT-10 Ram introduced
Dodge has unleashed the fastest and most powerful production pickup ever in the new 150 MPH Viper-powered 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10. With 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque, the Ram SRT-10 does 0-60 in just over five seconds, beating even the SRT-4. For details, click here or visit http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/ram-srt-10.html.
GM, Dodge compete for hybrid truck market
Years after the Toyota Prius first entered production - so many years, in fact, that the Prius has entered a second generation - all of the Big Three are readying their hybrid gas-electric vehicles. Ford has made the most headlines with its hybrid Escape, but Dodge and GM are both competing for both civilian and military sales with their big pickups, where the hybrid system may save the most fuel. GM is reportedly starting production before the end of the year, while Dodge is six months away. The GM system copies Dodge's on-board electrical generator, so that contractors and military personnel can use the pickup as a mobile, efficient, less-polluting generator, saving fuel, money, and cargo space; but Dodge will make its first hybrids using Cummins turbodiesels. They are expected to not only be faster than current models but also considerably more economical (the Cummins is already arguably the most efficient diesel available in a one-ton pickup), with generators powerful enough to supply an entire house, with both 120V and 220V outlets. Both GM and Dodge trucks will reportedly shut their engines while at idle. The Dodge may not be able to move under electric power alone at low speeds, except in military versions.
The military (unlike other sectors of government) has expressed a strong interest in fuel-sipping vehicles to enhance mobility and reduce support costs; they also are interested in a "stealth" mode where vehicles can operate under electric power alone, to avoid giving away their position via heat and engine noise. The Army will get test vehicles next month. A total of 10,000 per year are planned. (Thanks, Doug Hetrick. Some information from AutoWeek.)
Marketing and sales chief to retire
Chrysler brand sales and marketing chief Thomas R. Marinelli is expected to announce his retirement next week, according to the Detroit News. At 51, Marinelli has not reached normal retirement age, and his retirement may be the result of Joe Eberhardt's review of the department (though the article notes some say it is for personal reasons) - which may result in 25 to 30 other departures. Marinelli joined Chrysler in 1975 as an administrative trainee in the Boston sales region, and had been vice president of marketing for Chrysler Canada and president of Chrysler Jeep Automotive in Brussels.
Lawsuit status
Juergen Schrempp, Robert Eaton, James Holden, and DCX Chief Financial Officer Manfred Gentz will be required to testify in the Kerkorian lawsuit, due to start in court on December 1. Kerkorian is seeking $3 billion in damages, but is apparently not seeking to have DCX split back up. The lawsuit is based on what Kerkorian believes to be fraudulent misrepresentation over the nature of the joining of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz: Schrempp claimed it was a merger so that no premium would be paid for Chrysler stock, but later said he always meant it to be a takeover. A Daimler-Benz executive had noted the deal as a takeover before it occured. Detroit News quoted an analyst as saying that Daimler had actually overpaid for Chrysler, but this discounts the negative effects of Daimler's many management blunders and the merger-related departure of key executive and engineers.
New Corvette photos released
Detroit News has shown new photos of the Corvette. From the side, amusingly, it looks more like a classic Dodge Charger than the many drawings and renderings of the upcoming Dodge Charger.
Ford suspends SVT, drops Focus SVT
Ford is dropping the SVT Focus - which, with a slight power boost, could barely compete with the Dodge Neon R/T, much less the SRT-4 - and is suspending all Special Vehicle Team products for the 2005 model year even as Chrysler broadens its line of SRT models from the Performance Vehicle Operations team. SVT vehicles will return with the 2006 Mustang Cobra and F-150 Lightning. The latter will copy the Viper-powered Ram with a Ford GT engine producing about 500 horsepower. (Many of the Viper designers are currently working on the Ford GT, due to changes from Stuttgart). Also like Chrysler, Ford is considering a turbocharged Focus. Only 4,500 Focus SVTs were sold since it was brought out as a 2002 model; more SRT-4s were sold in that car's first year, with production reportedly set to rise to over 10,000 per year.
Chrysler shakes up marketing again
With many informed people within and outside of Chrysler blaming marketing for slumping sales - really, how many people who don't visit Allpar know about the 300M? Or know that the PT Cruiser handles well? - Chrysler Group has taken another step to fix marketing, sales, and service. Joe Eberhardt, the executive VP of sales, marketing, and service - a Mercedes implant - noted that 25 product introductions in the next three years requires streamlining, though Chrysler seemed to do pretty well with such things back in the early 1990s.
Jeff Bell, current Vice President-Jeep® Marketing, has been given responsibility for the Chrysler brand as well.
Julie Roehm has been named Director-Marketing Communications. She will oversee all marketing communications for the Company’s three brands. Roehm joined the Chrysler Group in 2001 as Director-Dodge Brand Communications.
Christine MacKenzie has been named to the newly-created position of Vice President-Corporate Research and Reporting. The position centralizes various functions, including the economist, sales reporting, and analysis of the customer dealership experience. Previously, MacKenzie was Vice President-Dealer Operations.
Additionally, Mike Manley has been appointed Vice President-Dealer Operations, succeeding MacKenzie. Before joining Chrysler Group, Manley was Director-Network Development, DaimlerChrysler United Kingdom. He will report to Gary Dilts, Senior Vice President-U.S. Sales.
Mark Norman has been named Chairman and President of DaimlerChrysler Canada [this only handles Chrysler, not Mercedes, despite the title], reporting to Joe Eberhardt. Previously, Norman was Vice President-Sales and Marketing Operations. He joined the Chrysler Group in 2001. Norman succeeds Ed Brust, who has announced his intention to retire effective December 31, 2003, after 36 years in the automotive industry.
The new appointments are effective January 1, 2004.
Astute observers will note that Roehm and Norman both arrived in 2001, post-takeover.
Germans rate German cars at bottom of pile
A German survey of over 38,000 car owners found that Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Opel were among the lowest rated brands in terms of satisfaction. Of all the German brands, only Porsche made it to the top ten, while Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan (in that order) were the top five. The survey was conducted by a German driver's association and the Centre for Automotive Research, reported on by Reuters, and passed to us by "Bearhawke."
DCX willing to negotiate now
Now that the Kerkorian lawsuit is in court, and key DCX officials will be forced to testify regarding Daimler-Benz's intention to acquire and dominate Chrysler Corporation rather than merge with it, DCX has announced that it would like to discuss a settlement with Kerkorian. This would be an opportunity, if the Stuttgart leadership desired, to split Chrysler back off, but that scenario is unlikely. The most probably outcome would be a cash settlement going to Kerkorian, which would not benefit past or current stock-holders and could further damage Chrysler Group.
IIHS gives Pacifica its top safety rating
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given the Chrysler Pacifica its highest safety rating in its new high-speed crash test, based on a driver's side crash against a barrier at 40 mph. This means that the driver, if wearing a seat belt, would not be seriously injured in a real 40 mph front offset crash. A number of other vehicles also earned the top rating. Honda and Nissan mid-sized SUVs were retested after their air bags deployed late in the first test.
The tests, started in 1996, appear to have greatly increased safety as manufacturers have worked to redesign their new vehicles to pass not only the government's head-on tests, but also IIHS' front-offset tests, which are arguably closer to real-life crashes. A greater proportion of tested vehicles pass each year.
Chrysler sales report, November 2003
The Neon, with no effective advertising but some buzz around the largely unadvertised SRT-4 - which seems to be rolled into Neon numbers - dropped 5%, from 119,000 to 112,000 units. Most people are surprised to hear it outperforms the Civic and Corolla (easily) - but that's what Grassroots Motorsports found. The moderately related PT Cruiser is down 25% from last year, but a healthy 97,317 units were still sold. That's less than the Neon, but far, far more than the Neon Coupe it replaced, and far above what anyone expected.
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Sebring 8,602 5,248 70% 91,664 106,766 -14%
Concorde 1,109 2,190 -47% 27,259 29,028 -6%
300M 1,413 2,109 -30% 23,469 30,015 -22%
LHS 0 0 0% 0 552 -100%
Prowler 0 39 -100% 511 1,289 -60%
Crossfire 652 0 3,410 0
CHRYSLER CAR 11,776 9,586 28% 146,313 167,650 -12%
PT Cruiser 6,872 8,537 -16% 97,317 129,928 -25%
Pacifica 7,142 0 0% 48,197 0 0%
Voyager 1,914 1,852 7% 17,745 35,481 -50%
Town & Country 6,160 8,712 -26% 111,359 116,321 -4%
CHRYSLER TRUCK 22,088 19,101 20% 274,618 281,730 -2%
CHRYSLER BRAND 33,864 28,687 23% 420,931 449,380 -6%
Wrangler 5,831 4,295 41% 63,994 59,279 8%
Liberty 14,023 15,343 -5% 147,387 154,657 -4%
Grand Cherokee 20,587 21,308 0% 184,305 200,109 -8%
JEEP BRAND 40,441 40,946 3% 395,686 414,045 -4%
CP CAR 11,776 9,586 28% 146,313 168,255 -13%
CPJ TRUCK 62,529 60,047 8% 670,304 695,775 -3%
CPJ DIVISION 74,305 69,633 11% 816,617 864,030 -5%
Neon 8,760 9,343 -2% 111,892 118,731 -5%
Stratus 7,262 6,988 8% 93,244 100,926 -7%
Intrepid 2,504 6,904 -62% 73,376 103,437 -29%
Viper 103 45 138% 1,971 1,434 38%
DODGE CAR 18,629 23,280 -17% 280,483 324,528 -13%
Dakota 7,456 8,045 -4% 103,729 122,131 -15%
Ram P/U 33,941 30,585 15% 409,252 362,122 13%
Caravan 14,095 17,888 -18% 214,541 225,675 -5%
Durango 7,737 7,623 6% 98,316 99,498 -1%
Ram Van/Wagon 774 1,785 -55% 20,080 34,968 -42%
Sprinter Van 275 0 0% 1,602 0 0%
DODGE TRUCK 64,278 65,926 1% 847,520 844,394 1%
DODGE DIVISION 82,907 89,206 -3% 1,128,003 1,168,922 -3%
TOTAL CAR 30,405 32,866 -4% 426,796 492,783 -13%
TOTAL TRUCK 126,807 125,973 5% 1,517,824 1,540,169 -1%
TOTAL CAR & TRUCK 157,212 158,839 3% 1,944,620 2,032,952 -4%
Total Minivan 22,169 28,452 -19% 343,645 377,477 -9%
Total Sport Utility 48,178 48,569 3% 494,002 513,543 -3%
Selling Days 25 26 281 282
New Dodge diesel to outpower all others - again
Some decades ago, Dodge revived pickup sales simply by installing Cummins turbodiesels in their otherwise less than popular trucks. The combination was an immediate hit, and the Cummins diesels have powered Rams since then, providing a unique combination of economy, durability, and power. With Ford and GM now nipping at Dodge's heels, Dodge has announced a new heavy duty version of the already-potent diesel Ram, with a class-leading 600 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm and 325 horsepower at 2,900 rpm.
The new Cummins 600 has best-in-class towing of 16,400 lb - that's a full 3,000 pounds over the Ford F-350 diesel - a payload of 5,020 pounds, and a best in class GCWR and GVWR of 23,000 and 12,000 pounds, respectively. Its peak torque is generated earlier than the Ford or GM diesels. Despite producing 80 lb-ft of torque and 25 horsepower more than the Chevy Duramax diesel, the Cummins 600 is only $135 more than the prior Cummins High Output diesel.
