Back in Chrysler's salad days, Dick Dauch was the much-admired head-busting manufacturing boss in an executive suite lined with power players like Lee Iacocca and Bob Lutz. Competing egos served as a check on individual power and privilege. My, how things have changed. Lee's pimping with Snoop, Lutz is nutz (and well-paid for it too) and Alex Taylor III is dissing Dick (in his own special way). Ta   ...read more

Robert Kyiosaki announced a big economic slump. Well, the U.S. auto sales slump hit Chrysler LLC again Monday with his amplitude. It isn’t a joke anymore! Chrysler’s officials announced plans to close one St. Louis-area factory and cut a shift from another. Woau! Do you believe this managers? I do. And do you know why? Because [...]   ...read more

Greg Keenan of the Globe and Mail reports that Chrysler's decision to temporarily abstain from producing trucks and minivans hits Canadian automotive parts-supplier Magna International like a kick in the nuts [paraphrasing]. Despite attempts to diversify its customer base beyond Detroit, Chrysler remains Magna's number one customer. "Magna accounts for about $1,900 (U.S.) worth of parts in the ass   ...read more

Workers at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario plant breathed a sigh of relief when Chrysler announced they're closing their St. Louis south plant to cut van production. Their relief may be short-lived, though. We've learned through a confidential informant that Chrysler is also shutting down the Windsor van plant through the end of August. This comes after some component plants have been running at full    ...read more

One of the more useful bits of technology we encountered at the Chrysler What's New for 2009 event last week was "Rear Cross Path Detection," a byproduct of the new blind spot monitoring system on 2009 minivans that employs two radar sensors mounted on the corners of the rear bumper. Blind spot monitoring has become increasingly common on luxury vehicles in recent years, but Chrysler is claiming t   ...read more

Chrysler’s Mopar division is already developing a drag strip-ready version of the all-new Dodge Challenger, but the performance division apparently has even more in store for the reborn muscle car. A new report finds Mopar will unveil a supercharger for the 2009 Challenger at this year’s SEMA Show. In addition to the supercharger, the modified [...]   ...read more

Bengt Halvorson's thesis for Newsweek/MSNBC/Forbes is a predictable, plodding piece of work. The dietribe [sic] makes a stab at exploring the muddy waters surrounding domestic vs. transplant "issue." "For instance, the Chevrolet Equinox, which is assembled in Ontario, has an engine made in China and a transmission from Japan, which brings its domestic content down to 55 percent. The Chrysler PT Cr   ...read more