Archive for the ‘Chrysler/Fiat’ Category

No matter how you feel about Senator McCain's statements from earlier this week, there's no denying that Chrysler has a lot of potholes dodge as it motors down the road to recovery. Among the biggest tasks at the top of the Chrysler's to-do list is cranking out vehicles of consistent quality. Doug Betts, the company's senior vice president in charge of quality, says that many past problems have been the result of Chrysler's inefficient and unresponsive corporate culture. However, Betts insists that Chrysler's restructuring and its new partnership with Fiat have put quality back in the spotlight. (That may sound slightly ironic to American...

Over the past year, we've spoken a good bit about the 2010 Ford Transit Connect. Our own John Voelcker gave it a positive review after his test drive last May, and the fuel-efficient van aims to be a major contender in the American market. But before long, the Transit Connect will have some spirited competition: yesterday, Fiat announced plans to rebadge its revamped Doblo van and include it as part of Chrysler's new Ram lineup.

Of course, the Transit Connect will have a significant head start. Ford began selling it in the U.S. last July, but the Doblo won't arrive stateside until 2012. However, the Doblo launches in Europe this coming...

The first time John McCain ran for the U.S. presidency, his aggressive, occasionally angry style didn't sit well with voters. As we saw in 2008, he's managed to dial it down a bit during public debates, but the senator is still as feisty as ever. Yesterday, he told the press that Chrysler is doomed, despite receiving government support to the tune of $15 billion. Said McCain: "anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I'd like to meet them". We'll see if he offers any analysis of the other bankrupt kid on the block, GM, and its third-quarter financials today. [DetNews]