2017 Chrysler 300 Series 300s Alloy Edition on 2040-cars

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Chrysler 300 SRT dead in US, updated elsewhere

The Chrysler 300 SRT is officially dead here in the US, but the sedan's big V8 continues to rumble in a handful of other markets around the world. In fact, the model just received a refresh abroad to fit the standard version's recently updated styling. According to Car and Driver, customers in countries like Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, and a few other places can stop by their local Chrysler dealer soon to pick up some of this imported muscle. For the refresh, the 300 SRT's 6.4-liter V8 remains under the hood producing 470 horsepower, and it's now hooked up to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The styling also gets some updates like LED lights in the lower air dam, a reshaped mesh grille with the SRT logo, and a simplified design for the taillights. If it seems odd to go to the work of updating the 300 SRT's styling, while killing off the model in the US, the reason has to do with FCA's brand strategy here. Dodge is supposed to be the automaker's performance marque in America, and according to Car and Driver, Jeep gets to keep SRT branding on the Grand Cherokee because of the brawny SUV's popularity. That might not last much longer, because reports suggest a Hellcat-powered Trackhawk is on the way. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo to launch eight new products by 2018, increase sales to 400K units

Alfa Romeo will go back to being the brand people admire, according to CEO Harald Wester.
After a few streams of news on the various brands in the Fiat Chrysler family, here's the deluge we've been waiting for - Alfa Romeo. The legendary Italian brand is being pointed towards a renaissance, as shown by the brand's five-year plan.

Rising aluminum costs cut into Ford's profit

When Ford reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to fret that rising metals costs have cut into profits, even as rivals say they have the problem under control. Aluminum prices have risen 20 percent in the last year and nearly 11 percent since Dec. 11. Steel prices have risen just over 9 percent in the last year. Ford uses more aluminum in its vehicles than its rivals. Aluminum is lighter but far more expensive than steel, closing at $2,229 per tonne on Tuesday. U.S. steel futures closed at $677 per ton (0.91 metric tonnes). Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which could push prices even higher. Ford gave a disappointing earnings estimate for 2017 and 2018 last week, saying the higher costs for steel, aluminum and other metals, as well as currency volatility, could cost the company $1.6 billion in 2018. Ford shares took a dive after the announcement. Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told analysts at a conference in Detroit last week that while the company benefited from low commodity prices in 2016, rising steel prices were now the main cause of higher costs, followed by aluminum. Shanks said the automaker at times relies on foreign currencies as a "natural hedge" for some commodities but those are now going in the opposite direction, so they are not working. A Ford spokesman added that the automaker also uses a mix of contracts, hedges and indexed buying. Industry analysts point to the spike in aluminum versus steel prices as a plausible reason for Ford's problems, especially since it uses far more of the expensive metal than other major automakers. "When you look at Ford in the context of the other automakers, aluminum drives a lot of their volume and I think that is the cause" of their rising costs, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at auto consultancy LMC Automotive. Other major automakers say rising commodity costs are not much of a problem. At last week's Detroit auto show, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated its earnings guidance for 2018 and held forth on a number of topics, but did not mention metals prices. General Motors Co gave a well-received profit outlook last week and did not mention the subject. "We view changes in raw material costs as something that is manageable," a GM spokesman said in an email.