Coming up in the 2004 calendar year is the introduction of the hybrid-electric version of the diesel Ram, promising even greater economy and acceleration.
Kerkorian says no to any settlement
Detroit News reported on the progress of the Kerkorian lawsuit, quoting Kerkoria as saying that he will "never enter settlement talks" with DCX and that his lawsuit is "not about money, it's about deceit." Daimler-Benz paid a lower price for Chrysler Corp. shares than they would have had they announced it was a takeover, and their subsequent actions caused the stock price to fall to $39 per share, losing the entire value of Chrysler Corporation in the process.
Kerkorian said he was promised that Bob Eaton would be replaced by another Chrysler executive to be joint CEO, and that he believed it would be a merger of equals - and that being a merger of equals was key to his support.
James Holden, who was widely criticized during his brief stint in charge of Chrysler before being replaced by German managers, said he believed shareholders got a fair premium and that it really was a merger (even though Chrysler lost over a third of its employees shortly after Holden's stint, and both top Chrysler managers are Daimler transplants). Holden also said the "restructuring" (mass layoffs and plant sales) were part of his plan, adopted by Schrempp.
Eaton, Holden testify
Leadership failures Bob Eaton and James Holden testified in the Kerkorian DCX trial yesterday. Both said they believed it was still a merger of equals, though Bob Eaton noted that he never expected Chrysler to have as much power as Daimler-Benz (an interesting statement possibly indicating Eaton's ability to use logic).
Robert Eaton has been condemned for fattening up Chrysler in terms of layers of management, enforcing penny-pinching which impacted on quality - causing Chrysler's reputation to sink even lower - and not investing in Chrysler's future, before selling out to Daimler-Benz in a panic, under less than ideal terms.
James Holden became CEO after Eaton's departure, and is said to have been the author of the massive restructuring which resulted in the brand new Brazil facility being closed and roughly a third of the employees laid off. Holden's legacy is difficult to isolate from Stuttgart's commands, but he was fired rather suddenly by Juergen Schrempp.
Holden was replaced by a Daimler-Benz executive, Dieter Zetsche, who has generally gotten good reviews and is seen by some insiders as severely constrained by Stuttgart executives.
DCX agrees to common safety standards
DCX has agreed to support common safety standards, which would affect all cars made in the 2010 model year and later. These standards seem to include a design specification which would assure that vehicles of vastly different sizes would hit in mutually safe locations in a collision (for example, the bumper of a pickup would not be at the level of a car driver's unprotected head.)
Most of Chrysler's vehicles already meet front to front compatibility, but not front to side. The following existing 2004-model-year vehicles meet the guidelines:
Front-to-Front Chrysler Pacifica Chrysler PT Cruiser Chrysler Town & Country Chrysler Voyager Dodge Caravan Dodge Grand Caravan Dodge Durango Dodge Ram 4x2
Front-to-Side Chrysler PT Cruiser* Chrysler Pacifica* Chrysler Sebring* Dodge Durango* Dodge Ram* Dodge Stratus*
Dodge introduced 2005 minivans
The mysteries and rumors around the 2005 minivans have just about been resolved, with the introduction of the new models earlier today. It is worth noting that most of the new features were predicted by insiders at allpar. We have a summary and wrap-up at http://www.allpar.com/model/m/2005-minivans.html - now with specifications as well. Pass the URL around!
Turbine cars featured on History Channel
Chrysler turbine cars are the subject of about ten minutes on the History Channel's "Modern Marvels: Failed Inventions," followed by the Amphicar and flying car. Photography is said to be excellent, and you can see and hear the turbine car in operation. The show notes that the turbine car program ended in 1981. Catch it this Saturday, 1 pm Eastern Standard Time (your times may vary, so consult a television guidance publication).
Schrempp goes on stand, surprises nobody
Juergen Schrempp's turn on the stand came, with remarkably consistent testimony - first saying that it really was a merger of equals, then that he always meant for Chrysler to become a division, and not be equal to Mercedes. Opinion: his testimony, like that of Robert Eaton, could probably be the subject of a perjury trial, since it contradicts itself.
Chrysler to share Dakota with Mitsubishi
DCX announced that both Dodge and Mitsubishi will sell versions of the Dodge Dakota, both to be made at Chrysler's Warren, Michigan assembly plant. They will be similar in engineering but have different sheet metal and looks. It is hard to say how much input each of the companies has had, though Dodge appears to be largely responsible for the Dakota's engineering. Styling for each model was done by the respective company, independently, though bound by engineering constraints.
Mitsubishi sold 90,000 L200 Strada pickups worldwide in 2002, and designed and build the popular Dodge D50 pickups for many years. Mitsubishi has also taken first through fourth places in this year's Dakar rally - the L200 pickup won fourth place.
DCX trial stopped - Valade turns over evidence
In a surprise move, Gary Valade, one of only two Chrysler employees on the DCX board - soon to be one when Valade retires - has turned over a large amount of evidence to the Kerkorian team. This includes handwritten notes taken as the takeover of Chrysler progressed. The content of this material is unknown, but the fact that it was given to Kerkorian's team may indicate that it will invalidate the testimony of Eaton, Holden, Stallkamp, and Schrempp - most of whom have given statements that seem to be self-contradictory in any case.
Smoking gun in DCX takeover case?
According to an Associated Press story, former Chrysler CFO Gary Valade's notes include incriminating comments such as "sell out for profit," "why didn't we buy?" and "senior management sold out," though it is not currently known who wrote them. This would indicate what many suspected, and what seems fairly obvious to insiders, which is that some Chrysler and Daimler-Benz executives knew the "merger of equals" to be a takeover from the beginning. The notes appear to contradict testimony from witnesses who have already been on the stand. The trial has been halted and the judge is seeking a different judge to handle questions surrounding the documents. Kerkorian attorney Terry Christensen asked the court for a judgment in Kerkorian's favor since the documents should have been handed over as part of the discovery phase of the trial.
Chrysler Communications personnel changes
Jason Vines, who joined Chrylser in 1983, has been named Vice President — Communications, succeeding Kenneth A. Levy, who is leaving the company after three years as the head of communications in order to start his own public relations and communications consulting business in his native New York City. Levy had worked at Chrysler for only three years, and had worked at Ford and GM Europe before that. Vines, who will report directly to Dieter Zetsche, left in 1998 to join Nissan North America, then switched to Ford in 2000 to work with the Premier Automotive Group.
Canadian division gets new head
(Daimler)Chrysler Canada has made Mark Norman Chairman and President effective January 1, 2004. He succeeds Edwin H. Brust, who has will retire after 36 years in the automotive industry, including almost 20 years at DaimlerChrysler and five years as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. Mr. Norman, 36, is currently Vice President — Sales and Marketing Operations for the Chrysler Group in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
New Jeep contract changes role of vendors
Suppliers will take on a greater role in the assembly of Jeeps due to a contract approved by Toledo Jeep workers. The plant would take on more characteristics of Mercedes vehicle assembly, with venodrs tbuilding painted bodies for the 2006 and later Jeep Wrangler. Even complete chassis could be built by outside vendors. The gain for Toledo Jeep workers is a $2.1 billion investment in the plant, the continuation of Wrangler-related jobs, and the introduction of at least one new vehicle based on the Wrangler.
It appears that only a minority of current workers will continue to work for Chrysler, while most will either be bought out or work for suppliers. Those working with suppliers will, in some cases, get the same wages and benefits - but only as long as the contract lasts. The contract provides all workers $3,000 right away, 3% of their salary as a lump sum next year, a 2% wage increase in the third year, and a 3% increase in the fourth year, after which wages will match the national contract talks. DCX may also require some Saturday overtime shifts, and be able to buy out jobs at up to $70,000 per worker.
Chrysler #2 in initial quality?
The Winnipeg Free Press reported: "JD Power initial-quality surveys are also promising. Chrysler is now in second place behind for fewest (20) problems per 100 vehicles. Toyota is in top spot with 10 problems per 100 vehicles. That puts Chrysler ahead of Honda, Nissan, GM, Ford and even its upscale Mercedes-Benz big brother."
We were unable to verify this at the JD Power Web site or via Web search. We also note that Mercedes has reportedly had declining quality on new models, particularly now the E-Class, while Chrysler's new models have all been better than the ones before, with the PT easily beating the Neon and the Liberty easily beating the Cherokee. (Indeed, the PT Cruiser appears to be rivalling Toyota and beating Honda on some surveys.)
Eaton troubled by takeover in 1998
Gary Valade's notes (see earlier story) reveal a far different picture than has been given in testimony. Robert Eaton was “deeply troubled about the structure” of the merger, according to notes disclosed in court, and Chrysler CFO Gary Valade wrote “structurally almost a takeover” after Eaton’s name. Detroit News quoted Colin Seitz, the magistrate, as saying, “It is a little troubling that documents keep dribbling out.”
Eaton testified that both sides had negotiated a merger of equals. However, he was noted as resisting proposals to incorporate in Germany (which hurt the stock price badly, as Chrysler stock was immediately sold by many mutual funds). The terms agreed to had been 50/50 on both the management board and board of directors. However, there will soon be only one Chrysler person on the management board, DaimlerChrysler is firmly German, and all references to Chrysler were almost immediately changed to DaimlerChrysler - while references to Mercedes were unchanged.
Mopar racing update
As racing stars from all over the country converge in the nation's heartland for the 18th annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Team Mopar's strong presence at the event is sure to spice up the competition. Set for Tulsa, Okla., January 7 - 10, the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals boasts over 215 entries for the 2004 event. Of the record-breaking entry list, 18 machines will fire under Mopar power. Coming off an epic 2003 racing season, it's no wonder that Mopar brand power is in high demand for open-wheel racing competition.
NASCAR standout and Team Mopar owner Tony Stewart will headline the brand's Chili Bowl effort, as he is scheduled to compete in the No. 71 Keith Kunz Motorsports entry clad with the distinctive Mopar barbed wire paint scheme. Stewart will have his work cut out for him, however, as he attempts to capture his second Chili Bowl title. Tracy Hines looks for his first event win in his No. 11 Wilke-Pak Motorsports Mopar machine. Cory Kruseman, Josh Wise and Jay Drake are also scheduled to compete during the four-day event, stirring the proverbial "pot" of Chili Bowl odds.
Team Mopar's Danny "The Dude" Lasoski will also be back in action, as he will be seeking his twelfth A-main start. Lasoski is second only to Sammy Swindell and Kevin Doty in Chili Bowl feature event starts. Lasoski finished second in the O'Reilly World of Outlaw Series Championship in 2003, and a Chili Bowl triumph would be the perfect appetizer for his 2004 season.
New concepts shown
Chrysler has released information on four new concept cars - the Dodge ME Four Twelve (turbocharged twelve cylinder, mid-engined sports car), the Dodge Sling Shot (45 mpg with outstanding handling and 0-60 times of 10 seconds), the Jeep Treo, and the extended-Wrangler-with-technology-boosts Jeep Rescue, which may show off both the next-generation Jeep Wrangler and a future Cherokee.
See http://www.allpar.com/model/concepts/concepts-2004.html or click on the following link.
