Posts about Chrysler
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—>Several Ford cars are among the world's most reliable vehicles, according to the latest annual car reliability survey from Consumer Reports. More »
—>The huge salaries and bonuses paid to executives of banks and other firms that received government bailout funds have been the subject of a lot of taxpayer rage. The Obama administration listened, and will order pay cuts. More »
—>Are you struggling financially these days? You're certainly not alone, and you even have something in common with Jim Press, one of Chrysler's top executives. Press, hit hard by the housing market collapse and the lack of bonuses from Chrysler as the company failed, faces debts including a $800,000 unsecured personal loan and a $947,000 federal tax lien on his home. More »
—>A new report by the Congressional Oversight Panel — an independent, yet totally powerless, group appointed by the Senate to review the results of the recent government bailouts — states that we'll get a few bucks back from the automakers, but shouldn't count on it to cover our car payments: More »
—>Chris and his wife bought a Jeep were automatically enrolled in a free credit monitoring service. When they decided they no longer wanted the service, they got a hassle from a CSR and worry they'll have to go through the process again to cut the cord. More »
Today, Chrysler rolled out a new incentive plan that offers rebates of up to $4,500 on most new 2009 models, targeted at drivers contemplating trading in an older model under the government's "cash for clunkers" program. So, how do Chrysler's "Double Cash for Your Old Car" incentives add up? Well, basically... Deals = good. Cars = Bad. [Consumer Reports] More »
—>What's Oprah's latest giveaway? Not, thankfully, chicken. She'll be giving away two Routans. Hey, cool! But does the Oprah endorsement mean that the Routan is any good? Well, according to Consumer Reports Cars...not really. More »
I lease a Chrysler minivan, and am wondering if their bankruptcy will give them the ability to "devalue" my van at the end of the lease (July 2010). I already see 2009 versions of the same van going for nearly $10K less than what we leased it for, and I'm worried. More »
What will the post-bankruptcy Chrysler mean for us, the car-buying public? Consumer Reports Cars has the info, including repair and warranty information, and a preview of the new models to come from Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Fiat. One highlight is the teeny subcompact Fiat 500. [Consumer Reports Cars] More »
—>Fiat has completed their purchase of Chrysler, clearing the way for the troubled automaker to exit bankruptcy — but what will the new company look like for consumers? Well, according to BusinessWeek you may be visiting your local Fiat, Jeep, Dodge dealer. More »
—>With the future uncertain, or at the very least, pretty different from normal, for Chrysler and GM, does it make sense to buy a car from one of these companies? How doe s the restructuring affect you as a potential new car owner? Consumer Reports Online Auto Crisis Center has the answers to six questions every Chrysler and GM car owner will want to know before signing on the line which is dotted. More »
—>Now that Chrysler and GM are getting remixed, what does this mean for me? Consumer Reports Online Auto Crisis Center has the answers to five questions every Chrysler and GM car owner will want to know as the two car companies move their restructuring. More »
—>Late last Thursday night, two guys rang reader Sean's doorbell and asked if he'd like to get anything out of his 2007 Jeep Compass before they repossessed it. Since then, Sean has tried to get current on his payments, but Chrysler's web site snafus have kept him from getting the cash to Chrysler, which won't let him get his car back unless he forks over hundreds of dollars in fees. Oy. Sean's story, inside.. More »
—>Do you own a GM car (or subsidiary, such as Hummer or Saturn) and are worried about who will perform warranty service? The super-awesome car department over at Consumer Reports checked into this, and learned that the service department of any GM dealership can perform warranty service on your car. They just might not realize that, or might not choose to service Saturns or Hummers. More »
—>As GM's bankruptcy looms, let's take a look at what might be in store for its network of dealerships. Chrysler dealers are understandably angry at the company's shutting down of dealerships, refusal to take back unsold inventory, and general inability to, in the words of Jon Stewart, "be a f@#king person." Or ethically behaving corporate entity, whatevs. More »
—>In case you don't watch "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" as obsessively as I do, here's a segment from earlier this week that is relevant to Consumerist readers' interests. In it, they provide an overview of news coverage of the closing of GM and Chrysler dealerships, and implore the companies to "be a f@#king person!" More »
