2003 Chrysler Town & Country 4dr Limited Fwd Handicap Conversion Low Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bailout dealership cuts did their job as profits surge

Almost five years after US taxpayers bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, a large majority of their slimmed-down dealership networks are posting soaring profits, Bloomberg reports, and contributing to the US auto industry on track this year to deliver 15.4 million vehicles, the most since 16.15 million were delivered in 2007.
Consider another important figure: Bloomberg says that more than 90 percent of GM dealerships are profitable, compared to about half of them in 2008 and 2009. At the start of 2013, GM had 4,355 US dealerships and Chrysler had about 2,600. Compare that with just a few years ago, when GM had 6,246 dealers in 2008, while Chrysler had 3,200 in 2009.
As part of their bankruptcy restructuring, both GM and Chrysler decided that their retail networks contained far too many dealerships and insisted that they be slimmed down. The resultant dealership terminations followed by a rebounding auto market - in part due to better new GM and Chrysler vehicles - have increased the number of sales per dealership to record levels. Many dealers are taking advantage of increasing profits and investing in facility renovations and updates, such as Chrysler dealership owner David Kelleher. He's spending $2 million to expand his store.

Chrysler Pacifica owners report sudden power loss; FCA can’t figure out why

More than 50 owners of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alleging that the vehicle has suddenly lost power while on the road, posing a serious safety risk to owners. The New York Times reports that other Pacifica owners have described similar incidents on a Pacifica online chat forum and on Facebook. The problem seems to be affecting a small fraction of the more than 156,000 Pacificas sold since the minivan was introduced in 2016. No crashes or injuries have been linked to the problem, and dealers have been unable to replicate the issue on affected vehicles they have examined. Fiat Chrysler says it's looking into the problem but hasn't been able to identify the source. FCA spokesman Eric Mayne told the Times the company "is unaware of any injuries by accidents associated with these complaints" but takes customer concerns seriously. He said there was no indication that airbags or seatbelt tension were compromised by the issue. The Pacifica's airbags remain operational even when the vehicle loses power.Search for recall news on our hub. Try Autoblog's Car Finder to search for your next new vehicle. One owner, Adam Cohen, of Leesburg, Va., said his 2017 Pacifica shut down twice while his wife was driving it. He's been discussing the issue with Chrysler engineers and quality officials in recent weeks and even wrote to FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne. "They want to put a data recorder on my Pacifica and have me take it back and drive it around," he told the Times. "I told them they should drive it themselves and wait for it to happen. I don't want my family to be their test dummies. And that's where it stands. We're at a deadlock."Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Pacifica: First Drive View 35 Photos Image Credit: Christopher McGraw / Autoblog Auto News Chrysler Driving Safety Minivan/Van new york times

Chrysler names six new board directors

Executives may call the shots day-to-day at the world's leading automakers - much as they do at any other corporation - but the ultimate decision-making body remains the board of directors. And Chrysler has just named six new members to its board.
The appointments include Hermann Waldemer, the former CFO of Philip Morris International - the tobacco giant whose Marlboro brand has funneled untold billions into Ferrari as the Scuderia's title sponsor for decades, and on whose board Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne sits. Waldemer replaces Doug Steenland, who came to the Chrysler board after Northwest Airlines (at which he served as CEO) merged with Delta, and whose term on the board expired just days ago.
In addition to the Waldemer appointment, Chrysler has expanded its board with five more seats, all filled by existing group executives. Among them are Reid Bigland (head of US and Canadian sales and of the Ram truck brand), Fiat general counsel Giorgio Fossati, human resources director Michael J. Keegan, Jeep CEO Michael Manley, and group CFO Richard Palmer.