Dodge to go international again
Dodge will finally be re-established as an international brand, more than five years after Chrysler was acquired in a "merger" that was supposedly to help Chrysler Corporation reach international markets more effectively. Dodge will be re-introduced (in many cases, introduced for the first time) in Europe through the Viper SRT-10 in 2004, followed by a variety of other cars in 2006. Both diesels and petrol engines will be offered, doubling the number of Chrysler vehicles available outside North America by 2008. Dodges will be sold alongside Chrysler and Jeep dealers.
Dodge ME Four Twelve introduced
The Dodge ME Four Twelve now has its own page at Allpar, since we have expanded information on it.
http://www.allpar.com/cars/me412.html
Chrysler's new concepts wow the press
This morning's crowded press preview started with a six-piece band cranking out hard-rockin' renditions of "Mission: Impossible", "You've Got A Friend In Me" by Randy Newman (from Pixar's Toy Story), "2001; A Space Odyssey," and Paul McCartney's "Live And Let Die," the common theme being "Sound Track." Each piece was selected to reflect a connection between cars and music. And each concept followed the theme culminating with Wolfgang Bernhard in black tie a la James Bond roaring on stage in the M-E 412. First up on stage, however, was the Dodge Sling Shot. Of the four concepts shown today, this was clearly the closest to production. It appears strongly based off the upcoming Smart Roadster. After the great reaction to the Razor, Dodge clearly wants an entry level two seater, and Pontiac's Solitice is not far from production. With no Smart brand in the U.S., revising the Roadster for Dodge duty fulfills the goals. The car has good presence, only lacking a strong and clearly Dodge face. The two wings in each of the lower intakes do not really create the crosshair indentifier. Most of us are familiar with the Treo after its Tokyo unveiling, and little can be added about it except it is simply pure fantasy. There is no intention nor reason to produce this very "un-Jeep" idea. As one attendee put it, "A Jeep to get you to the trails but not actually drive on them." Huh? Then came the Jeep Rescue. If the pictures don't make it clear to you, let me enlighten. This is not a four-door Wrangler. It is HUGE. Step in height is over a foot! This is DC's response to the Hummer H2 and in its execution is very successful. Despite its typical two-box super SUV design, it makes little attempt to imitate Hummer's overwrought and pretentious detailing. It is also clear that Jeep is throwing down to lay claim to Off-Road Bragging Rights. Hummer owners will be staying home. The Rescue qualifies as the next-likely for production, easily put on the Ram platform. If Chrysler is willing to take the risk, it could see the road within three years. Can they do this one? The question is: Can they afford NOT to do it? Then....(drum roll) the M-E 412. Not much of a name for what is an extraordinarily beautiful automobile. The form, the hardware and the impeccable detailing simply shuts everybody up. Under the forward lid there is no trunk. Just pure hardware. Cooling fans and carbon fiber, glistening coil-overs and hinges. And that's not even the business end. The quad-turbo 6.0L V-12 rest under the rear cover and listening closely you could probably hear it's heartbeat pounding ready to unleash a streak across Bonneville. It is that intense. And while everybody heard Bernhard and Trevor Creed refer to the M-E 412 as a prototype and not a concept car, the reality, which would include a great deal of development work make it all come together, says this car won't be ready for at least 36 months. As for the business case for the M-E 412, there is no "business case" for this level of motoring. You either build it or you don't. My vote? They'll do it.
[Editor's note: while the engine was supplied by AMG, a Chrysler engineer was reportedly in charge of development, and United States, rather than European, suppliers, reportedly had the lead.]
Chrysler December 2003 sales
Chrysler sales totalled 182,831 units in December 2003, a two percent gain over December 2002, closing out a year in which Chrysler sales declined four percent from 2002 (from 2,205,446 to 2,127,451 units sold in the US).
December sales highlights
Gary Dilts, SVP of Sales, credited the Pacifica and Durango with three consecutive months of sales increases over 2002 figures. The Pacifica reached 8,459 units, its highest monthly figure so far - if it stayed at that level, annual sales would be 101,508 units, on par with the current Sebring and PT Cruiser. However, sources in the company unofficially noted that management has been pushing Pacificas to employees on excellent terms to inflate sales figures somewhat.
The Dodge Durango clearly benefited from its revisions, with a 26 percent gain over December 2002 figures - 9,694 units were sold. If Chrysler can get the word out, there is more sales potential against the less-attractive Chevy and Ford full size SUVs.
Dodge Ram had its best December ever, with 40,119 units sold, an 11 percent increase, eclipsing the previous record of 34,812 units in December 2002.
Yearly totals for the Dodge Ram were a record 449,371 units, a dramatic increase of 13 percent versus 2002 when 396,934 units were sold.
The Chrysler brand finished 2003 on a strong note with 42,659 units sold in December, a 33 percent increase over December 2002 when 30,883 units were sold.
December was the best month of the year for the Jeep(R) brand with 44,873 units sold. That was down six percent from a record-setting December 2002, when 45,751 units were sold. Jeep Wrangler had a strong month, selling 6,099 units, increasing 16 percent over December 2002. For the year, Wrangler sold 70,093 units, improving nine percent over 2002.
2003 highlights
Cars
Despite skeptics who claimed it was a flash in the pan, and despite having very little advertising, the Chrysler PT Cruiser sold a fairly impressive 107,759 units. That is down 22 percent from 2002, most likely because Chrysler has failed to advertise its strengths in handling, comfort, and reliability.
The Sebring and Stratus fell roughly 10 percent from 2002, with the Chrysler version at 100,109 units (including the convertible) and the Dodge at 99,924 units. This includes the very slow-selling Mitsubishi-made coupes.
The LH series fared very poorly, with its demise clearly known and no promotions or advertising. The classy but unpublicized 300M, unknown to most buyers, dropped 23% to fewer than 25,000 units, the volume-leader Intrepid falling by a third to a mere 76,473 units, and the roomy Concorde - taking over the LHS spot as well - dropping ten percent to 28,519. We believe this is more a reflection of Chrysler's refusal to promote the vehicles than their intrinsic worth.
The Neon soldiered on with a mere five percent sales drop, most likely bolstered by the SRT-4 - which, had it been marketed as a Neon, might have helped more. Neon still sold a respectable 120,101 units under a single nameplate, with the platform (including PT) going to over 200,000.
The Viper did well but was not profitable, with 2,103 units (up 39%), while the Crossfire's 4,021 more than compensated for the loss of the Prowler (1,328 in 2002).
Minivans
Long, long delays in responding to the Honda Odyssey resulted in plummeting sales for the Chrysler minivans. The Voyager fell 46% to a mere 20,333 units - a mere shadow of its Plymouth days - while the Town & Country absorbed some Voyager sales, it too fell by four percent to 120,767 units for the year. The Caravan, meanwhile, dropped 5% despite massive rebates, to 233,394 units, still the market leader but no longer with the solid lead it once enjoyed. Redesigned versions may reverse the slide if they are marketed well, which may or may not happen.
We already noted the Pacifica's first-year sales of 56,656, bolstered by lower-priced models and sales to employees.
SUVs
The Wrangler posted a 9% sales gain with new models boosting its mind share, rising to 70,093 units - not bad for a niche vehicle. The Liberty fell 5% to 162,987 units, still fairly strong for its lack of marketing support (e.g. competitive comparisons). The Grand Cherokee, soldering on, fell 7% but still moved over 207,000 units, which is rather impressive for an older vehicle in a crowded field.
On the Dodge side, the Durango rose by 1% to 108,000 units, with the redesign taking effect just as the year ended. The Sprinter remains a very slow seller, being easily beaten by the ancient Ram Van/Wagon, whose sales are a bit more than half what they were in 2002.
Pickups
The Ram is the big success story, with a 13% boost to 449,371 units. Ford's redesigned F-series may cut into that, since both Ford and Nissan are attacking the Ram in their ads, and Dodge counter-attack ads, though well executed, are not being aired much in many markets.
The Dakota is down 15%, to 111,273 units - quite low compared with Ranger and S-10 - and is about to face new competition from new Chevy trucks. However, the redesigned version is due very soon.
Overall, Stuttgart may feel free to take credit for these sales figures, which are almost uniformly poor. To be fair, Chrysler has changed what may have been its largest problem - its marketing department. In our opinion, it still needs to change a very poor reputation in the marketplace for its competitive products to be given a chance, and that can only happen if the company shows pride in itself by featuring its own achievements, rather than basking in the reflected glory of a Mercedes which does not seem able to match Chrysler's levels of quality.
Chrysler U.S. Sales Summary Thru December 2003
Month Sales DR % Sales CYTD DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Sebring 8,445 5,601 45% 100,109 112,367 -11%
Concorde 1,260 2,583 -53% 28,519 31,611 -10%
300M 1,441 2,360 -41% 24,910 32,375 -23%
LHS 0 0 0% 0 552 -100%
Prowler 5 39 -88% 516 1,328 -61%
Crossfire 611 0 4,021 0
CHRYSLER CAR 11,762 10,583 7% 158,075 178,233 -11%
PT Cruiser 10,442 8,332 21% 107,759 138,260 -22%
Pacifica 8,459 0 0% 56,656 0 0%
Voyager 2,588 1,911 30% 20,333 37,392 -46%
Town & Country 9,408 10,057 -10% 120,767 126,378 -4%
CHRYSLER TRUCK 30,897 20,300 46% 305,515 302,030 1%
CHRYSLER BRAND 42,659 30,883 33% 463,590 480,263 -3%
Wrangler 6,099 5,072 16% 70,093 64,351 9%
Liberty 15,600 16,555 -9% 162,987 171,212 -5%
Grand Cherokee 23,174 24,124 -8% 207,479 224,233 -7%
JEEP BRAND 44,873 45,751 -6% 440,559 459,796 -4%
CP CAR 11,762 10,583 7% 158,075 178,838 -12%
CPJ TRUCK 75,770 66,051 10% 746,074 761,826 -2%
CPJ DIVISION 87,532 76,634 10% 904,149 940,664 -4%
Neon 8,209 7,387 7% 120,101 126,118 -5%
Stratus 6,680 8,307 -23% 99,924 109,233 -9%
Intrepid 3,097 7,919 -62% 76,473 111,356 -31%
Viper 132 77 65% 2,103 1,511 39%
DODGE CAR 18,118 23,690 -26% 298,601 348,218 -14%
Dakota 7,544 8,581 -15% 111,273 130,712 -15%
Ram P/U 40,119 34,812 11% 449,371 396,934 13%
Caravan 18,853 19,236 -6% 233,394 244,911 -5%
Durango 9,694 7,427 26% 108,010 106,925 1%
Ram Van/Wagon 632 2,114 -71% 20,712 37,082 -44%
Sprinter Van 339 0 0% 1,941 0 0%
DODGE TRUCK 77,181 72,170 3% 924,701 916,564 1%
DODGE DIVISION 95,299 95,860 -4% 1,223,302 1,264,782 -3%
TOTAL CAR 29,880 34,273 -16% 456,676 527,056 -13%
TOTAL TRUCK 152,951 138,221 6% 1,670,775 1,678,390 0%
TOTAL CAR &
TRUCK 182,831 172,494 2% 2,127,451 2,205,446 -4%
Total Minivan 30,849 31,204 -5% 374,494 408,681 -8%
Total Sport
Utility 54,567 53,178 -1% 548,569 566,721 -3%
Selling Days 26 25 307 307
LX pricing, information
Eric Ridenour has just announced that the Magnum will start at $22,995 including destination, and that the 300 would start at $23,995. All wheel drive will be available on the Magnum. V8 equipped versions of both vehicles will have the Multiple Displacement System, shutting off half the cylinders when not needed for an estimated 10%-20% fuel savings.
