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2014 Chrysler 200 to set design tone for brand

Speaking with Wards Auto at this year's Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler design chief Ralph Gilles said that the next-generation Chrysler 200 will launch a whole new styling direction for the brand when it arrives for the 2014 model year. Gilles did not reveal any specific design cues or elements that will be found on the next 200, only saying that the new car "shares no surface language with any previous Chrysler we've ever seen."
Indeed, the current 200 isn't exactly setting the world on fire with any sort of clever, emotive design, but Gilles knows that. "The current Chryslers on the road today certainly don't reflect where we're headed," he told Wards Auto. Instead, Gilles said that "we are deviating from where we are today, completely. It's a very different feeling (and) look."
The launch of the new Chrysler 200 will officially mean the death of its Dodge Avenger counterpart, though Gilles says that the company is working on an all-new product to replace that vehicle down the road. Still, Chrysler will need a successful player in the popular midsize segment, and Gilles fully expects the new 200 to be up to the task. "I think it's going to be a beautiful and relevant vehicle."

How a Chrysler New Yorker rally car turned father and son into best friends

Cars have a weird way of bringing fathers and sons together. You might not want to talk to your dad (or son) about politics, but if you can get him into a conversation about 1950s automotive design, then you can chat for hours. The latest video from Petrolicious looks at how Jonathan Auerbach and his dad bonded through racing in long-distance rallies in an absolutely brutish 1951 Chrysler New Yorker.
The Auerbachs have over 10,000 miles in competition on this behemoth of a Chrysler. It packs a 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) hemi V8 with Weber carbs under the hood, and driving it looks more akin to piloting a ship than any kind of on-road vehicle. The New Yorker can take a pounding and just keep going, too. Jonathan says that they hit two deer during one event, and the only damage to the car was some missing trim up front.
The next goal is to prep the car for the arduous Peking to Paris Rally. The big Chrysler should be quite the sight when it rolls across the finish line in France. Scroll down to hear this poignant story about a father and son becoming best friends while racing an American classic. You might want to have a tissue handy, if you're close to your dad, though.

Toledo continues fight for Jeep Wrangler production, despite mayor's death

Where will the next-generation Jeep Wrangler be built? That's an open question, but it's one that the city of Toledo, OH desperately wants to be the answer to. The city suffered a major blow, though, with the death of Mayor Michael Collins earlier this month. Collins had been the city's biggest champion during talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, before suffering a fatal heart attack on Feb. 6. But Collins' tragic death isn't dampening the city's desire to carry on as the home of the Wrangler. "The mayor's passing is tragic. But on Monday, when I came to work, I knew exactly what I needed to do and exactly what needed to be done," the city's director of development, Matt Sapara, told the Detroit Free Press. According to the Freep, Sapara said Toledo and the state of Ohio have delivered an outline of a development plan that would give FCA the ability to buy an extra 100 acres to expand the factory. This is to help accommodate FCA's targeted output of 300,000 to 350,000 next-generation Wranglers, up from the 240,000 the factory can make now. "Our target in the proposal is to provide a way to increase the production capacity to a number that allows Fiat Chrysler to meet its business model," Sapara told the Freep, adding that the land could be available later this summer. FCA, meanwhile, has shown a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards Toledo production, with CEO Sergio Marchionne openly discussing the pros and cons of continuing to build the Wrangler south of the Michigan border. "We are going to take a very hard look at this without ignoring what these guys have done," Marchionne told the Free Press at last month's Detroit Auto Show, adding that he'd like to keep production there, provided the cost of retooling is comparable to relocating to another facility. Related Video: