2014 Chrysler Town & Country S on 2040-cars

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Chrysler's Jefferson North plant builds 5-millionth SUV [w/video]

Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant opened in 1992 for production of the first Jeep Grand Cherokee, but in the subsequent years, the Detroit plant has gone on to produce some of the company's biggest SUVs including the Jeep Commander and Dodge Durango. Earlier this week, the plant produced its five-millionth SUV, which, fittingly, was a Grand Cherokee.
Celebrating the plant's five-millionth unit, the silver 2014 Grand Cherokee was promptly donated to the USO. In addition to this milestone SUV, Chrysler also had a near-perfect 1993-95 ZJ Grand Cherokee on hand for the photo op. Scroll down for the Chrysler press release as well as a video showing some of the speeches from the celebration.

Fiat-Chrysler alliance in jeopardy due to Pentastar's IPO filing?

The four-year relationship between Fiat and Chrysler has thus far been beneficial for both automakers, but it has also proven to be a complicated battle between Sergio Marchionne and the United Auto Workers - the latter controlling the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler. With the recent filing for a US IPO, it looks like Marchionne and the UAW appear to be playing a billion-dollar game of chicken, with both sides far apart on how much the union's shares are worth. If it comes down to Chrysler's remaining stake being publicly traded, it could act to drive a wedge between the two companies.
According to Bloomberg, Fiat's chairman John Elkann says "if the IPO will take place, there will be two companies, and that's different than having a single one." Now, we're not great at math, but this sounds like the complete opposite of the full merger that Marchionne has been pushing for since taking the helm at Chrysler. Bloomberg notes that the UAW's shares should be worth around $5.6 billion, but Fiat could end up paying as little as $4.9 billion for Fiat to gain full control of Chrysler. A story by The Detroit News points out that Marchionne's "alleged low-balling" is just the latest hurdle the Auburn Hills-based automaker must overcome as its ownership is being fought over for the fourth time in 15 years.

Mopar opening Custom Shop at Cobo

While other automakers have been streamlining their brand portfolio, the Chrysler Group has shown no such signs. It's got the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands, plus Fiat, and it recently broke out its SRT and Ram nameplates into their own brands. And you can bet each will have its own presence at the Detroit Auto Show this year. But don't forget Mopar. The company's performance parts division is getting its own display at Cobo this year, and it'll be the largest in the brand's history.
The Mopar Custom Shop is poised to take up 5,500 square-feet of Cobo floor space, further expanding on last year's Mopar Garage. If the image above offers any indication, the show stand will include a Dodge Challenger, SRT Viper, Fiat 500L, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Ram 3500 and what looks like (but isn't identified in the press release below as) a Chrysler 200 (which may be replaced by a 2014 model), all augmented with Mopar parts and accessories.
Visitors will also be able to use pre-programmed iPads to configure Chrysler Group vehicles with a wide range of accessories - a portfolio that grows by 1,500 new parts every year and tops over 100 add-ons for every new vehicle Chrysler launches.