Dieter Zetsche went through a list, item by item of CHRYSLER advancements (specifically naming ONLY Chrysler-not DCX) to the industry and claimed Chrysler (not DCX) is the world leader in pioneering technology for customer convenience and safety.
More LX details revealed
Chrysler has announced specifications, prices, and acceleration figures for the 300 and Magnum with all three engines. See http://www.allpar.com/cars/lx/ for details.
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, PT Cruiser Convertible revealed
Chrysler has now introduced a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with double the cargo room and extra passenger room, and the PT Cruiser Convertible.
DCX news
Mercedes has recalled about 33,000 C, CLK, and E class cars to check possibly faulty seat belt buckles. 12,000 of the cars are from Germany. Dow Jones noted, "The luxury carmaker has seen its image battered recently by poor scores on quality surveys."
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi stock rose on news that DaimlerChrysler may transfer capital to the troubled automaker.
DCX lawsuit proceeding
After a ruling that DCX did not deliberately withhold evidence, but that a stack of important documents from Gary Valade were simply not copied by an outside service, the judge in charge of the Kerkorian trial has set the proceedings to continue later this month.
Incentives hit new high
Both GM and Chrysler are now offering large incentives including both rebates and 0% financing. ScottB points to up to $4,500 back on minivans, up to $4,000 back on LH vehicles including the 300M, and up to $3,000 back on the Pacifica, Neon, and Sebring / Stratus. ScottB notes that Chrysler probably wants to clear out the 2004 minivans to make room for the 2005s, with their overhead racks and Stow 'n' Go seats.
Chrysler recalls
Chrysler is recalling a the 1995-99 Cirrus/Stratus/Breeze, 1996-99 Sebring convertible, and 1993-99 300M/Concorde/LHS/Intrepid/Vision, because if the floor shifter was pulled with "excessive force" and the key was not in the ignition, the lock that keeps drivers from removing the key without putting the transmission in park could fail. Stronger components will be installed to better withstand abuse. NHTSA had started an investigation.
Chrysler is also recalling a small number of Dodge Durangos to replace a throttle cable that could freeze under certain conditions. No incidents appear to have been reported. The recall only affects the 3.7 and 4.7 engines.
Schrempp named one of the worst managers of the year
Business Week named Juergen Schrempp one of the worst managers of the year this week. They cited Chrysler's eroding market share, Mitsubishi's losses and falling sales, and Mercedes' low quality rankings - as well as "$300 million to settle a class action that claimed Schrempp misled investors" which "was just a prelude to the $2 billion trial that got under way in December." The article concludes, "Can it get worse? For shareholders, maybe: Schrempp's friendly supervisory board is already talking about renewing his contract."
Mopar Hemi Show in Phoenix, March 2004
Mopars Unlimited of Arizona presents the 21st Annual High Energy Mopar Invitational (H.E.M.I.) Show at Lou Grubb Dodge, 16406 North 26th Ave. Open to all Mopar vehicles including AMC, Jeep, Desoto, etc. Over 60 trophies will be awarded in over 20 classes. Dash plaques to the first 200 entries. Free swap/vendor spaces if you pre-register. Live music, show t-shirts and a huge raffle. Proceeds to benefit Gabriel's Angels. Swap entrance opens at 8am, show at 8:30. Awards presented at 2pm. For more information or an entry form, visit www.moparsunlimitedofaz.com.
smart to be sold in the US: details
Dan Minick was kind enough to pass along the following URL, which provides information on smart's official launch in the US - as its own brand. Of particular interest are these snippets from the FAQ:
Are there photos available of this SUV version of smart forfour? [allpar note: this is the car whose platform is shared with Mitsubishi]
No. It is far more than another two years until the market entry in the US. This is a very long timeframe in the development of a new vehicle and therefore the design and appearance of the car is not finalized so far.
Will the whole model range of smart cars be available in the USA?
We plan to launch a variant of the smart forfour onto the US-American market in 2006. However we are not planning to introduce the current model range (smart city-coupé, cabrio, crossblade, roadster, roadster-coupé) and smart forfour there. Decisions will be reached concerning each specific vehicle in relation to the US launch of future smart models which could be available on the market after 2006.
[allpar note - the Dodge Sling Shot is essentially a reskinned smart]
DCX embarassments
Not too long after Juergen Schrempp earned the honor of being named one of the world's worst executives by Business Week - a magazine which normally loves hatchet-wielding, spoiled-brat executives - DCX experienced other disappointments. U.S. Mercedes sales set records, but dropped in Germany, where a survey indicated it was among the worst in quality - near Land Rover.
Perhaps more important, Maybach barely delivered just 40% of the volume initially promised, despite heavy promotions (including being the top-listed brand on the DCX media site).
On a morally more important front, a group of Argentines are suing DCX because, according to the plaintiffs, managers at the Buenos Aires Mercedes-Benz plant were complicit in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of union members, as part of the conservative government's purge of liberals and leftists. An internal Mercedes inquiry found (unsurprisingly) no evidence of abuses.
Meanwhile, in Chrysler-land, the Dodge Ram landed the #3 place in total US light vehicle sales, a success for image and profitability. In trucks, Chrysler had three of the top ten slots, the same as Ford and three more than Toyota (which had several car sales leaders). The new Caravan and Durango should help sagging sales in those vehicles - the Durango went from #80 in sales (October 2003) to #40 (in December 2003). The Dakota should be boosted by its renovation as well. This may help Dieter Zetsche's prospects in taking over the DCX top spot if the board should ever decide they are tired of failure.
Stand by Your Van contest
Chrysler Group, the long-standing leader and inventor of the minivan market segment, will host a "Stand By Your Van" contest at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the minivan and the introduction of its new 2005 Chrysler and Dodge minivans with minivan-first Stow 'n Go second- and third-row fold-flat seating, the company will invite 20 minivan fans to compete for a brand new minivan. The contestant who is able to keep one hand on a new minivan and stand longer than any of the other contestants will drive home in their choice of a brand new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country or 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.
Interested minivan enthusiasts are invited to fill out an entry form and questionnaire at www.standbyyourvan.info by no later than 6 p.m., Friday, January 23. To be considered for the contest, contestants must write one paragraph explaining why they would like to compete for a brand new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan.
Twenty qualified contestants will compete in the Stand By Your Van contest which will take place at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show in the McCormick Place South building beginning Thursday, February 5 at 8:45a.m.
Since introducing the minivan 20 years ago, Chrysler Group has sold more than 10 million minivans worldwide and has a 38 percent share of the minivan market. The minivan market continues to be vibrant with industry-wide sales averaging 1.2 million for the past 10 years.
First 300, Magnums built
Genciu quoted Automotive News: "DC built the first salable unit of the Chrysler 300 at its plant in Brampton. The Dodge Magnum also is built there. The Magnums being built are preproduction models."
Preproduction models are generally used for "beta-testing," often placed at rental agencies to see whether anything needs to be changed. They are also used for advance loans to key car reviewers (unfortunately, usually not Allpar!). This indicates that actual production may occur in February or March.
Over four hundred Chrysler 300s have been built for actual customers - though a large number may be going to fleet buyers and Chrysler's PR agencies for auto reviewers.
Mopar-powered Dodge wins Early Thaw series
Steve Francis stormed his way to two victories and five top-five finishes to clinch the championship of the five-race Early Thaw series, which concluded last weekend in Casa Grande, Ariz.
Francis, driving a Mopar-powered, Dodge-bodied late model dirt car owned by Larry Moring, was the only driver to win multiple races in the rain-shortened tournament.
Francis and his Mopar team are scheduled to compete in the inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event Feb. 2 at Volusia Speedway Park in Daytona, Fla. Francis is set to campaign his Mopar-powered late model in the WoO-LMS this season, while also competing in various other late model dirt series.
Clean versions of Stratus and Sebring go on sale
Chrysler has begun to produce Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus sedans that meet California's most stringent clean air standards, making them among the cleanest-running internal combustion vehicles in the world.
All 2004 Sebring and Stratus sedans equipped with the 2.4-Liter I-4 engine and sold in California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine will be certified to meet California's Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) standard. Poisonous tailpipe emissions have been reduced to near zero levels, with emissions of hydrocarbons (HC) reduced 89 percent compared with the previous model and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) reduced 93 percent. HC and NOx are the two primary components of smog.
To be certified as PZEVs, vehicles must meet stringent emission standards established under California clean air rules:
* Tailpipe emissions meeting the Super Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standard * Zero evaporative emissions from the fuel tank and fuel system * Emission control equipment warranted for 15 years or 150,000 miles.
The five-passenger Sebring and Stratus sedans have been redesigned for the 2004 model year. The vehicles achieve fuel economy of 22 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway. The vehicles have also received Five Star ratings in frontal crash tests, the government's highest crash test rating.
Rumble Bee limited run
Tad Wirmel pointed us to an AutoWeek column claiming that the Dodge Rumble Bee would be made as a limited edition. To be produced immediately, the 3,700 modified Rams have unique body cladding, taillight guards, and exterior and interior graphis and trim. A numbered badge, chrome exhaust, 20 inch wheels, and a hood scoop round out the cosmetic package. There are no drivetrain changes, and the package cost is $2,600. It is available on regular cab Ram 1500 SLT models with either two or four wheel drive.
Ford cuts back
With the new Freestar failing to make the mark that the Windstar also didn't make, Ford is cutting back production and idling the plants where the Freestar is made.
Ford is also laying off more than a third of the people in its St. Louis plant (1,000 people) in April, due to the removal of a full shift from the two-shift plant. The workers will be offered jobs at other Ford sites. Ford had agreed to keep the plant open through 2007 in UAW bargaining.
Interestingly for taxpayers whose patrolmen drive Crown Victorias, a Detroit News article noted that the vehicles bring in $7,000 to $10,000 each in profit, partly because they haven't been substantially redesigned in over a decade. That's bad for troopers, and good for the bottom line. 80 percent of the Crown Victorias are sold to fleets. The ancient rear-drive V8s are still built using a body on frame design.
Competition from Chrysler is starting now, with the V8, rear drive 300. General Motors will shortly be bringing out rear drive V8 vehicles as well. Both Chrysler and GM are expected to take large chunks out of Ford's police market, but the taxi market may be another story. Police forces may also wait to see how early adopters fare with the new designs, especially with the early Chevy Impala and Dodge Intrepids both having debacles in their first years (since fixed).
SRT-10 to try for world's record
NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 77 Kodak Dodge, will drive a Dodge Ram SRT-10 during an attempt to break Guinness Book of World Records' "World's Fastest Production Pickup Truck" record.
As Dodge gets ready to head to Daytona to defend its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturer's Championship, NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan will pilot a Dodge Ram SRT-10 in a quest to break the record for "world's fastest production pickup truck."
The event takes place on February 2 (Feb 3 in case of bad weather) at Chrysler's proving grounds.
Dodge Ram SRT-10 sets record
The Dodge Ram SRT-10 unleashed its Viper power today, taking its place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Fastest Production Pickup Truck."
Only recently off the Saltillo, Mexico, assembly line and not modified in any way for additional power or enhanced aerodynamics, a Dodge Ram SRT-10 posted a two-lap, both-directions average speed of 154.587 mph over a "flying kilometer" on the 4.71-mile oval at the DaimlerChrysler Proving Grounds here in Chelsea. The record run by the Dodge Ram SRT-10 was certified by Guinness World Records and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The previous record was 147.54 mph, set last July by the Ford SVT F-150 Lightning, before the Dodge Ram SRT-10 went into production.
According to Guinness World Records rules, the record speed had to be the average of two one-kilometer runs in opposite directions along the same track, made within an hour of one another. The timing equipment had to be certified as accurate to within 1/1000th of a second, and supplied and operated by a qualified third party. The speed of each run was timed by means of sensors at the start and finish of the measured kilometer, thus giving an average speed over the full distance.
Behind the wheel of the Ram SRT-10 in the record-setting run was Brendan Gaughan, a six-time winner in a Dodge Ram in the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS). Gaughan makes his NASCAR Nextel Cup debut later this month at the Daytona 500 in the No. 77 Kodak Dodge.
"I've certainly driven some fast trucks," Gaughan said, "but I've certainly never experienced anything like setting a Guinness world record. I've known for a long time that the Dodge Ram is the ultimate truck for the race track, and this certainly proves the Ram SRT-10 is the ultimate performance truck for the street."
Hein Le Roux, research team member at Guinness World Records, said "People aren't too surprised when they hear about expensive super cars or race cars setting speed records. But few people expect a standard production pickup truck, which they can drive straight off the dealer lot, to be capable of this sort of speed. That's what makes this such a great Guinness World Record."
With a Guinness World Record now under its belt, the stock Dodge Ram SRT-10 now heads to Florida, where it will pace the field at the Feb. 13 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NCTS race at Daytona International Speedway.
Chrysler drops prices, raises features on minivans
Chrysler appears to have finally awoken from its slumbers and realized it is not the only manufacturer of minivans. Prices are being dropped by an average of $3,000, even though most extended-wheelbase ("grand") models will have the new Stow n Go (TM) seating and the new storage system. What's more, Dodge's Caravan will once again be the lowest priced minivan at $18,995 - beating the Kia Sedona (albeit with a four-cylinder, which beats Kia's V6).
A number of additional new features increase safety and convenience.
With Stow ‘n Go, owners of the new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan will have the ability to fold their second- and third-row seats into the floor in approximately 30 seconds, with a one-handed effort. In seconds, the third-row split bench (60/40) may be flipped, individually or in its entirety, completely rearward for convenient, comfortable tailgate seating complete with a weather shelter provided by the liftgate.
Stow ‘n Go will be a standard feature on the extended-wheelbase 2005 Chrysler Town & Country LX, Touring and Limited, and the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. Stow 'n Go will be an optional feature on the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SE. The Chrysler Group is the only manufacturer to offer this unique seating feature to its customers.
Chrysler brand
The Chrysler Town & Country standard-wheelbase model features a new Sycamore wood appearance integrated into the center stack, a premium cloth interior, body-color door handles and accent-color moldings. Other features include power door locks, sliding door alert system, remote keyless entry, steering column tilt, steering-wheel mounted speed controls, and sunscreen glass. The Chrysler Town & Country standard-wheelbase model is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 engine. The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the standard-wheelbase Chrysler Town & Country is $20,995, which includes $665 destination.
The Chrysler Town & Country (except base model) features Stow 'n Go seating, Sycamore wood instrument panel trim, second-row adjustable seats, and a 60/40 split third-row bench with tailgate feature. The Chrysler Town & Country LX model includes a 3.3-liter V-6 engine, four-wheel disc brakes, and 15-inch tires and wheel covers. The MSRP for Town & Country LX is $25,450, which includes $680 destination.
Stow 'n Go is standard on the Chrysler Town & Country Touring along with second-row adjustable seats, 60/40 split row bench with tailgate feature, dual-powered sliding doors, power liftgate and roof rack. The interior boasts a new satin silver trim appearance, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an eight-way power driver seat. The Chrysler Town & Country Touring edition features a 3.8-liter V-6 engine, 16-inch aluminum wheels with monochromatic Chrysler-badged center caps, ABS braking system with traction-control, and tire pressure monitoring system. The MSRP for the Chrysler Town & Country Touring is $27,750, which includes $680 destination.
The Chrysler Town & Country Limited -- the first and still the most luxurious minivan in the marketplace -- includes Stow 'n Go as a standard feature with second-row adjustable seats and a 60/40 split row bench with tailgate feature. The Limited sets the standard in the market for minivan elegance with a Sycamore wood and satin silver interior appearance, leather seats and ultra-suede accents, heated driver and front passenger seats, DVD-based navigation radio, Infinity® speakers, six-disc CD/DVD changer, three-zone automatic temperature control, and an electronic vehicle information system. The Limited edition features an overhead rail system with movable/removable storage bins, rear-park assist, bright roof rack, fog lamps, security alarm, 3.8-liter V-6 engine, 16-inch tires and chrome-clad wheel covers, and three-row side curtain air bags. The MSRP for the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Limited is $35,750, which includes $680 destination.
Dodge
Dodge will offer five minivan models for the 2005 model year -- two standard-wheelbase models and three extended-wheelbase models. Standard wheelbase minivans include Dodge Caravan SE and Dodge Caravan SXT. Extended-wheelbase minivans include Dodge Grand Caravan SE, Grand Caravan SE Plus and Grand Caravan SXT.
With an MSRP of $18,995, including $665 destination, the Dodge Caravan SE is now the lowest priced minivan on the market. The Dodge Caravan SE features a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, a freshened front fascia and grille, new body-side molding, 15-inch wheels, new wheel covers, new driver's inflatable kneeblocker, new sliding door alert system, new belt alert, and AM/FM/CD.
Standard features on the Dodge Caravan SXT include a new carbon weave center stack bezel, second-row bucket seats, dual-zone air conditioning, rear defrost system, and tilt-column steering. The Dodge Caravan SXT is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 engine and features 16-inch tires and new aluminum wheels, power-heated side mirrors, sunscreen glass, power door locks, and keyless illuminated entry. The MSRP for the Dodge Caravan SXT is $22,295, which includes $680 destination.
The Dodge Grand Caravan SE is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 engine and includes 15-inch tires and new wheel covers, ABS braking system, rear defrost, speed control, and tilt-column steering. The MSRP for the Dodge Grand Caravan SE is $21,995, which includes $680 destination.
The Dodge Grand Caravan SE Plus is the lowest priced Stow 'n Go model available with an MSRP of $24,990, which includes $680 destination. Along with Stow 'n Go, the Dodge Caravan SE Plus features second-row adjustable seats, 60/40 split row bench with tailgate feature, new advanced multi-stage air bags with occupant classification system, sunscreen glass, front and rear cargo nets, keyless illuminated entry, power locks, power-heated mirrors, and power windows.
Along with Stow 'n Go, the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT features second-row adjustable seats, 60/40 split row bench with tailgate feature, front and rear cargo nets, dual power sliding doors, traction control, fog lamps, rear heat/air-conditioning system, roof rack, eight-way power driver seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls, overhead console with trip computer and compass/temperature gauge, and a new carbon weave center stack bezel. The Dodge Grand Caravan SXT is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine and has 16-inch tires and aluminum wheels. The MSRP for the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT is $26,995, which includes $680 destination.
Chrysler sales released
Chrysler sales report, January 2004
Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 147,001 units in January 2004, an increase of nine percent over January 2003, when 129,222 units were sold. January represents the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains. Sales are calculated on a day-rate basis.
Bill Cawthon noted that:
GM was down 2% - cars were down 17%, light trucks were up 12.8%. Ford was down 5.2% but set a new record for F-Series sales in January, outselling the combined total of GM's four full-size pickups. Toyota and Honda set new volume records, though Honda sales are down, based on Daily Selling Rate. BMW was hurt, down 26% [DZ-they responded with a new radio campaign to spotlight their own AWD systems.] Mercedes was down about 3.1%. Basically, all the Germans except Porsche were down. [Porsche's new Cayenne has been pushing sales up.] The winter storms must have driven people into SUVs in droves. GM reported record SUV sales and did you look at the numbers for Jeep? Ford's Explorer and Expedition both improved, too, though the Escape was down slightly. All this in the midst of record gas prices for January.
The new Dodge Durango continued its strong launch performance by posting sales of 8,888 units. This represents a 38 percent gain compared to January 2003 when 6,209 units were sold. A recent Motor Trend comparison test ranked Durango first over the three top-selling large SUVs and a new entry from Japan."
Dodge Ram pickup posted sales of 28,021 units, a one percent increase compared to January 2003 sales of 26,752, continuing strong sales despite the launch of a redesigned F-150.
Other highlights for the Dodge brand include a record-setting January for the Dodge Neon with 10,758 units sold, a four percent increase compared to January 2003. Dodge Grand Caravan sales were up 47 percent, to 17,532 units, compared with January 2003 sales of 11,431 units.
Jeep sales increased 28 percent compared to January 2003. Jeep Grand Cherokee led the way for the brand by posting sales of 15,184 units, 39 percent higher compared to January 2003 when 10,516 units were sold. Jeep Liberty set an all-time record in January, selling 12,701 units, a 15 percent improvement over January 2003 sales of 10,613 units. Jeep Wrangler also had a strong January, increasing sales 35 percent to 5,391 units compared to 3,836 units sold in January 2003. A particularly strong winter may have contributed to the high Jeep sales.
Sales of Chrysler brand units were up 14 percent in January 2004, selling 33,936 units compared to January 2003 sales of 28,598. Chrysler PT Cruiser sales increased seven percent to 10,506 units. In January 2003, 9,443 PT Cruisers were sold.
Chrysler Group finished the month with 506,719 units of inventory, or a 90-day supply. This presumably includes a stock of Intrepid cars stored for the fleet market.
Our notes
This is the best sales report we’ve seen in some time. LH models are way down, but that is presumably because they are no longer being built (that’s Concorde, 300M, and Intrepid). The Intrepid is strongest — the only one with over 1,000 sold — presumably because extras were stocked up for fleet sales. The Voyager increase is inconsequential given the volume, but makes up for the Town & Country deficit.
Perhaps the only major sources of consternation in these sales figures are the drop in the Dodge Stratus, which is not going to be replaced for some time, and the fact that the sales increases may well be the result of heavy incentives (both 0% financing and rebates), along with the availability of lower pricing to both Chrysler employees and enthusiast groups (we applaud these discounts!). It’s worth noting that the fall in Stratus sales is nearly made up for with a rise in Sebring sales. The drop in Dakota sales is not too worrying since GM just announced the Colorado and Chrysler is expected to announce the Dakota within the coming weeks.
This is an interesting report in some ways because it does not break out cars and minivans, as past reports have. Minivans have, in fact, increased in sales over last year. It is worth remembering that this is only one month, and that January 2003 was rather bad. However, Chrysler does seem to be getting a new respect in the press. We hope that this momentum can be maintained.