—>To add insult to injury, Chrysler and GM will NOT be buying back vehicle inventory from dealerships that recently received closing notices. Maybe we have two new candidates for Worst Company in America next year! On the other hand, maybe this is good news for consumers. Large inventories + need for quick cash = SALE! More »
—>The automotive bloodbath continues today as GM plans to eliminate up to 1,200 dealerships. The dealers could start getting notification as soon as Friday. More »
—>Hey, this is getting kinda dramatic. Over in bankruptcy court land, Judge Arthur Gonzalez has decided to reveal the identities of the group of investors calling themselves "Non-TARP" lenders that are seeking to stop the auction of most of Chrysler's assets to an entity managed by Fiat SpA, says Bloomberg. More »
Will A Merger Between Fiat and Chrysler Improve Reliability? Nah, probably not. [Consumer Reports] More »
—>What impact does the Chrysler bankruptcy have on regular investors who hold bond funds? Most likely little to none, it turns out. Consumer Reports points out that most mutual funds have been avoiding Chrylser, GM, and Ford debt for years now—and if your fund does include Chrysler, it's probably a tiny portion of your overall investment. More »
—>President Obama announced today that Chrysler would seek bankruptcy protection and enter into an alliance with Fiat. The president told reporters that a "small group of speculators" made up of hedge funds and other investors held out in the hopes that the US government would bail them out. That didn't happen. More »
President Obama is expected to speak at noon to announce the fate of Chrysler. The New York Times says, "Last-minute efforts by the Treasury Department to win over recalcitrant Chrysler debtholders failed Wednesday night, according to people briefed on the talks. Barring a last-minute agreement, Chrysler was expected to seek Chapter 11 protection, most likely in New York, these people said." [NYT] More »
—>It now seems much more likely that Chrysler will avoid bankruptcy. BusinessWeek says that Chrysler and the US Treasury have reached a deal with the banks and private equity firms that hold Chysler's debt. More »
—>Last year's champion VS a troubled car company that used your bailout money to buy an ad thanking you for your bailout money? Which one makes you punch the wall with rage? More »
—>With a week to go before the deadline runs out on Chrysler's bailout — it's looking less and less likely that the automaker will be saved from liquidation. More »
—>The Washington Post has just published a story accusing executives at Chrysler Financial of turning down a $750 million government loan because they "didn't want to abide by new federal limits on pay," and instead opted for more expensive private sector financing, "adding to the burdens of the already fragile automaker and its financing company." Chrysler Financial denies the charge. More »
—>An internet auction giant, payment processor and ticket broker? Or a troubled car company that used your bailout money to buy an ad thanking you for your bailout money? Which do you hate more? More »
—>Dell hell? Or another car company being propped up by the government? Which is worse? More »
—>In accordance with the March 31st deadline for evaluating the restructuring plans of the bailed out automakers, President Obama is expected to address the nation today to present his administration's findings — and the news isn't too sunny for the automakers. More »
—>Apparently the people at Integrity (!) Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Las Vegas don't read our blog, or they would have seen this post last year. Then they would have known what a bad idea it is to trick people into thinking you've hit their vehicle just to get them to call you about a trade-in offer. More »
—>Wondering which car brands are the all-around best? According to the Automaker Report Cards published in Consumer Reports', Annual Auto Issue, 4 of the top 5 brands are Japanese, with no US car makers making the list — even though there was a 4-way tie for 5th place. Ouch. More »
—>Despite taxing $4 billion in emergency aid from the U.S. government, Chrysler's product placement deals are not in danger. Phew. More »
—>Here's a sad little saga. After convincing our government that it was responsible enough and commercially viable enough to deserve a multi-billion-dollar bailout, Chrysler spent some of the money taking out full page ads in The Wall Street Journal and USAToday, thanking America for its money. They also posted these ads proudly on their blog. The reaction from actual Americans was, um, harsh. More »
—>One of the conditions of the auto bailout is the elimination of private corporate jets. Guess they probably shouldn't have flown them to Washington to ask for a tax payer bailout. Whoopsie! More »
—>President Bush has approved a $17.4 billion auto bailout, with $13.4 billion in emergency loans to prevent the collapse of GM and Chrysler and another $4 billion to be handed out in February. More »
—>Friday will be the last day of production as Chrysler shuts down for 30 days — citing lack of available consumer credit. More »
