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Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.

2014 Fiat 500C GQ Edition mans up [w/videos]

Fiat dealers recently welcomed the five-door 500L into their 'studios' as a much-needed second model line, but franchisees are still clamoring for additional new model ranges as most struggle to reach profitability. There's more in the pipeline for the reborn brand, but in the meantime, Fiat continues to rely on special editions of existing products to drum up interest, in this case, the just-introduced 2014 500C GQ Edition. Meant in part to extend appeal of the tiny 500C to more male shoppers, the GQ Edition teams up the rolltop Cinquecento with publishing juggernaut Conde Nast for a (somewhat) more masculine special edition version of the 500 Turbo.
Chief among the exterior changes are 16-inch gloss black alloys with red-trimmed center caps, a more aggressive lower fascia and black-bucket headlamps, along with the requisite GQ badging. There's no additional chutzpah found under the Fiat's tiny hood, but that's okay, the 'Diet Abarth' Turbo model has a plenty adequate 160 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque from its 1.4-liter Multiair engine to go with its five-speed manual gearbox.
As you'd expect of a GQ-branded product, due attention has been paid to the interior furnishings, including a matte-finish body-color gauge cluster nacelle, and Nero black leather seats lifted by Alcantara inserts incorporating a Steam leatherette center stripe and GQ embossing on the backrest.

2014 Ram ProMaster configurator reporting for heavy duty

Ram has brought the configurator online for all sizes of its new ProMaster van, known to the rest of the world as the Fiat Ducato. Destined to take on the new Ford Transit and Nissan NV, the ProMaster is available in three sizes - 1500, 2500, and 3500.
Once a size has been chosen, the world is your oyster. We could (probably) spend the rest of our day with this configurator and not repeat a build once. Each truck can be had in different styles ranging from windowed van to cargo hauler to cutaway truck, while buyers can also choose from a number of wheelbases and roof heights.
Add to that an options sheet that's almost Porsche-like in length, and you get a van that can be completely customized to the needs of your business. Check out all three configurators at the following links: 1500, 2500 and 3500.