2004 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe on 2040-cars

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Big Black Friday discounts key to Chrysler 200 sales success

A lot of people go shopping for deals on TVs or computers around the holiday season, but it looks like some folks are finding some fantastic deals on cars too. Take the Chrysler 200 for example. The new sedan had a great November in terms of sales, and by Chrysler's numbers, it delivered 14,317 of them for the month, a 155 percent increase from the same month last year. It even beat the November 2013 sales of the old 200 and Dodge Avenger combined. However, a report from Daily Kanban based on TrueCar data suggests that the good month came at least in part from steep incentives. Based on 20,156 sales of the 200 from TrueCar's database, average transaction prices were about $2,500 to $4,000 under MSRP for all but the base LX front-wheel drive model. That one actually went for about $68 above the typical base price. Going by these numbers, most people could have bought nearly any trim cheaper than the listed price of the one above it. For example, the top C AWD averaged $27,423, less money than the stated MSRP of the lower-spec S AWD. TrueCar's website also shows 200 pricing dipping in the latter part of November and into early December. There's no doubt that the 200 had a stellar month for November. But these figures suggest that it might have come partially because buyers found stacks of money on 200 hoods, while out doing some holiday shopping. Related Video:

DoJ fines Japanese parts firms $740M in massive automotive price-fixing scandal

Nine Japanese suppliers have pleaded guilty in US court over charges of price fixing in the automotive parts industry, resulting in the Department of Justice doling out a total of $740 million of fines, according to a report from Bloomberg. The scandal, which has resulted in General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler spending up to $5 billion on inflated parts and driving up prices on 25 million vehicles has sent the DoJ hustling into investigations. "The conduct this investigation uncovered involved more than a dozen separate conspiracies aimed at the U.S. economy," Attorney General Eric Holder (pictured above) said during yesterday's press conference.
As the investigation stands, the DoJ has issued $1.6 billion in fines against 20 companies and 21 individual executives, with 17 of the execs headed to prison. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Scott Hammond said, "The breadth of the conspiracies brought to light today are as egregious as they are pervasive. They involve more than a dozen separate conspiracies operating independently but all sharing in common that they targeted US automotive manufacturers."
Big-name suppliers indicted in the investigation include Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hitachi Automotive and Mitsuba Corporation. A list of fines and other corporations named in the investigation is available at Bloomberg.

Trump Administration will look 'very carefully' at FCA/Peugeot deal

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will look very closely at the planned merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday. The deal, announced on Thursday, would create the world's fourth-largest automaker. "We will obviously look at it very, very carefully," Kudlow said on Bloomberg. "The president has not commented on the deal ... We're not afraid of doing business with international companies, Lord knows." When asked about the 12.2% equity stake and 19.5% voting stake China's Dongfeng Motors holds in PSA, Kudlow said: "With respect to the Chinese story, we obviously are alert and on guard." The deal, which would be structured as a 50-50 merger, would create the fourth-largest global automaker with annual sales of nearly 9 million vehicles. Fiat Chrysler told employees the deal could generate synergies of 3.7 billion euros but added "these synergies are NOT based on closing plants." Fiat Chrysler declined to comment. There has been speculation Dongfeng might sell its holdings, which could help ease the deal's passage through U.S. regulators, given U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. "We will welcome a good deal. We hope it will get more production in the United States, more factories and workers and employment in the U.S. And with respect to the Chinese angle, we will take a careful look at it," Kudlow said. Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday that "teams at both companies are working to finalize discussions and reach a Memorandum of Understanding in the coming weeks."