After a pretty dismal October, Chrysler is looking to boost sales with new incentives.

“Chrysler Group is happy to kick-off our ‘Year-end Wrap-up’ just in time for the holiday season,” said Fred Diaz, President and Chief Executive Officer–Ram Brand and Lead Executive for the Sales Organization, Chrysler Group LLC. “We want consumers to come into our showrooms and see what the new Chrysler Group has to offer. With great vehicles like the award-winning Dodge Ram truck, four vehicles that earned the top-safety pick from IIHS, competitive prices and a variety of incentives, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram offer customers vehicles that are fun to drive, and get the job done.”

The incentives will kick off today and will be valid until Jan. 4, 2010.

Click through to see the list of incentives for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

Chrysler Brand:
Beginning today, consumers purchasing select Chrysler vehicles can choose from:

- 0 percent financing for up to 60 months
- Consumer cash of up to $3,000
- All-wheel drive at no cost with the purchase of a Chrysler 300
- A no-cost DVD system with the purchase of a Chrysler Town & Country minivan
- Attractive financing rates and a no-cost service/maintenance program for three years/36,000 miles

Jeep Brand:
Jeep customers can choose from 0 percent financing for up to 60 months, consumer cash of up to $4,000 or attractive financing rates and a no-cost service/maintenance program for three years/36,000 miles.

Dodge Car Brand:
Beginning today, consumers purchasing select Dodge vehicles can choose from 0 percent financing for up to 60 months, consumer cash of up to $2,500 and all-wheel drive at no cost with the purchase of a Dodge Charger.

Ram Truck Brand:
The Ram Truck Brand is offering consumers combinations of attractive financing and/or consumer cash including 0 percent financing for up to 48 months or 2.9 percent financing for 60 months, or consumer cash of up to $2,500.

Ram is also offering consumers 0 percent financing for up to 72 months or up to $5,500 in consumer cash on most 2009 Dodge Ram trucks.

- By: Omar Rana

Back in June when Chrysler emerged from a U.S. government funded bankruptcy it terminated nearly 800 dealerships in an effort to keep its network size in line with its U.S. market share. Chrysler came out of bankruptcy court with about 2,400 dealerships and had 2,366 at the end of October. The Auburn Hills automaker is now planning to close another 100 dealerships if they cannot reach a new financing deal with GMAC Financial Services or other lenders.

Chrysler spokeswoman Kathy Graham said that Chrysler was “optimistic” that nearly all dealerships would find financing for their vehicle inventories and other expenses by the end of November.

Around 1,500 Chrysler Group LLC dealerships sought financing through GMAC, which eventually replaced Chrysler Financial as preferred lender to the dealerships in April.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters

The Obama administration’s former auto czar, Steven Rattner, said that the key aim of restructuring Chrysler was replacing the group of top executives and management that was put together by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP.

“We wanted to have a completely fresh management team (at Chrysler),” said Rattner. “You can’t come to any conclusion that management is not a huge ingredient, a huge determinant of success.”

The U.S. government allowed Fiat SpA to take 20 percent of Chrysler and allowed Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne to become the head of Chrysler Group LLC.

Rattner, who left the auto task force in July, said that the main reason behind support the Chrysler/Fiat alliance “was frankly to get new management and to get what we thought was one of two or three best management teams in the world.”

Former CEO Bob Nardelli left the company along with Tom LaSorda. Jim Press will leave by the end of the month.

Chrysler had no comment on Rattner’s remarks.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News

The Obama administration is drawing a bright line between their preference for electric vehicles and their responsibility to manage the tax payers stakes in GM and Chrysler, according to Reuters. “We obviously would be very happy if Chrysler and GM were making lots and lots of high mileage cars. It’s not a prerequisite. It’s not an obligation,” Ron Bloom, head of Obama’s autos task force told Reuters on Tuesday.

Both companies however, do intend to release more fuel efficient vehicles and lines of smaller cars. The Chevy Volt, due out by GM next year is the company’s spear head in this fuel-efficiency movement, while Chrysler sidelined its plan for a similar vehicle seeing as how such a car would be inconsistent with their five-year business plan released earlier this month.

Both automakers have applied for billions of dollars in Energy Dept. loans for assistance in equipping their factories for output of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Bloom has said however that the Energy Dept. will retain complete autonomy in the decision process regarding who receives loans and who doesn’t.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters

According to Doug Betts, senior vice president in charge of quality at Chrysler Group LLC, the company will be a quality leader by the end of 2012 with a refocused and larger quality team that will strive to meet tougher standards. He said that Chrysler will commit to quality gains and make it a long-term success by embedding it into the company culture.

“It’s different now,” said Betts. “People are talking openly about problems now and how to fix them.”

Betts, who was hired by Cerberus Capital Management from Nissan two years ago, said that Chrysler is now attacking quality problems and making better cars by changing the culture.

Product quality has been an issue at Chrysler for decades scaring consumers away from Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles that scored poorly on many quality studies and surveys.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

Though they are encouraged by Chrysler’s turnaround plan, the U.S. government will not push for a quick IPO, a senior official told Reuters. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat, who now controls Chrysler, released Chrysler’s five-year plan earlier this month, and said that Chrysler should be operating on a break-even basis by 2011.

Marchionne’s plan rests on the anticipation that Chrysler can recover market share that it lost before hitting bankruptcy, and that the U.S. market will gradually recover. 56 percent of Chrysler’s vehicles will be derived from Fiat platforms by 2014.

Ron Bloom, head of the administration’s autos task force said that it is unlikely that we will see a Chrysler IPO before 2011, and that they weren’t going to push for an early IPO.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters

On Monday, Fiat took the wraps off its second-generation Fiat Doblo compact van, which will go on sale in Europe in mid-January. According to Automotive News, Chrysler Group LLC’s new Ram brand will get a version of the Fiat Doblo to compete with Ford’s new Transit Connect, which started selling in United States in July.

