Fiat 500 deal details

Allpar contributor James Hale illuminated the rationale behind making Fiat 500 cars in Mexico rather than at an American plant:
1. Mexico has free trade agreements with the USA and Canada (NAFTA), as well as with the European Union. This means that the country is uniquely positioned to manufacture European brands and export them to the [...]

Fiat 500 in Mexico, engines in Michigan

Detroit News quoted a Wall Street Journal report as saying that Chrysler would build the Fiat 500 in Mexico, as predicted months ago. The engines may be built in Trenton, Michigan, using capacity not needed for the World Engine.
The Toluca plant builds the PT Cruiser and Dodge Journey. The PT has recently been extended one [...]

New plant heads named

New plant heads are:

Brampton: Kevin Hayes
Sterling Heights: Joseph Ozdowy
Jefferson North: Patrick Walsh
Toluca Body-in-White and Stamping: Carlos Rivera
Sterling Stamping: Robert Seabolt
Warren Stamping: Lance Schwartz

Other changes include:

James McBride was appointed Head of Central Planning and Investment Control of Powertrain Operations
Donald Dekeyser was appointed Head of the Trenton (Mich.) South Engine Plant.
Andrew Garibian was appointed Head of the [...]

PT Cruiser to remain in production

The Chrysler PT Cruiser, one of the most successful vehicles the automaker has introduced, will remain in production. Gualberto Ranieri, chief spokesman for Chrysler Group, confirmed the decision to keep the Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico cranking out PT Cruisers. One analyst thinks the PT Cruiser will remain in production until new Fiat-based models come [...]

Seven Chrysler plants to start back up

Chrysler Group announced today that it will resume volume production of vehicles in seven of its North American assembly plants on the week of June 29, 2009. As part of a phased production ramp-up, the following assembly plants are scheduled to resume production at the end of the month:

Sterling Heights (Sterling Heights, MI) – Chrysler Sebring [...]

PT Cruiser to continue into 2010

Global Auto wrote that the Chrysler PT Cruiser would continue on through 2010 in order to keep the Toluca plant active until Fiats arrive. One motivation may be a large parts stockpile which was reported to Allpar two weeks ago, and which may have been due to the sudden collapse of PT sales when rumors [...]