—>The Auto Bailout Bill passed House yesterday, but is expected to encounter strong Republican resistance in the Senate. More »
—>CBSNews is reporting that while, at this very moment, the big three auto bosses are testifying in front of the House Financial Services Committee (watch this now at CSPAN, if you like.) about how they need emergency bridge loans in order to continue functioning — they still apparently have enough money to continue to spend millions lobbying our government. More »
—>A majority, 61% of Americans are not in favor of bailing out the auto industry, says CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Ford, Chrysler and GM have requested up to $34 billion dollars in emergency loans, but a majority of Americans polled thought that bailing out the automakers wouldn't help the economy. More »
—>The CEOs of Ford, GM, and Chrysler have all agreed to take only a $1 salary if the government will pretty pretty pretty please with killed-electric-car-on-top bail them the out. [CNNMoney] (Thanks to DjDynasty!) (Photo: Nrbelex) More »
—>ABCNews says that the big three auto CEOs "flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy." More »
—>What do you do when your industry starts to go belly up and you can't make enough revenue to stay afloat? If you're a short-sighted U.S. auto maker, you beg the government for $25-50 billion in immediate, low-interest loans in order to retool your plants, so you can start producing the hybrid cars you should have been planning years ago. More »
—>A hybrid vehicle might be more fuel efficient than the non-hybrid version of the same car, but some hybrid vehicles can get as few as 19mpg. Check out this list of the least fuel efficient hybrid vehicles before you head out to the dealership. More »
—>Reader inkjammer would like to let you know that Chrysler thinks of a full tank of gas as an "additional feature" — albeit a free one. More »
Chrysler announces WiFi-enabled cars: "We want to make the radio itself a WiFi port," a spokesperson said. The service will require a subscription to a wireless phone carrier. [Washington Post] More »
—>Chrysler has extracted the DNA of our executive email carpet bomb and used it to create a weird new outreach program: starting next week, 300 Chryslers execs will each call a different recent purchaser of a Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep vehicle and ask if there are any problems. According to Cars.com's blog Kicking Tires, they'll keep doing this "until Chrysler chairman and chief executive officer Bob Nardelli is satisfied that if his customers have troubles, their problems will be fixed. Nardelli, by the way, is going to make the calls, too." That last sentence—well, really the whole idea—becomes funnier when you know where Nardelli once worked. More »
—>Chrysler is betting that you're worried about volatile gas prices. So worried, in fact, that you'll leap at the opportunity to "lock in" a price of less than $2.99 a gallon for 3 years by buying a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep. More »
—>Chrysler's new CEO Robert "Big Bob" Nardelli, formerly of Home Depot, has started cutting costs at Chrysler. The first to go will be the popular PT Cruiser, says the WSJ. More »
—>Researchers have figured out a way to hack remote keyless car entry devices. The threat to the consumer is minimal, it takes several hours to crack the code, but it does give one pause, especially considering that if the Keeloq's manufacturer added a few simple measures they could render the exploit nearly useless. More »
—>You can't keep a good CEO down! Or something. Robert "Big Bob" Nardelli, the CEO who famously ran Home Depot into the ground by deemphasizing customer service in favor of the "business supply" division and then ran away with over $200 million in severance pay and other bonuses, has been named CEO of the Chrysler Group. More »
—>Effective immediately, Chyrsler is upgrading its three-year, 36,000 mile powertrain warranty to a lifetime warranty. The warranty only applies to original owners and lessees, and specifically excludes rental companies and corporate fleets. Still, it's a good news, right? The car experts at Jalopnik think it could be better: More »
—>Chrysler is recalling 400,000 Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans over concerns that road salt may corrode sensors, preventing air bags from properly deploying. Chrysler told the government, "brass brushings on the sensors could corrode and crack on the front air bags, allowing water to enter the sensor and causing it to fail." Were that to happen, the air bag warning light would illuminate, meaning you should try really hard not to crash. More »
—>• In Edinburgh for a few months, what's the best mobile phone to use to make international calls to US (amongst other places) from Scotland? [Link] More »
There are absolutely no new ideas in advertising. In this latest proof, Chrysler rips off Volkswagen ripping off Mitsubishi by playing up the combustible engine's ethnic heritage, in this case, as in VW's, German. The campaign introduces Dr. Z as CEO and spokesmensch. To cries of "I can't see any lederhosen," Daimler replies, "Farfegcocca." More »