Chrysler Group U.S. Sales Summary Thru January 2004
Month Sales DR %
Model Curr Yr Pr Yr Change
Sebring 7,556 6,343 15%
Concorde 606 3,242 -82%
300 964 2,308 -60%
Prowler 0 24 -100%
Crossfire 470 0
PT Cruiser 10,506 9,443 7%
Pacifica 6,462 0 0%
Voyager 1,834 1,093 61%
Town & Country 5,538 6,145 -13%
CHRYSLER BRAND 33,936 28,598 14%
Wrangler 5,391 3,836 35%
Liberty 12,701 10,613 15%
Grand Cherokee 15,184 10,516 39%
JEEP BRAND 33,276 24,965 28%
Neon 10,758 9,904 4%
Stratus 5,379 7,022 -26%
Intrepid 2,041 5,833 -66%
Viper 106 241 -58%
Dakota 5,811 6,637 -16%
Ram P/U 28,021 26,752 1%
Caravan 17,532 11,431 47%
Durango 8,888 6,209 38%
Ram Van/Wagon 854 1,630 -50%
Sprinter Van 399 0 0%
DODGE BRAND 79,789 75,659 1%
TOTAL CHRYSLER GROUP 147,001 129,222 9%
Selling Days 26 25
Plymouth Fury comeback?
An article at The Onion explores the latest in alternative fuel technologies, noting entries from each of the Big Three, including the new Plymouth Fury. This is a very well done piece of satire but note that it does use language which would not be acceptable at allpar.com. (Thanks, "redhed")
Chicago Auto Show impressions
Here are some initial impressions so far:
- There is a black 2005 Dakota behind the black curtain to the 'left' of the red Dakota that's under cover. Not sure what it's there for exactly yet...
- There was (so far) a total of ONE Dodge Magnum on display. Kinda disappointed at that. On the up side, it's an RT model with AWD. I got the chance to crawl in and around it, and I like it. A lot. The "blind spot" problem is no worse than my current 1998 Stratus, the new 2005 Durango, or the Chrysler 300. When I set the driver seat for myself, the view is up and above the top of the dash and the wheel - just like in my Stratus. I like that a LOT. Plenty of room in the back seat, too (FYI - I'm 5'10" and 200lbs). I really like this car.
- Since Chicago is "truck town", there were plenty of them on hand. I crawled in and around the new Durango, and something stuck me as 'odd' - climbing in the front seat was just like the Magnum - I had to actually duck just a bit to clear the A-pillar/roof area. Once inside, the view was identical to the Magnum - just higher off the ground. For such a large vehicle, it didn't seem all the huge from the front seat. Back seat room is good, and I could even fit in the 3rd row, but I wouldn't want to be back there for more than an hour.
- The Sling Shot is a very nice car. Up close, it does not seem that small at all. It actually seems larger than a Geo Metro (and it might be, but I don't think so...) - I'm hearing that it may see production in Europe first to help launch the Dodge name, then perhaps here in the US after that.
- Nice display for the Mopar Speedshop, flaunting several bits and pieces for the SRT-4. Right next to that, 16 (I think) arcade style driving seats set up and running the special Dodge Edition of Project Gotham Racing 2. (Jeep has only 2 stations with steering wheel controllers in their booth for the Jeep Edition, Chrysler has 4 stations with standard controllers.)
- The only Intrepids on display were the NASCAR #9 car and a Pace Car Edition Intrepid.
- There was a single red SRT-4 and a yellow Neon SXT on display.
- There was one lowly boring silver Stratus SXT, hidden away behind the PGR2 setup. I noticed that the valve cover on the 2.4L engine no longer says "2.4L" - just DOHC 16 VALVE. There was NO coupe on display at all.
- The Jeep display was nicely laid out, with the trees and park benches and all. The Rescue is there, and it looks a LOT smaller than you think it would. At least it did to me. If they produce it, call it a hit.
- Lots of Wrangler Unlimiteds on display, too.
- Chrysler's booth was literally mobbed with folks from several Asian auto manufacturers. I have a couple shots of them being led by one of their American employees, fawning all over the 300C. It was good to see that others are taking the new LX cars seriously. Unlike Dodge, Chrysler had 3 300 models on hand - a 300C Hemi on a turntable display, another on the floor, and a base 300. Interesting note: several media folks around the base 300 were amazed and pleased to see the base 300 came loaded with a TON of features (I grabbed a shot of the Monroney sticker) for under $24K MSRP. I have to admit, I was impressed, too. When told that it has the 2.7L V6, the first question they asked was "how much does it weigh?" When told 4000 pounds, they all essentially agreed that the 2.7L V6 wouldn't cut it, and the 3.5L would be the better choice. I'll reserve judgement until I drive one myself.
- Lots of T&C vans, pushing Stow'N'Go.
- One each from the Sebring line - coupe, convertible, and sedan. Does anyone else think sales night be better without the "new" 2004 grille?
- Two PT convertibles, one LO and one HO model. The wing badge on the "hoop" is a nice touch. There were also 2 'regular' PT models - one GT HO and a two-tone model.
- 3 Pacifica's on display - 2 AWD and one 'base' - displayed a good distance away from the T&Cs.
- 3 Crossfires as well - 2 coupes and one convertible.
- Oh, and the ME Four-Twelve. It's right off the main aisle where the public enters the show.
BTW - I noticed that the 2 machines I've used today were both able to "autofill" the "allpar.com" URL for me - so that's a pretty good sign, dontcha think?
SCCA racing sweep by Dodge
Team Mopar kicked off the 2004 SCCA ProRally season with flying colors and showers of snow, sweeping victories in all 2WD categories in the 32nd running of the Sno*Drift near Atlanta, Mich., Friday and Saturday.
Doug Shepherd and co-driver Pete Gladysz piloted their Dodge SRT-4 to first place in Overall 2WD competition and a similar victory in Group 5 competition, courtesy of their 2h, 7m, 34s navigation of the 113-mile, 19 stage circuit. Their time was an impressive seventh overall behind all-wheel-drive entries, which have a fundamental acceleration advantage on surfaces covered in snow and ice.
"On these roads, a 2WD car has wheel spin all the way up to 100 mph in some places," Shepherd said. "The SRT-4 has outstanding handling, so we could out-handle the all-wheel-drive cars where we couldn't out-accelerate them, and that kept us in the top-10 [overall]."
It was Shepherd's sixth consecutive Group 5 victory. He and Gladysz are the defending Overall 2WD and Group 5 champion driver and co-driver, respectively.
Chris Whiteman and co-driver Mike Paulin were the easy victors of Group 2, thanks to their total elapsed-time of 2h, 22m, 16s they earned driving their Dodge Neon SXT. It was the pair's second consecutive class victory and second straight Sno*Drift Group 2 win.
"It was getting pretty slippery there at the end," Whiteman said. "We're very happy to finish with the win. In three years driving at Sno*Drift, this is the best I've seen the conditions - it was a true winter rally."
In total, four Dodge vehicles wore the sharp Mopar barbed wire paint scheme. The other two vehicles were 2004 Dodge SRT-4s that competed in Group 5.
Don Jankowski, who won last year's Sno*Drift with the help of Gladysz' navigation and Mopar power, brought his SRT-4 home second in the Group 5 standings, this time with the help of co-driver Ken Nowak.
W.G. Giles, the 1992 Production Class ProRally champion, drove owner Brian Vinson's SRT-4 with the help of co-driver John Atsma. The team turned in competitive times throughout most of the rally, but an altercation with a snowbank caused him to run over the time limit on Stage 13, resulting in a DNF.
The four teams were largely populated by DCX employees who gladly braved the biting cold to help their teams to the top. Television coverage of Sno*Drift will air on May 1 at 11 p.m. on Speed Channel. The next SCCA ProRally event, "Oregon Trail," is scheduled for April 23-25 near Hillsboro, Ore.
Durango wins Motor Trend comparison
Included in the Motor Trend comparison are the new Armada, full-size GM SUV, Expedition, Sequoia, and Durango.
The Toyota and the Durango both tied for the quietest interiors. The Durango came in second in the acceleration test, the Armada took the lead in this one. With both vehicles moving at 70mph, and then pressed again, the author noted that the durango "walked away" from the Armada.
Most importantly, the Durango won first place! ... [webmaster note: despite what has seemed like an import bias at Motor Trend in the past.]
Rumor: Chrysler build schedule
"evok" from the cheersandgears.com forum posted what he claimed to be Chrysler's forthcoming build schedule, covering the next four years. (Courtesy "Brew Swillis at allpar's forums). We have no confirmation of reliability at all. The list is provided "as is." SOP is Start of Production.
Model Name Program Code Plant Type SOP 300 LX48 Bramalea Car Jan-04 300C LX48C Bramalea Car Jan-04 Magnum LX49 Bramalea Car Mar-04 300C Touring LX49 Bramalea Car Apr-04 Dakota ND Warren Truck Jul-04 Grand Cherokee WK Jefferson Truck Jul-04 R-Class W251 Vance Truck Oct-04 Charger LX48 Bramalea Car Jan-05 M-Class W164 Vance Truck Mar-05 Neon Rplt. PM49 Belvidere Car May-05 Mitsubishi Pickup NM Warren Truck Jul-05 Jeep Fullsize SUV XK Jefferson Truck Jul-05 Jeep Entry SUV MK74 Belvidere Truck Jan-06 Dodge Entry SUV MK74 Belvidere Truck Jan-06 G-Class X164 Vance Truck Mar-06 Sebring Sedan/Conv. JS27/41 Sterling Heights Car Jun-06 Mitsubishi Sport Wagon GS44 Toluca (Chrysler) Car Jul-06 Stratus JS41/49 Sterling Heights Car Jul-06 Wrangler JK Toledo 2 Truck Jul-06 Dodge Sprinter NCV3 Gaffney Truck Jul-06 Town & Country RT Windsor Truck Jul-06 Caravan RT Windsor Truck Jul-06 Caravan RT St. Louis South Truck Jul-06 Liberty KK Toledo North Truck Oct-06 Dodge Midsize SUV KA Toledo North Truck Jan-07 Pacifica CT Windsor Truck Jul-07 PT Cruiser EB74 Toluca (Chrysler) Car Jul-08 Ram Pickup Lt. Duty DS-LD Saltillo Truck Jul-08 Ram Pickup Lt. Duty DS-LD Warren Truck Jul-08 Ram Pickup Lt. Duty DS-LD St. Louis North Truck Jul-08
More Mopar racing wins
Francis wins Volusia opener, leads Winternationals point standings
Steve Francis drove his No. 15 Mopar straight into the record books with his victory Tuesday in the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model event at Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park.
Francis dominated the 30-lap event, leading every lap and finishing 10 car-lengths ahead of the runner-up. Francis also posted the top qualifying time out of 54 entrants, circling the half-mile dirt track in 16.761 seconds at 107.392 mph.
Francis started Wednesday's A-main at Volusia from the pole, thanks to his five-lap dash victory earlier that evening. He hustled his Mopar to a solid fourth-place finish in the A-main.
Francis currently leads the Florida Tour standings with 1175 points to his credit. Francis' efforts in the two WoO Late Model events place him second in series points, just two markers behind leader Bart Hartman.
The WoO Late Models continue the 33rd annual Winternationals today and Saturday at Volusia. The week's finale is scheduled for Sunday night in a $12,000-to-win 50-lap championship event.
