2018 Chrysler Pacifica Lx on 2040-cars

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Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

GM, FCA retain financial advisors amid merger rumors

Well, here we go again. Despite allegedly shutting down the idea of a merger, General Motors has retained financial advisors to, well, advise it on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' advances. GM brought in New York-based Goldman Sachs, while FCA is currently working with Switzerland's UBS. Another source told Reuters that GM was working with Morgan Stanley, as well. But what does all this mean? Well, as we know, FCA boss Sergio Marchionne still has his eyes set very much on merging his automaker to combat what he claims are the prohibitive costs that come from developing today's vehicles. And while GM has said "no thanks," to a merger, the FCA boss is still looking to shareholders of the world's third-largest automaker to force the issue. Rather than a sign of an impending merger, voluntary or otherwise, between the two automotive powers – analysts called a hostile move by FCA "beyond ambitious," after all – retaining financial advisors on both sides could be viewed as just good business. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Chrysler Fiat GM Sergio Marchionne FCA

The minivan, reinvented | 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid First Drive

In the 1980s, minivans succeeded station wagons as the vehicle of choice to move families. The Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, and Plymouth Voyager broke that ground, and Chrysler has owned the segment for most of its existence. Though still popular with practical types, minivans have been ceding ground to crossovers for a while, and after 30 years, minivan evolution has slowed, with only the occasional noteworthy feature like a built-in vacuum making headlines. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the next big idea in the segment. In fact, we think its plug-in hybrid powertrain is the biggest minivan idea since the original. Yes, we're excited about a hybrid people mover. For 2017, Chrysler has reworked, refocused, and renamed its minivan effort, ditching the Town & Country moniker in lieu of the Pacifica nameplate. The odd recycled name aside, it's not only far superior to Chrysler's outgoing minivan, but, with most of the competition several years old, the new Pacifica is easily the current class leader. But while the minivan's practicality is undeniable, they're not always the most efficient. It's a wonder, then, that no competitor has packaged a hybrid system into a minivan before – especially Toyota, given its dominance in hybrid everything else. Toyota does offer a hybrid minivan in its home market, but the Sienna's only calling card is that it's now the sole American van to offer all-wheel drive, something Chrysler gave up when it started hiding the seats in the floor years ago. Owing in part to its newness, the non-hybrid Pacifica was already one of the most fuel-efficient minivans on the market, with ratings of 28 miles per gallon highway, 18 city, and 22 combined. Add in the hybrid equipment, with its 16-kWh battery pack providing 30 miles of electric-only range, and the new Pacifica Hybrid achieves an astounding 84 MPGe, trouncing everything else in the segment (because, again, it's the only hybrid van). When working as a hybrid and not in EV mode, the Pacifica Hybrid nets a combined rating of 32 mpg. On a full tank and a full charge, it has a range of 566 miles. The hybridized version weighs 650 pounds more than a standard Pacifica. That's after some of the added weight from batteries and motors has been offset by a hood, sliding doors, and liftgate made from aluminum instead of steel. The suspension has been adjusted well enough that you don't really notice the added mass driving down the road.