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Stellantis will give its brands 10 years to prove they deserve to live

Formed by the merger of PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, Stellantis has 14 brands under its roof, a number that makes it one of the largest groups in the industry. Rumors claimed not every brand would survive, with Chrysler often earmarked to get axed, but the firm said it will give them all a chance to shine. "We're giving each (brand) a chance, giving each a time window of 10 years and giving funding for 10 years to do a core model strategy. The CEOs need to be clear in brand promise, customers, targets, and brand communications," announced Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares during the Financial Times' Future of the Car event. His comments confirm Chrysler fans and dealers don't need to worry about the future — at least not yet. And, against all odds, Lancia enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief, too. Former FCA head Sergio Marchionne warned of the brand's demise on several occasions. Alfa Romeo is safe for now, too, as is Vauxhall, which are basically just Opels sold in the United Kingdom with a different badge. The engagement made by Tavares also means Stellantis won't divest any of its brands to raise capital until at least 2031. It's now up to each executive team to make a case for the brand they run, an unusual survival-of-the-fittest strategy in an era when cutting costs is more common than spending cash. Diving into the vast Stellantis parts bin should help even the most troubled brands turn their fortunes around on a relatively tight budget. It seems likely that survive Chrysler will need to look beyond the 300 and the Pacifica/Voyager, the only models in its range, and completely reinvent its image, which is currently nebulous at best. Lancia, once the champion of luxury, performance, and innovation, faces the same challenge. It's not starting quite from scratch, it's relatively popular in its home country of Italy, but it will need to think globally and expand outside of the city car segment to survive. Featured Gallery 2020 Chrysler 300 View 24 Photos Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall

These Canadians somehow forgot how to drive in snow

Montreal drivers experienced a slow-motion pileup on their streets this weeks thanks to the first snow fall of the season. According to the CBC, slippery conditions caused a small pileup involving cars, buses and even a street clearing vehicle. Onlookers in neighboring office buildings watched as vehicle after vehicle slid down Cote du Beaver Hall and crashed into the scrum of waiting cars. First there was a city bus, then a white Ford F-150 work truck loaded down with ladders, then another city bus came along and sandwiched the poor F-150. A Montreal Police Charger then came down the hill backwards, hit the bus in a slow, sad crash before it was crashed into by an out of control plow truck. Since its posting yesterday, the video of the crash has gone viral. Various other vehicles–a green-topped Scion delivery truck and a couple workaday sedans–were lucky enough to escape the pileup, but still suffered through a white-knuckled slippery descent down the hill. Colin Creado, who works nearby the crash site, told the CBC although it was pretty slippery, he was surprised at all the carnage since the storm was forecast well in advance. "You would have thought ... they would have salted the area or at least cordoned it off, because that road is pretty steep," he told the station. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: CBC Auto News Weird Car News Dodge Ford Driving Safety Truck Commercial Vehicles Police/Emergency Sedan snow montreal winter driving

Dodge offering novel 1-year lease on '14 Challenger and Charger models

Dodge is just days away from unveiling refreshed versions of the Charger and Challenger at the 2014 New York Auto Show, models promising updated styling and new powertrain options. Depending on how you look at it, the company is either so confident in its forthcoming 2015 models that it's offering an interesting Double-Up lease deal on the current vehicles, or it's so eager to clear out existing stock that it's resorting to novel lease deals. In any case, what they present is an interesting scenario, one which allows buyers to get the existing model right now, and then trade up to the facelifted 2015 models in one year.
Starting April 17, when the refreshed cars debut through the end of August, buyers can lease a 2014 Charger or Challenger for one year and exchange it for a three-year lease on a 2015 model next year, with no additional money down and the same monthly payment. Customers can even switch vehicles when the new lease starts. If drivers want to buy the '15, they get $1,000 off the purchase price. To be eligible, both leases must use the same dealership and be financed through Chrysler Capital. The Double-Up deal excludes the SRT versions of both cars and Charger SE models.
To offset the flood of one-year-old models coming back to dealerships, Dodge has struck a deal with rental car agency Enterprise, which has agreed to buy them all. "One-year leases are highly unusual in the industry," said company spokesperson Ralph Kisiel, and the fleet sale deal is what makes it possible.