2008 Chrysler Town And Country, Van, Family, Road Trip, Space, Cargo, Leg Room on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Detroit automakers gain market share simultaneously for first time in 20 years

While monthly sales figures might be an easy way of tracking the progression of the auto industry and individual automakers, looking at market share might be more indicative of how each company is actually standing up against its competitors. For the Detroit Three automakers, they have collectively lost almost 30 percent of the market over the last 20 years, but now, for the first time since 1993, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have each posted market share gains at the same time.
According to Automotive News, Ford's share increased the most by 0.7 percent, GM was up 0.5 percent and Chrysler rose marginally by 0.2 percent, giving the Detroit automakers a total market share of 45.6 percent. As for the Japan's Big Three, the article reports that Toyota is up by 0.7 percent, Nissan is down the same amount and Honda has seen "little change."

The Plug-In Hybrid Chrysler Pacifica | Translogic 212

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that minivans have a bit of a rep for being uncool. The poor minivan has been relegated to that of a tool solely intended to get kids to and from soccer games. Here at Autoblog, we're already proponents of the minivan for its incredibly utility and under-the-radar, nearly hipster-like ironic coolness. This year, the good folks at Chrysler are working to change the soccer-mom stereotype by giving its people-hauler a much needed injection of style, lots of new tech, and a plug-in hybrid option in the form of the new Pacifica. Translogic host Jonathon Buckley sat down with Matt McAlear, Senior Manager of Chrysler Brand Product Marketing to discuss how Chrysler went from inventing the segment all the way back in 1984 to reinventing it in 2016. Matt explains that not only is the Pacifica "...the first hybrid in the minivan segment," but it's alsm one of the most functional hybrids available. With room for 7 passengers plus cargo and 30 miles of all-electric range, the features on the van are nothing to scoff at. After the chat, Bucko takes the minivan to someone who will be able to appreciate it even more than him, a mom of two. Click here to find more episodes of Translogic Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley

Feds investigating FCA sales fraud focusing on strange code word

The US government is currently investigating Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) over the possibility of sales fraud, and according to The Wall Street Journal, the investigation has revealed a strange phrase about a nonexistent "unnatural acts department." People knowledgeable about the term told The Wall Street Journal that this phrase was a "rallying cry." Basically, if it looked like the company, region, or dealer wasn't going to hit sales targets, this was a sign that some outside-the-box sales solutions were needed. People told the news outlet those solutions could include selling cars at a loss or having the dealer buy a fleet of customer test-drive cars. However, this could also be evidence of some less savory ways to boost sales. In addition to the investigation, the company is already facing at least one lawsuit from a dealer group that alleges it would bribe dealers to pad monthly sales figures. FCA had an incentive to maintain sales numbers as well, considering that it was claiming a long streak of increasing sales. Under scrutiny recently, the company changed its sales reporting practices and numbers for previous years. Under the old reporting methods, it was possible for dealers to sell cars, report the sales, and then cancel or "unwind" the sales later. This wouldn't count as a lost sale, but the car also couldn't be recorded as another sale later. As a result, an unscrupulous dealer could have hypothetically used it to "sell" a car one month and "unwind" it the next. If FCA knew about this, it's also possible the company could have pushed dealers to use the system for false sales, something the Feds theorize may be related to the "unnatural acts department" phrase. It's still entirely possible this "unnatural acts department" was just a corporate term for thinking of creative ways to meet sales goals. And selling cars at a loss is definitely unnatural for businesses that are trying to make money. Whatever the phrase truly meant to dealers, it certainly is bizarre. Related Video: News Source: The Wall Street JournalImage Credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Chrysler Fiat FCA fiat chrysler automobiles fca us investigation