1960 Chrysler Imperial on 2040-cars

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Watch a roundabout foil a driver fleeing from the cops

Roundabouts aren't just improving traffic flow and confusing the elderly, the circular intersections are helping to fight crime now as well. A Michigan scofflaw fleeing from police was thrown for a loop last week when he entered a newly-built roundabout at 90 miles per hour and flipped his car. According to WXYZ, on the evening of August 18 a police officer in Marysville, Michigan attempted to stop a tan Chrysler Concorde traveling north on Range Road with expired tags. At first, the driver of the Chrysler seemed to comply and activated his turn signal. Then, with no warning, he sped off in an attempt to escape the officer. "They proceeded northbound on Range Road, through Marysville, and entered Port Huron Township approximately 90 to 100 mph," said Marysville Police Sergeant John Stover. The chase was cut short in dramatic fashion after about four miles when the Chrysler approached the intersection of Range and Griswald to discover that it had recently been turned into a roundabout. Dashcam footage from the pursuing MPD cruiser show the fleeing driver hit the brakes coming into the roundabout, but it did him little good. The rear end of the car stepped out and bumped over the curb surrounding the traffic island. The car flipped on its side, slid into the center of the island and came to rest on its roof. The driver and his passenger – Jeffery Sharp and Nichols Belkiewicz – both have sizable rap sheets and Belkiewicz has an outstanding warrant. Thankfully no one was injured in the crash, but both men are facing numerous charges including eluding, driving with a suspended license, and firearms charges. Related Video: News Source: WXYZ Auto News Weird Car News Chrysler Driving Safety Videos Sedan Michigan police chase roundabout

FCA joining virtual CES with in-depth tours and Jeep Wrangler 4xe in AR

CES is sort of, technically happening, but it won’t be the CES weÂ’ve all become accustomed to over the years. Automakers will be doing their best to participate virtually, assuming they decide to join in the festivities at all. FCA is one that will have a little nugget of tech to share with us. A few main experiences will be made available to anybody with a computer. FCAÂ’s main draw is meant to be “highly detailed interactive product tours” where you can get to know a number of vehicles in a virtual world and hear from a “virtual brand ambassador” throughout the tour. You wonÂ’t be able to sit in and crawl through the cars like a normal auto show for the public, but FCA is promising a rather immersive experience online. The guided tour through the cars and technologies will be available in 12 FCA vehicles, two of those being the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. FCA plans to offer in-depth talks about how it tests vehicles, too. There are demonstrations planned for wind tunnels, the four-post shaker, an advanced drive simulator and general performance testing. Additionally, FCA plans on providing more insight into Uconnect 5 and vehicle electrification systems. WeÂ’re guessing the latter will offer up details on the Wrangler 4xe. The plug-in hybrid Wrangler will also be the star of FCAÂ’s AR play at CES. Everybody will be able to scan a QR code on FCAÂ’s site, then have access to a Wrangler 4xe on their phone. YouÂ’ll be able to “put it” in your driveway virtually, change the colors and get up close and personal with the interior.  All of this will launch on fcaces2021.com at 9 a.m. ET on January 11 (official first day of the virtual CES show), so surf on over there next week if you want to check it out. Related video:

Reid Bigland appointed CEO of Alfa Romeo, Maserati

There's been a big shakeup in Fiat Chrysler's leadership team, as head of US sales and FCA Canada CEO Reid Bigland will replace Harald Wester as the chief exec for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Wester will retain his position as chief technical officer of FCA. Both men will hang onto their positions on FCA's Group Executive Council. The move is an interesting one considering the widely publicized issues at both Alfa and Maserati. Alfa Romeo's problems are almost too many to list. The brand has promised a full-scale return to the US market for more than a decade, but faced repeated delays. Its latest volume model, the Giulia, is being savaged by reviewers over quality issues, and the company has frequently pushed its upcoming CUV back. If that were the only problem, it'd be annoying, but according to Automotive News, Alfa's relaunch is also considerably over budget. Maserati is an entirely different can of worms. Alongside Alfa, it's been stung by a slow Chinese market. Profits are down, according to Automotive News, and it's been widely rumored that the company will delay its next sports car, the Alfieri, until 2018 – it was previously promised for this year. Meanwhile, two of its three other models, the Quattroporte and GranTurismo, are dangerously long in the tooth, and the Levante is still months away from US sales. Can Bigland sort these issues out? Maybe. As Sergio Marchionne said in his official statement, "[Bigland] has an extraordinary record of growing sales and market share in the US and Canada over the last 7 years at FCA, including leading the growth and positioning of the Ram and Dodge brands for part of that time."