2002 Chrysler Sebring Lx Plus Sedan 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Chrysler Airflow concept previews the brand's all-electric future

For a couple of years now, Chrysler has been teasing an electric concept with the name of Airflow, and now the company has finally revealed a seemingly close-to-production version. Simply called the Chrysler Airflow Concept, it seems to be a preview of what might be the brand's first all-electric car, due by 2025. Compared to a number of recent electric cars, the Airflow looks rather conservative, but not unattractive. The nose very modest grilles, with the upper one bearing an illuminated Chrysler wing badge. There's hardly a sharp crease on the rounded, organic body. The wheel arches are emphasized with taller, wider metal over the fenders. The roof has a trendy contrasting paint, and the rear has a wide and thin taillight bar. Inside, the Airflow has a similarly soft and rounded aesthetic. Light leather is found on the doors, dash and seats. Most of the dash consists of screens, too. There's a center screen for driver infotainment, with instrument screen and screens for climate control on either side. The rear seats get screens, too. But they all look feasible, especially considering the raft of displays in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Among some of the high-tech features are the ability for each passenger to customize their screens, and information can be sent to other passengers' screens at will. Each passenger position has a camera for video calling, too. Chrysler was light on mechanical details. All the company said was that it features two 201-horsepower electric motors, one at the front, the other at the rear for all-wheel drive. Exact battery capacity wasn't given, but Chrysler says range should be between 350 and 400 miles. Additionally, the car supposedly features SAE Level 3 semi-autonomous driver assist under the name STLA AutoDrive. Chrysler hasn't explicitly said the Airflow is coming to production, but this concept looks like it's almost ready for market. The brand also said that its first EV is coming before 2025, a step towards going fully electric by 2028. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.

Why the Detroit Three should merge their engine operations

GM and FCA should consider a smaller merger that could still save them billions of dollars, and maybe lure Ford into the deal. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne would love to see his company merge with General Motors. But GM's board of directors essentially told him to go pound sand. So now what? The boardroom battle started when Mr. Marchionne published a study called Confessions of a Capital Junkie. In it, Sergio detailed the amount of capital the auto industry wastes every year with duplicate investments. And he documented how other industries provide superior returns. He's right, of course. Other industries earn much better returns on their invested capital. And there's a danger that one day the investors will turn their backs on the auto industry and look to other business sectors where they can make more money. But even with powerful arguments Marchionne couldn't convince GM to take over FCA. And while that fight may now be over, GM and FCA should consider a smaller merger that could still save them billions of dollars, and maybe lure Ford into the deal. No doubt this suggestion will send purists into convulsions, but so be it. The Detroit Three should seriously consider merging their powertrain operations, even though that's a sacrilege in an industry that still considers the engine the "heart" of the car. These automakers have built up considerable brand equity in some of their engines. But the vast majority of American car buyers could not tell you what kind of engine they have under the hood. More importantly, most car buyers really don't care what kind of engine or transmission they have as long as it's reliable, durable, and efficient. Combining that production would give the Detroit Three the kind of scale that no one else could match. There are exceptions, of course. Hardcore enthusiasts care deeply about the powertrains in their cars. So do most diesel, plug-in, and hybrid owners. But all of them account for maybe 15 percent of the car-buying public. So that means about 85 percent of car buyers don't care where their engine and transmission came from, just as they don't know or care who supplied the steel, who made the headlamps, or who delivered the seats on a just-in-time basis. It's immaterial to them. And that presents the automakers with an opportunity to achieve a staggering level of manufacturing scale. In the NAFTA market alone, GM, Ford, and FCA will build nearly nine million engines and nine million transmissions this year.