1986 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible 2-door 2.2l on 2040-cars

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For some, getting a Fiat 500e last week was almost free

Auto-racing clubs know a thing or two about moving fast. And a couple of them out in California appeared to do just that when a bunch of incentives for the Fiat 500e electric vehicle added up to a pretty sweet deal. Actually, a borderline free one. Green Car Reports was kind enough to do the math on the calculation of an $83-a-month, three-year lease deal on that included a $2,100 perk and required an $11,000 downpayment on the $32,000 car. California and federal government incentives for EVs cut that downpayment down to $1,000 out of pocket once the incentives ($7,500 from the feds, $2,500 from the state) were factored in by the leasing company. Then, Fiat-Chrysler was throwing in another $1,000 for folks who were leasing a car from another car company, hence the freebie. That means some lucky people, at least temporarily, were able to work basically a zero-downpayment agreement for a three-year lease on a car whose monthly payment is the equivalent of about two full tanks of gas. Once word of those perks got around to some California racing clubs, about 100 500e vehicles to be moved off of California lots during the past week or so. Plugged in, indeed. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Fiat 500e: Review View 40 Photos News Source: Green Car Reports Green Chrysler Fiat incentives fiat 500e

FCA to recall 318,000 vehicles for faulty backup camera software

An array of 2019 and 2020 FCA vehicles are being recalled over faulty backup camera software that doesn’t meet federal regulations. According to recall documents, the backup camera may not turn off “until a drive cycle ends.” ThatÂ’s far longer than the 10-second linger time allowed by the rules, so FCA has to recall all of the vehicles to implement a fix. WeÂ’ve listed all of the vehicles involved below. 2020 Jeep Gladiator 2020 Jeep Cherokee 2019-2020 Ram 1500 2019-2020 Ram 2500  2019-2020 Ram 3500 2019-2020 Chrysler Pacifica 2019-2020 Dodge Durango 2019-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2019-2020 Jeep Wrangler 2019-2020 Jeep Renegade 2019 Dodge Challenger ItÂ’s an extensive list encompassing a huge chunk of FCAÂ’s lineup in the United States. In total, FCA is recalling 318,537 vehicles. They must be equipped with the 8.4-inch or 12-inch infotainment system for the problem to present itself. FCA expects the recall to start on May 22 this year and will begin to notify owners soon. To fix the vehicles that may be affected, FCA plans to update the infotainment system at the dealer or over-the-air. If youÂ’ve noticed a screen thatÂ’s sluggish to relinquish its hold on the backup camera feed (or maybe never does), then you have this recall to look forward to. Update: FCA has provided additional information about the repair methodology. Customers will be able to receive an update over the air or have their cars updated at the dealership. Customers will begin receiving notifications this month. Related video: Recalls Chrysler Dodge Jeep Crossover Minivan/Van SUV

Chrysler reportedly to drop 300 sedan, build Portal millennial minivan

Automotive News Canada pointed its divination stick at Chrysler as part of its Future Product Pipeline series. The publication dug up two revelations, one being that the Chrysler 300 has two more years to live, ending production come 2020. The article said nothing about the 300's platform twin, the Dodge Charger. The death of the 300 would leave the Pentastar brand with just one offering, the Pacifica minivan. AN Canada's other revelation was Chrysler would allay that fate by putting the "six-passenger multi-purpose" Portal concept into production for 2020. The automaker that wants to be known for its people haulers introduced the Portal concept at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. The big bang at the time was the Portal having been designed by millennials in Chrysler's design department, specifically for millennial buyers. Feature bait for the confounding demographic included facial and voice recognition so the Portal knew who was in the car and could tailor the driving environment and cockpit to their tastes; a panoramic dashboard; a configurable interior so the owner can create space where needed, up front or in the cargo area; vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure tech; upgradeable Level 3 autonomy; a retractable aviation-like steering wheel; and customizable light signatures. We didn't get many specs on the show car, but the all-electric powertain employed a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery, had a range of at least 250 miles, and could restore 150 of those miles in 20 minutes hooked up to a DC fast charger. Reasonable specs for a real vehicle. It wouldn't be an outrageous move for Chrysler to create a production version of the Portal. When the concept came to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told media he intended to roll out the "fifth generation" of family cars — the next evolution of the wagon-minivan-SUV-crossover progression — and he expected the Portal or something similar to make production at some point. The Detroit News predicted we'd get a Portal sometime after 2018. Tim Kuniskis, then head of FCA passenger cars in North America, said the company viewed the Portal as that fifth-gen product and "the future of family transportation." On top of that, the designers based the front-wheel-drive Portal on the Pacifica's platform, and Marchionne was vocal in his desire for another retail product on that architecture. He had said, "I need another minivan.