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Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video:    

Legacy Classic Power Wagon First Drive

Shortly before the US entered World War II, Dodge supplied the military with a line of pickups internally codenamed WC, those letters designating the year 1941 and the half-ton payload rating. From 1941 to 1945 Dodge built more than a quarter million of them, and even though "WC" came to refer to the Weapons Carrier body style, the WC range served in 38 different configurations from pickup trucks to ambulances to six-wheeled personnel and weapons haulers. The story is that soldiers returning from active duty badgered Dodge for a civilian version of that indefatigable warhorse, so Dodge responded with the Power Wagon in 1946. Even for those no-nonsense times the truck was so austere that the first three names Dodge gave it were "Farm Utility Truck," "WDX General Purpose Truck," and "General Purpose, One Ton Truck." "Power Wagon" was the fourth choice, not finalized until just before it went on sale. Nothing like today's Power Wagon, the original could be seen as either a glorified tractor or a slightly less uncouth military vehicle – hell-for-leather meant going 50 miles per hour. But it would go nearly anywhere. The civilian version was still built like it had to survive, well, a world war; power take-offs (PTOs) ran all manner of ancillaries; multiplicative gear ratios helped it produce enough torque to make an earthquake envious. Said to be the first civilian 4x4 truck made in America, any organization that needed a simple, sturdy mechanized draught animal knew it needed a Power Wagon. If history, the aura of war, and ruthless functionality attract you but mean comforts and 70-year-old manners don't, then you need to get in touch with Legacy Classic Trucks. If that history, the aura of war, and the ruthless functionality attract you but the mean comforts and 70-year-old manners don't, then you need to get in touch with Legacy Classic Trucks. The Jackson Hole, WY, restorer retains every ounce of the Power Wagon's orchard-work aptitude, decorated with present-day amenities and the best components. Each job starts with having to find a usable donor. The city of Breckenridge, CO, bought the red truck in our gallery in 1947 and used it as a snowplow for the next 30 years. In 1977 a log-home builder bought it from the city and used it for another decade as a company hauler. That's the kind of grueling longevity that lets Ram put a five-figure premium on the 2500 Power Wagon pickup it sells today. Legacy Classics founder Winslow S.

Dodge rolls out Shaker package for 2015 Challenger

Having an awesome Hemi engine under the hood can deliver impressive performance, but for those who lament not being able to see that big V8 engine doing its thing, hidden away under the hood, Dodge offers the Shaker hood on its Challenger muscle car. And it's just released the option for the updated 2015 model. Now available on two engines and three trim levels – including the Challenger R/T and R/T Plus with the 5.7-liter V8 and the 6.4-liter Challenger 392 – the new Shaker hood brings cold air into the engine compartment and lets everyone see that V8 (or at least an appendage thereof) shaking away in plain view. Arriving 45 years after the original Shaker Challenger, the package includes a satin black hood scoop, cold-air intake, conical air filter and optimized air box, along with Shaker graphics inside, out and under the hood. The 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker are available to order now, priced at $35,495 and $38,495, respectively (plus a $995 destination charge), and come bundled with the Super Track Pak. Order books open in March for the 392 HEMI Shaker, which also comes with the Scat Pack, for $42,495 (plus destination and $1,000 gas-guzzler tax if equipped with the manual transmission). Dodge is Shaking Up the Muscle Car Segment Again; Opens Orders for New 2015 Challenger 'Shaker' Models Dodge Celebrates 45 Years of Its Functional "Cold-air Grabbing" Hood Scoop That "Shakes" With the Legendary HEMI® V-8 Engine's Movement - Back by enthusiast demand, Dodge returns the "Shaker" to the Challenger lineup – now expanding the functional cold-air induction hood scoop on two HEMI V-8 engines and three performance-packed models - "King of the Shakers" – all-new 2015 Dodge Challenger 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker combines the ultimate combination of 485 best-in-class horsepower and legendary Dodge heritage cues with a functional Shaker hood - Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker models feature the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with unique hood and intake design combined with a functional exposed-element cold-air intake system - New 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker are available for ordering now, with the 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker model available for customer orders in March February 13, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich.