Industry experts unsure Chrysler can reach market share projections | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Chrysler Group LLC's now-public five-year plan hinges on some targets that analysts say are unrealistic. The plan, unveiled Wednesday during an eight-hour session in Auburn Hills, may be a fair representation of what Chrysler needs to do to thrive and repay its loans, but some of the benchmarks, such as the projection of a 4 percent market share increase, are stopping many cold. "Is the plan outlandish or merely wildly ambitious?" said analyst Michelle Krebs of Edmunds.com, who described the overall...

Chrysler is in a race that already started | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Time is not on the side of Chrysler Group LLC. I say this not because CEO Sergio Marchionne doesn't have a track record of turning around businesses, because he does. Nor because the men and women of Chrysler can't deliver the upgraded cars and trucks promised at Wednesday's marathon confab. They can. Time is not on Chrysler's side because the clock clearly favors crosstown rivals Ford Motor Co. and, yes, General Motors Co. -- both of which have killer products in showrooms, right now, that deliver on...

2009 SEMA Auto Show: Chrysler Gives TV to its Passengers
If you forgot your DVDs at home and have nothing to do in a long trip, you can still watch some TV shows, says Chrysler. The auto manufacturer is offering 20 channels such popular ones as CNBC, Comedy Central, Fox News, MSNBC, MTV, and Nickelodeon. The new feature is going to be presented at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show. It will be available on several 2008-2010 models: two minivans Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan; numerous SUV’s Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Journey, and...

Chrysler focused on boosting quality | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Chrysler Group LLC officials know quality sells, and they've set on an aggressive path to improve vehicle reliability to boost sales. To that end, they have instituted sweeping changes within the company to catch problems early and correct them faster than in the past. "We have one quality plan with specific goals," Doug Betts, Chrysler senior vice president for quality said Wednesday. He added that while Chrysler execs are unhappy finishing at or near the bottom of recent reliability studies, those...

Chrysler gives cause for hope | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Detroit's auto CEOs have their own style. Ford Motor Co.'s Alan Mulally never wears a suit. A sport coat and tie, but not a suit. Not even when he's meeting the president. General Motors Co.'s Fritz Henderson is almost always in a suit. He's a financial guy. Chrysler Group LLC's new CEO Sergio Marchionne is a sweater and slacks guy, which held true Wednesday when he and his team unveiled the company's business plan here to analysts, media and the world. The atmosphere was hectic, even frantic at times...

Chrysler eyes 2011 for profit | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Fiat's retooling of Chrysler foresees the littlest of Detroit's Big Three making profits by 2011 and paying off its bailout loans by 2014, officials said during Wednesday's daylong debut of what a post-bankruptcy Chrysler will look like. The profit forecasts are based on big cuts in expenses that already are under way; economies of scale from sharing parts and vehicle platforms; and a volume increase that calls for doubling U.S. and worldwide sales in five years. It will be a big gain from the...

Chrysler brands to aim appeal at specific lifestyles | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Chrysler Group LLC outlined new strategies for its four vehicle brands Wednesday, aimed at recapturing lost market share by bringing new buyers into showrooms. Dodge, which remains the nation's No. 3 brand by sales, will see its bad-boy image toned down, and its big trucks sold under a new standalone Ram brand. Dodge will get a "more mature" logo, and vehicles will focus on the "physics of fun," not macho design. The Ram brand will inherit the old Dodge logo and much of its swagger, but will concentrate...

Chrysler lays out lofty revival plan | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Chrysler Group LLC Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne laid out an ambitious, detailed plan Wednesday to revive the struggling Auburn Hills automaker by replenishing its lineup with high-quality and attractive models to more than double sales within five years and start generating profit in 2011. His bold program for Chrysler, which resembles his turnaround plan for Fiat SpA's Fiat Auto a few years ago, focuses on rebuilding Chrysler's bruised brands. By offering Chrysler immediate and unfettered...

Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler get makeover | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Chrysler Group LLC wants to hit the restart button on its entire lineup, refreshing, redesigning or replacing every car and truck, swapping out engines and creating vehicles people want. By 2012, Chrysler will have overhauled or replaced its entire lineup. Good luck. Right now, Chrysler is dangling off a cliff. The automaker is growing smaller every month and sits at the bottom of most quality ratings. There may be reasons behind the poor quality of its vehicles, but consumers see them as excuses, and...

Chrysler to cut prices on 2010 pickups | detnews.com | The Detroit News
The redesigned 2010 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups will offer more content at a lower price, Chrysler Group LLC announced today. The big rig pickups will start at $28,165 for a regular cab models, $31,415 for Crew Cab models and $36,865 for Mega Cab models. For this model year, Ram will discontinue the Quad cab heavy duty trucks, replacing that with the larger Crew Cab model. All prices include $950 for shipping. The new Ram adopts the looks introduced in the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup last year...