2009 Chrysler 300 Lx 22" Custom Chrome Wheels on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Wolverine will drive weird custom Chrysler 300 in next X-Men movie

Fiat Chrysler loves a movie tie-in. Remember the Stormtrooper-spec Dodge Charger we messed around with? Then there was the Jeep Renegade Dawn of Justice special edition, built for Batman v. Superman. And now, it looks like the company donated a misshapen Chrysler limo for the latest film in the Wolverine series. Some movie-stalking paparazzi caught Hugh Jackman next to this odd vehicle, and you can see photos at Just Jared, a celebrity gossip site. The photogs were more concerned with the graying star, who's reprising his role as the adamantium-boned superhero for the ninth time including cameos, but we'll focus on the machine. We can see the car's rear three-quarters and not a lot else. It looks broadly based on the 300, but much longer. The Chrysler winged badge is clearly visible on the trunk, while a retro script version of the automaker's logo sits on the rear pillar. There's also an unexplained "E8" badge to the right of the driver's side taillight. And as for those lamps, it's like FCA mashed together the current 300's taillights with those from a Cadillac CT6. The trunk and rear window are the strangest elements of all. We can't figure out what's happening with the tiny rear glass, the strange curve to it, or the tiny, sloping rear deck. It's ... not pretty. From the rest of what's visible, it's clear this particular car is a limo of some kind. The front end has been modified with fat fender flares sitting over some big multispoke wheels, and the door handles have been shaved. Behind the B-pillar, it gets weird. There's a long stretch of glass and bodywork, and then a very small rear door. Ingress and egress would be tough, to say the least. There's a lot of brightwork, too, from the wheels to the thick chrome strip running below the greenhouse and onto the hood. A couple of the images give a glimpse into the interior, which is wholly different from that in the production 300. We've embedded a tweet with some of the images below. But for the full gallery, you'll need to head over to Just Jared. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: News Source: JustJared.comImage Credit: Marvel Studios Auto News TV/Movies Chrysler Luxury Sedan

Chrysler and Fiat offering $1,000 rebates to VW owners as Marchionne gets tough

The throw-down between Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne and Volkswagen has heated up in earnest. According to Bloomberg, Fiat and Chrysler are now offering current Volkswagen owners in the US $1,000 rebates to trade in their ride. It's the latest in a series of shots Marchionne has taken at his German rival. As you may recall, the Fiat executive entered into a spat with Volkwagen board chairman Ferdinand Piëch and CEO Martin Winterkorn in October after the duo called for Marchionne's resignation from presidency of the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (AECA). At the time, the Volkswagen executives were quoted as saying Fiat would not survive the European economic downturn.
In response, Marchionne called the German executives "reprehensible," and accused Volkswagen of using a pricing strategy that has created created a "bloodbath" in the EU. Volkswagen has taken to steep discounting to carve out ever-larger slices of market share in Europe, but the company has a much smaller foothold in the US. Marchionne may be trying to hit Volkswagen where the manufacturer is weakest with the new Fiat new incentive program.
Late last week, the Fiat executive was voted to a second term as ACEA president.

Our love of SUVs is killing people in the streets

Americans are fond of supersized fast-food meals and colossal convenience-store fountain drinks, even though they're clearly bad for our health and U.S. adults keep getting fatter. We also like large vehicles, and our love affair with SUVs is killing people in the streets. According to a recent investigation by the Detroit Free Press/USA Today, the increase in SUV sales over the past several years coincides with a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. — up 46 percent since 2009, with nearly 6,000 people killed in 2016 alone. With SUV sales surpassing sedans in 2014 and pickups and SUVs currently accounting for 60 percent of new vehicle sales, it's no wonder Ford announced in April plans to cease U.S. sales of almost all passenger cars. And this followed Fiat Chrysler's move to virtually an all-truck, -SUV and -crossover lineup. While the Freep/USA Today investigation found that the simultaneous surge in SUV sales and pedestrian deaths comes down to vehicle size, it also points to a lack of action on the part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), even though it knew of the dangers SUVs pose to pedestrians. Also blamed are automakers dragging their feet on implementing active safety features. Using federal accident data, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) determined that there was an 81 percent increase in single-vehicle pedestrian fatalities involving SUVs between 2009 and 2016. Freep/USA Today's analysis of the same data by counting vehicles that struck and killed pedestrians instead of the number of people killed showed a 69 percent increase in SUV involvement. As far back as 2001, researchers at Rowan University forecasted a rise in pedestrian deaths as Americans began switching to SUVs. "In the United States, passenger vehicles are shifting from a fleet populated primarily by cars to a fleet dominated by light trucks and vans," the researchers wrote, with light trucks comprising SUVs.