Team Mopar driver Danny Lasoski is also competing at the Volusia Winternationals this week, in the United States season debut of 410-cubic-inch winged sprint car racing. Lasoski uses a Mopar powerplant in his regular World of Outlaws sprint car. This non-sanctioned racing continues through Sunday.
Stewart drives his winged Mopar to quick time, heat win
Team Mopar owner Tony Stewart returned to his dirt track roots on Tuesday and Wednesday, competing in the USCS "Thunder Thaw" event at the Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park.
Stewart, who was piloting his own No. 20 J.D. Byrider/Mopar machine, set quick time in a Monday night practice session, turning in consistent laps in the 14.70 second range. The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup champion locked himself into the A-main of the two day feature with a heat race win and a 12th-place preliminary feature finish Tuesday night.
In Wednesday night action, Stewart found himself starting on the outside of the front row for the A-main event, after the top six drivers were determined by using transfer points from Tuesday night's preliminary action. Stewart won the dash event prior to the start of the A-main event and brought his machine across the finish line in sixth place, very respectable for a man who drives only a few winged event each year.
Stewart will compete this weekend at the Daytona International Speedway in the "Budweiser Shootout" and "Bud Pole" events with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Allpar posts forum archives
Allpar has posted archives of its tech support, Daytona/Laser, A-body (Valiant, Dart, Duster, Demon, Pacer, Charger, Barracuda, etc.), and Volare/Aspen/LeBaron forums. While not complete, there are over 100,000 messages in a pre-indexed (read: fast) search engine. This project has taken a great deal of time - some generously donated by Bob O'Neil, who wrote the WebBBS scavenging system - and money. For the moment, it is free, with small donations requested. A great deal of useful information is available on the system (e-mail addresses have been removed to avoid spam harvesting).
http://www.allpar.com/oldposts/
Chrysler sponsors young driver safety program
Chrysler, along with a number of other sponsors, have set up a "Road Ready Teens" Web site and program to help educate young drivers and their parents. The URL is http://roadreadyteens.org
Otto Rosenbusch dies
Otto Rosenbusch, 75, the former Chrysler Corporation Director of Special Events, died on Feb 7th. For those not familiar with him, he was the man who saved the AMC and Chrysler Historical Collection (what would later form the bases of the W.P Chrysler Museum) and the AMC/Chrysler archives from being sold off or destroyed by bean-counters by hiding them in secret locations (without the knowledge of Chrysler management) during the dire cost-cutting days in the 1980s.
All Mopar fans should thank this man for his courage and foresight in saving alot of Mopar history.
Steve Francis off to good start
Team Mopar driver Steve Francis won the first-ever World of Outlaws (WoO) Late Model Series event on Feb. 3, sweeping his heat race and the dash event, and leading the feature event flag-to-flag to earn the win.
Francis drove his Stanton-built Mopar to a third-place finish in competition on Feb. 4, and the veteran finished fifth in the Winter Nationals WoO Late Model Florida appearance points.
Francis, who has driven the No. 15 machine into Victory Lane three times already this season, showed his hand early in the 2004 season, winning the Arizona "Early Thaw" event in January. With a complete 2004 WoO Late Model schedule expected to be released in the near future, Francis and company will have ample opportunity to utilize their equipment and Mopar powerplants.
Francis said: "The Mopar engines have been excellent - we don't have anything to complain about. To win the first three of six series events, that's a real tribute to everyone involved with this Mopar team. Winning is definitely setting the tone for our season. ... They're very drivable, and especially good at the start of the race." (Francis is using the Mopar "A" Engine Aluminum Race Block, part P5007581).
Mustgrave's new Ram
The No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram driven by Ted Musgrave in the NASCAR truck series sports an eye-catching Hemi® Orange and Black paint scheme this week that features the actors from Dodge's "That thing got a Hemi?" commercials. The graphics are highlighted by Musgrave's usual blue No. 1 and Mopar logos.
Two of the characters from the commercials," Jon Reep ("That thing got a Hemi?") and Todd Giebenhain ("Sweet"), will be on hand throughout Daytona Speedweeks, and they will watch the race from Musgrave's pit box. Reep and Giebenhain will spend a great deal of their time at Dodge City, an extensive brand display that includes static vehicles, the traveling Mopar Speedshop, a No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge Nextel Cup vehicle simulator, displays from numerous Dodge partners, the "Raminator" Monster Truck and the SRT-4 Thrill Rides. In addition, several Dodge NASCAR drivers will make autograph appearances throughout the week.
The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 is scheduled to get the green flag this Friday evening at 8 p.m.
Chrysler sells Huntsville as expected
Chrysler's Huntsville, Alabama electronics plant, which has produced a number of innovative components over the years and was recently cited for its high level of quality, will be sold to Siemens VDO Automotive as expected, according to DCX.
Philadelphia Auto Show notes
Chrysler put a 300 on a turntable near one of two main entrances to the main hall. But back in the Dodge section, the only Magnum was a black pre-production model stuck in among a cluster of Durangos. There was no signage on the Magnum, nothing: it was just sitting there behind red ropes, no chance of sitting in it. The windows were so heavily tinted you couldn't see much, but as I peered inside I realized the instrument panel wasn't complete. Trying to look underneath the chin spoiler (which on this car was only like 3" off the floor) I found what looked like a skid plate completely blocking any view of motor or trans (if they existed).
There were plenty of minivans and pickups and several Stratuses. There was a new Viper on display and an Evernham stocker converted into a driving simulator.
Chrysler shoots across Ford squad car bow
A Chrysler press release on www.prnewswire.com has an article and photograph of a thoroughly smashed Magnum, which had been subjected to a 50 mph rear-end impact. The article says, "the 50-mph offset rear-impact test measures fuel system integrity when the vehicle is hit at high speeds on the side nearest the fuel filler tube." The article mentions other test also, such as "pole tests" meant to test the air bag systems.
The article doesn't explicitly mention this, but it wasn't that long ago that Diplomats and Furies were the police car pretty much everywhere in the States. Lately agencies have been buying 85% Fords because Ford is the only game in town right now.
Side impact is what seems to kill more cops in Crown Vics, even more than gas tank fires. Just last week there was another fatal in South New Jersey... a trooper speeding to a hold-up slid on ice and caught a pole with the b-pillar. Side impacts seem to be the Crown Vic's other achille's heel.
The URL is: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-09-2004/0002105813&EDATE=
Bernhard leaves Chrysler for Mercedes
Chrysler Group chief operating officer Wolfgang Bernhard is being moved back to Germany to head up Mercedes-Benz, which has been heavily criticized of late for poor quality. Bernhard had been disliked by many American managers, and had been called arrogant and hostile, but he had also been noted as a car guy, and as a primary proponent of the attention-grabbing Tomahawk motorcycle. His replacement is expected to be Tom LaSorda, who has been with Chrysler for four years.
DCX to expand Detroit engine plant
The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) announced a second engine plant to be connected to the existing GEMA plant in Dundee, Michigan. GEMA is a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation which is charged with producing engines for use by all three organizations (Hyundai and Mitsubishi are partly owned by DaimlerChrysler). These engines are expected to be used in the next generation Chrysler compact and mid-sized cars, along with the PT Cruiser and most likely the Wrangler, along with Mitsubishis and Hyundais. They are also being built in Japan and Korea. American production will start in 2005, with the second plant starting in 2006.
The new facility on the 270-acre site will double the capacity of the overall operation, which will produce a new family of fuel- and emissions-efficient aluminum four-cylinder engines. GEMA is investing $323 million in the 450,000-square-foot addition, which is expected to add 250 new GEMA jobs (with up to another 50 first-tier supplier positions) to the overall operation.
"Our volume requirements have grown significantly since we began planning the first plant in Dundee," said GEMA president Bruce Coventry.
Dundee was chosen because of assistance from the state, regional offices, and the Village of Dundee. In addition, Coventry said the site will allow GEMA to leverage its resources more effectively, under one roof.
A process is now under way to screen and hire GEMA employees. Bruce Baumbach, GEMA Dundee plant manager, said, "Education and training is a top priority for our work force. Our training is being coordinated through partnerships with Monroe County Community College, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Southeastern Michigan Community Alliance, and we're very pleased to work with them in developing what I know will be a world-class group of employees."
Allpar notes that Hyundai has been talking about setting up a local American assembly plant as their market share has increased. The expansion may or may not be related.
DCX leadership changes
A number of changes have been made which directly impact on Chrysler. These should be reviewed in the context of Kerkorian v. DaimlerChrysler, in which a key issue is whether Chrysler was entirely taken over by Stuttgart, as opposed to being a merger of equals. The judge appears to be leaning towards accepting the blindingly obvious, which is that, as Juergen Schrempp claimed, Chrysler was taken over in a fraudulent transaction (a takeover billed as a merger).
Jurgen Hubbert, currently running Mercedes, is being bumped up to take over responsibility for Executive Automotive Committee (EAC) on August 1, 2004 (he will be responsible for all multi-brand product issues). Wolfgang Bernhard, currently COO of Chrysler, will become head of Mercedes Car Group as previously announced (he had previously headed AMG, which tunes Mercedes cars).Thomas La Sorda will become the new COO of Chrysler Group on May 1, 2004.
Thomas LaSorda and former Chrysler Corporation executive Frank Ewasyshyn will both join the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management, apparently in an attempt to make the corporation appear more like a merger of equals. Ewasyshyn will become Executive Vice President of Manufacturing of Chrysler Group, and will join the Chrysler Group Executive Committee. He is a leader in manufacturing technology and flexible plant design.
Manfred Gentz will be replaced on the Board of Management by Bodo Uebber.
Presumably due to an inability to think or admit mistakes, the DCX Supervisory Board said they intended to appoint Jürgen Schrempp as Chairman of the Board of Management for a further three years, leaving DCX stuck with the egotistical CEO through 2008.
Thomas W. La Sorda was hired from General Motors four years ago, and was made responsible for production within the Chrysler Group.
Bad bolts slow Pacifica production
According to Automotive News, a run of bad bolts has slowed production of Pacificas by delaying the availability of 3.5 liter engines. Some of the vehicles may have been sold to customers; Chrysler is expected to fix these.
Mitsubishi head to resign?
Rolf Eckrodt, exported from Germany to run Mitsubishi after DaimlerChrysler acquired a controlling interest, may resign, according to Automotive News. He has been in place for 20 months, and applied to Mitsubishi the same prescription that had been given to Chrysler: growth through slashing of investments. The changes at Mitsubishi were more severe as they applied to product.
Allpar note: if the 20-month standard for turnarounds had been applied to Juergen Schrempp, he would have been out of Daimler-Benz before the acquisition of Chrysler. Schrempp, it's worth noting, has been given yet another three-year vote of confidence despite seemingly pervasive failures of his strategy and personal performance.
smart chief to head MMC turnaround team
As DaimlerChrysler attempts to lull its competitors into a false sense of security by pretending to have an incredibly short-term focus and no sense at all for how to run mass-market car companies, it has announced that smart car chief Andreas Renschler will run a Mitsubishi turnaround team. Mitsubishi chief Rolf Eckrodt, who was imported from Germany not quite two years ago (because as everyone knows the Japanese are incapable of running car companies) said he would leave any decisions on his future status to stockholders, without going so far as to say how stockholders would make their decision known.
