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Chrysler officially rebrands as FCA US LLC

Detroit's third-largest automaker has had a lot of names over the years. It was founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, a name it held until 1998 when it was bought by ze Germans in 1998 to form DaimlerChrysler AG, then it went independent in 2007 under the name Chrysler LLC before being retitled once again as Chrysler Group LLC in 2009. And now the automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI, is getting yet another new name. Announced today and effective immediately, the company formerly known as Chrysler will now be called FCA US LLC. That's a lot of letters, but they make a lot of sense, too: FCA stands for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the US telling us this is the company's American division and the LLC tells us it's a limited liability company – a legal classification similar to (but not quite the same as) a corporation. The announcement comes shortly after the company decided to phase out its long-serving Pentastar logo. The sum total is that the once-independent industrial giant is now formally part of a larger European parent company, owned by Fiat and (for taxation purposes, anyway) based in the Netherlands. What the company formerly known as Chrysler wants to emphasize, however, is that FCA US LLC will remain based in Auburn Hills and retain its "holdings, management team, board [and] brands." Chrysler Group LLC Announces New Company Name: FCA US LLC U.S.-based Automaker's New Name Aligns With Global Parent December 16, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC, the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker, today announced that it has changed its company name to FCA US LLC. The name change is effective immediately and follows the naming convention of its global parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), which officially adopted its new name in October when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The name change to FCA US LLC does not affect the company's headquarters location in Auburn Hills, Michigan, its holdings, management team, board or brands. FCA US, together with parent FCA, continues to work toward the business plan presented on Investor Day in May 2014. Additionally, the Company remains proud of its joint heritage. FCA US continues to build upon the solid foundations first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 as well as a rich Fiat heritage that dates from 1899. FCA US employs more than 77,000 employees worldwide, with 96 percent of its workforce based in North America.

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo

When Diamond Star Motors, a Chrysler-Mitsubishi joint venture, came online in the late 1980s, the first products to come out of the Normal, Illinois assembly plant were versions of the first-generation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse. There was the Eclipse itself, the Eagle Talon, and the Plymouth Laser. Here's a somewhat tattered example of the latter type, spotted in a Northern California self-serve yard. This car is unrelated to the Chrysler Laser of a few years earlier, which was based on the K-platform-derived Dodge Daytona. The Plymouth Laser was a pure Mitsubishi design. This one has the DOHC turbocharged 2.0-liter Sirius engine, rated at 190 horsepower. That was plenty of power by 1990 standards, a year in which the wildest possible Chevrolet Camaro (the IROC-Z, of course) packed just 230 hp under the hood. The IROC-Z weighed 3,149 pounds versus the Laser's 2,483, giving the Laser a slightly better power-to-weight ratio, not to mention a price tag more than $500 lower. CD players in cars were still uncommon in 1990; this Laser has the much more mainstream "computer controlled deck" cassette player, complete with nine-band graphic equalizer. Badging in futuristic typefaces was all the rage when this car was new. The all-wheel-drive Eclipse/Talon/Laser didn't hit dealerships until the 1991 model year, so all the '90s are front-wheel-drive only. The torque steer experienced in these cars could be exciting. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In the United States, Tina Turner pitched the Laser. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. North of the border, Celine Dion did the Laser's TV ads. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In Japan, the 1990 Eclipse featured "international breeze," whatever that is. Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo View 23 Photos Auto News Chrysler Mitsubishi mitsubishi eclipse

Chrysler 100 hatchback caught cruising around Santa Monica

A coming hatchback said to be called the Chrysler 100 has been caught on video traipsing around Santa Monica by Autoblog reader Zach Dillman. Still wearing the scrapyard assemblage of Alfa Romeo Giulietta body panels as it was when spy photographers began capturing it last summer, its arrival date is still a question mark: some outlets have reported that it will go on sale this year, others have said it won't be in showrooms until 2016.
In fact, quite a few questions remain. Based on Fiat's Compact US Wide (CUSW) platform that supports the Dodge Dart and expected to be about the same size, the 100 is thought to be a small premium hatchback that will be priced above the Dart and below the Chrysler 200, with the idea that it can challenge the Ford Focus and Hyunda Elantra at the value end and the Buick Verano and Acura ILX at the premium end. Word is that there will be no sedan version.
It looks like there'll be plenty of gewgaws inside, with buttons for Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning and a button to toggle the traction control.