As far as we know, smart has never earned a profit despite increasing popularity. Mitsubishi estimated its annual loss for this fiscal year at $665 million.
Racing roundup
World of Outlaws
Mopar's Danny Lasoski earned top-qualifier marks twice in as many nights as the World of Outlaws Series kicked off the 2004 season over the weekend and returned to Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz.
Lasoski and the No. 20 team from Tony Stewart Motorsports also racked up two top-ten finishes and a B-Main win, as well as a heat race win in the two-day WoO season opener.
Friday, Lasoski piloted his Mopar-powered machine around the 1/2-mile semi-banked oval, besting the field with a 15.506 second lap. After taking seventh in the first heat race event, Lasoski went on to win the B-Main, locking himself into the Preliminary Feature. Lasoski picked up 10 positions in the 25-lap Feature, crossing the finish line seventh.
Saturday night saw a repeat for Lasoski and company, who posted a 15.656-second qualifying lap, good for the second quick time. "The Dude" scored his first heat race win of the season. Lasoski finished the evening 10th in the A-Main, bringing the team up to speed early in the nomadic sprint car series standings.
A Mopar engine was also behind Tyler Walker's Preliminary Feature victory on Friday night. Walker turned in the second-best qualifying time behind Lasoski, started the race on the pole, and led 24 of 25 laps in the victory. In Saturday's A-Main, Walker started and finished second to complete his awesome weekend.
Lasoski and the No. 20 J.D. Byrider/Mopar/Home Depot team will move on to Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway, Saturday for the series' second outing this season. Lasoski won the A-main last February at Perris. He also owns the single-lap track record, which he set in 2002.
In 2003 Lasoski led the series with 28 quick times; "The Dude" is already two-for-two in 2004.
Said Tony Stewart, owner of the No. 20 WoO team: "We had more quick times than anybody else last year in the World of Outlaws, and that was due to our Mopar powerplant."
"We couldn't be happier, unless we were first today. Last season, we were having problems early in the year, but that all straightened out when Bob Glidden came on board. He's truly one of the greatest people I've ever worked with.
"We're all looking forward to this season. With Mopar as a sponsor and the Hemi engines, I'm confident that this season will be a good one."
NHRA Winternationals postponed by rain after one qualifying round
Team Mopar will have to wait another week to get the 2004 NHRA POWERade season in full swing, thanks to persistent rain over Pomona Raceway in southern California.
After one round of qualifying, Larry Morgan sits a solid second, courtesy of his initial pass of 6.765-seconds at 204.05 mph.
"Our plan is to come back next weekend and pick up right where we left off," Morgan said. "We started out with a great run, and the whole team is looking forward to coming back next weekend and getting back to racing."
Allen Johnson posted a 6.836 at 201.04 mph at Pomona, which finds him in the 13th spot with three qualifying rounds to follow.
Shaun Carlson, an ace for Team Mopar in the Pro FWD division of the NHRA Sport Compact series, turned in a very respectable rear-wheel-drive pass in Round One last Thursday while sitting in for regular Pro Stock driver and three-time world champion, Darrell Alderman.
"I'm happy with the first run," Carlson said. "It was only my third full pass in a Pro Stock car ever. The biggest differences are that I'm in a rear-wheel car and the hood scoop. Something as simple as that and it's like driving with one hand over your eye ... "
Qualifying is scheduled to resume this weekend, with one round on Friday, two on Saturday, and Eliminations Sunday. Same day television coverage is likely to air on ESPN2.
Schumacher Funny Cars look to improve after rain delay
The two Dodge-bodied Funny Cars from Schumacher Racing are looking forward to bettering last Thursday's qualifying efforts from the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway.
Gary Scelzi premiered the eye-catching new Hemi Oakley Dodge Stratus on Thursday, but had traction problems on his way to a 7.624-second run at 107.39 mph, placing him in the 16th-qualifying position.
"I'm glad they called it because I'd like to have at least a couple of more shots at it," Scelzi said. "We'll see if the Hemi Oakley Dodge will run [a record] 330 mph, because that's what we've been working on over the winter."
Whit Bazemore, Scelzi's teammate, pulled out a tire-smoking 5.448-second pass at 229.43 mph, good for 12th-spot so far.
"We'll have to see what the weather conditions and the track conditions are when we come back to see if that first pass means anything or not," Bazemore said. "But the fact is it's really good for our team that we're going to have three runs next week, because we're not quite where we want to be yet with this tune-up and this engine combination."
Qualifying is scheduled to resume this weekend, with one round on Friday, two on Saturday, and Eliminations Sunday. Same day television coverage is likely to air on ESPN2.
The new Hemi Oakley Dodge Stratus driven by Gary Scelzi had a hard time getting a grip on the strip last week, but the team looks to bring it back to record-setting form later this week.
Chrysler trademark watch
Stratuscaster noted that Chrysler has abandoned trademarks for the 300N, Nassau, Power Boxx, and Commander. The 300N is obvious, while the Nausau was reported to be a new Chrysler model. The Power Boxx and Commander were concept trucks.
He also noted that several names have been trademarked by Chrysler recently, some of which hail from the past. These include:
- Rebel - used by AMC but also by Chrysler in far-off lands
- Dodge Enforcer - used in the past and presumably the future for squad cars
- Adventurer - formerly a powerful DeSoto that ran with the 300 letter cars
- Journey - reserved for an SUV
- Rockey Mountain - this name was reserved across several categories
- Diesel Fresh - diesel fuel lubricant/odorant
Quite a bit of food for thought in these trademarks. The Dodge Enforcer had already been rumored, not surprising given that the LX series seems almost designed to crush the oft-criticized, oft-exploding Ford Police Interceptor in police markets. Rebel, Adventurer, and Journey did not correspond with any particular marque, unlike Enforcer (which presumably has the Dodge because "Enforcer" is a generic term that could not be trademarked).
Ex-Chrysler engineer writes tell-all book
Suspension engineer Evan Boberg, who joined Chrysler via its acquisition of AMC and left at the time of the takeover by Daimler-Benz, has written a book named "Common Sense Not Required: Idiots Designing Cars and Hybrid Vehicles - My Career With Chrysler." One part autobiography and one part exposé, the book goes into detail on a variety of topics, including the design of a variety of Jeeps and trucks, Chrysler's hybrid vehicles (including the Patriot and Intrepid ESX, described elsewhere on Allpar), and management practices at AMC and Chrysler. Boberg names many people, but uses pseudonyms for those who get less than praise. Our initial discussion with another ex-Chrysler employee indicates that the book is highly accurate, and definitely worth a read, despite some unfortunate digressions scattered through the latter chapters. It is available from the publisher, with a starting price of only $3.95 for the electronic edition: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/20743 (or call 888-280-7715). We will publish a full review shortly. (Note: we have not yet gotten feedback from a Chrysler spokesman on the book).
Edmonton auto show report
I have spent the last 4 days at the Edmonton Auto show (my company had a booth at the event), and I must say that I was EXTREMELY impressed with the Chrysler 300.
This is a small auto show if you compare it to the likes of Detroit, LA, and NY. But the 5 minute wait to sit in a 300 was pleasantly surprising.
Although Chrysler's set up was impressive, I couldn't help but be a little confused. Here you have two cars being launched that are supposed to help save the company (the 300, and the Magnum). Yet they chose to showcase the Crossfire and the SRT-4 with presentations.
The SRT-4 can sell itself to the target demographic. No problem. The Crossfire I can understand wanting to try and get more info out about them so they can start selling some of these. But to not talk specifically about the 300 and the Magnum is mind boggling! I was blown away.
Even more boggling was the salesman that called me stupid because I asked when the AWD models would be available to Canadians. "They aren't going to come with all wheel drive, Mercedes doesn't have an AWD system so why would the 300?" I responded that Mercedes did indeed have an AWD system but that had nothing to do with the LX cars having AWD and walked away.
Chrysler also brought the Razor to the show. We never get these type of concepts at our show. Well, not unless they are thinking about producing them and want to judge response in our market.
In person this car is even more impressive than in the pictures. Just standing around the car for 5-10 minutes I heard many women comment about "That is a nice car, I could use something small and sporty like that" or "When can I buy one?" or "I would buy one over a Miata any day" Those are just a few examples.
Allpar passes 300,000 visitors
For the first time, Allpar passed 300,000 visitors in one month in February 2004, despite the short month (29 days). Traditionally, Allpar's volume increases starting in January and rises through to May, falling somewhat in June (though usually not going as low as the prior year). In January, Allpar logged 297,932 unique IP addresses; in February, that climbed to 314,633 IP addresses (it is assumed that each unique IP address represents a different person. The number of people calling in via modem, which usually means that each visit is from a different IP, is assumed to balance out against the number of people who access Allpar from work or through AOL, where the IP address is generally identical for different people).
There were about 2.3 million page views in February - that does not include images or scripts. There were 560,128 visits (up from 545,070 in January).
The 2003 peak was in May with 282,332 IP addresses and 551,267 visits.
The increase in popularity, coupled with the greater viability of Google AdSense as a fund-raising method, will accelerate our ability to add new content.
Chrysler releases 300, 300C details
Chrysler has finalized their specifications and information on the 300 and 300C. We have updated our pages with the newer material (marked), and have also added a comparison of the current 300 to the Chrysler Concorde (the 2000 model, not the longer version that replaced the LHS). Most of the new material is on the shared LX page.
Sales reports coming in
Chrysler reported a sales increase, February 2004 to February 2003, of 1% - identical to that of Mercedes for the same period, but far less than General Motors, which saw a 4% rise in truck sales and a 9% boom in car sales (reversing a long trend of greater and greater reliance on trucks and SUVs). Ford did not fare as well, selling about 6,500 fewer vehicles than in March 2003 (including imports and heavy duty trucks). At Ford, a steep 14% fall in car sales countered a 4% rise in trucks, partly because of reduced sales to rental fleets.
While these figures appear to be favorable, February 2003 was rather weak for all of the former Big Three, and Dodge has admitted a form of defeat by adding $1,000 to its cash rebates on the nearly-new Dodge Ram, in the face of heavy advertising for the Ford F-150.
Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes all set records for the month.
Chrysler sued by SCO
SCO, which has threatened for over a year to sue Linux end-users but which has refused to provide any evidence that they have a basis for the lawsuits, has announced that they are suing DaimlerChrysler as one of their first targets. DCX was presumably chosen because the legal staff is occupied fighting a real lawsuit brought by Kirk Kerkorian.
SCO is largely funded by Microsoft, which reportedly paid $11 million "above the table" for rights to SCO's questionable "intellectual property." A page at http://www.opensource.org/halloween/halloween10.html suggests that they actually are funneling $86 million to SCO's legal efforts. Microsoft has been fighting Linux and open-source software on many fronts since losing several major deals to Linux vendors - including the city of Munich, and, perhaps most serious, the government of China. SCO has claimed that Linux infringes on their rights to a version of UNIX purchased from AT&T, but has not shown any evidence to support that claim. Many commentators believe that SCO is simply working as an arm of Microsoft to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the viability of Linux (just as Microsoft spread "FUD" about DR-DOS many years ago).
A settlement by DCX would probably be used to push forward other lawsuits by SCO, which is an interesting business model - not unlike buying successful companies, sucking out their assets, mismanaging them, and blaming them for dragging down the parent company.