The Fiat Doblo is sold as seven-seat passenger vehicle or a panel van for small businesses. It has been sold in Europe since 2001. The model will join a large Fiat-based van to be sold in the United States by Ram, along with a restyled chassis cab model and light and heavy duty Ram vehicles.

Chrysler said it expects Ram sales to hit 415,000 by 2014, up from 280,000 in 2010.

2010 Fiat Doblo:

- By: Omar Rana

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee was spotted driving around in Michigan roads looking rather nice in a matte-black paint job with black wheels. We’re guessing this is just a prototype of the next-generation Grand Cherokee making rounds at local dealerships.

Click here for more news on the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Refresher: The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered with two new powertrains including Chrysler’s new flexible fuel 280-hp Phoenix 3.6L V6 which increases fuel-economy by up to 11 percent. The range will be topped off with a 5.7L HEMI V8 making 360-hp and a maximum torque of 390 lb-ft.

Spy Shots: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee in Michigan:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Jeep Garage (via accelerating-perspective and AutoBlog)

Speaking at the NASCAR Sprint Cup series race at the Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, Sen. John McCain said that he believes Chrysler Group LLC is unlikely to survive even after receiving nearly $15 billion in U.S. government loans.

“No, I don’t think we ever should have bailed out Chrysler and General Motors,” McCain said. “We should have let them go into bankruptcy, emerge and become viable corporations again.”

McCain said that throwing billions into the two companies was due to the political clout of the United Auto workers.

“It was all about the unions. The unions didn’t want to have their very generous contracts renegotiated so we put $80 billion into both General Motors and Chrysler, and anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I’d like to meet them,” McCain said.

General Motors and Chrysler have both undergone bankruptcy and have come out as new companies with healthier balance sheets.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News

Even though Daimler AG and Chrysler’s break up back in 2007 ended like a horrible divorce, Daimler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche still cares a lot for the American automaker.

In a recent interview with USAToday, Zetsche said, “I continue to be emotional about this company and am crossing my fingers for the very best future.”

Zetsche said that besides focusing on small cars and fuel-saving technologies, Fiat and Sergio Marchionne shouldn’t forget that Americans still like larges cars and SUVs.

He said that if Marchionne did ask him for advices, he would tell him that “I would not focus exclusively on small cars going forward. I do believe the successful continuation of SUVs and larger cars is necessary.”

Daimler and Chrysler broke up in 2007 when Daimler sold 80.1 percent of Chrysler to a private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management, after paying $36 billion for it in 1998.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: USAToday

What you’re looking at here is a modern interpretation of the Plymouth Road Runner based on the 2009 Dodge Challenger with a 6.1L HEMI turbocharged V8 engine. The concept is being put together by an independent designer Michael Leonhard, who is selling the car once he’s done building it.

The 6.1 HEMI turbocharged V8 allows for a total of 620-hp with a maximum torque of 650 lb-ft. 0-60 mph should come in 3.8 seconds.

Even before it’s built, Leonhard has put the one-off model up for grabs on eBay with a Buy it Now price tag of $950,000. Of course, you want to be careful before you go spending close to a million on this car since Leonhard says “in order to improve the finished product, changes to the design may occur during the building process.”

The finished model will make its debut at the 2010 LA Auto Show. If you have questions about the auction send an e-mail to michaelleonhard77@yahoo.de. Click here to see the eBay listing.

Click through for the spec sheet and additional images.

Plymouth Road Runner Concept:

Stages of exterior building process:

• Body sketch to data development

• Body engineering

• Engineering of swing panels, dropping glass, glass production

• Engineering of Wheels

• Tooling Development & Production

• Body Manufacture

• Fabrication – Body to chassis

• Fabrication – Door, hood and trunk swing

• Fabrication – Glass drop development

• Fabrication – Dry Fit of vehicle

• Fabrication – Materials

• Wheel manufacture

• Glass development

• Exterior accessories (Headlights, Taillights, Fog Lamps, Side Markers, Grilles, Mirrors, Door Handles)

• Final vehicle Surface and Paint

• Final assembly and testing

Performance upgrade (Turbocharger) to the 6.1L HEMI V8 engine:

Focused power:

• 620 hp @ 5,200 rpm

• 650 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

Appraised performance:

• 0-60 mph: 3,8 sec

• ¼ mile: 11.9 sec @ 121 mph

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Michael Leonhard (via Straightline)

Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration pay czar, said that he is concerned that the pay cuts ordered for bailed out companies could be troublesome for them when they try to retain or hire new talent. He said that the administration would consider offers to hire new executives at competitive industry rates.

Last month, Feinberg, ordered a cut in executive salaries at the seven firms that have received taxpayer bailouts. The cut included an average 50 percent cut in pay and bonuses for executives at General Motors, GMAC Financial Services, Chrysler Group LLC and Chrysler Financial.

“I’m always concerned that the companies thrive and they keep the personnel they need to stay in business. That’s a major concern,” Feinberg said. ”If General Motors or any other company wants to bring someone in laterally — laterally — and competitive pay packages require that lateral hires get certain competitive pay, what have you, we’re perfectly willing to examine that.”

GM Chairman Edward Whitacre recently urged the Obama administration to give the Detroit automaker less restrictive pay caps, saying that it is getting difficult for the company to hire new employees.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters

Chrysler Group LLC, which recently announced its 5-year product and business plan, has no plans to accelerate the development of a mass-market hybrid or a plug-in electric passenger car. The Auburn Hills automaker plans to rely heavily on small Fiat engines to improve the fuel-economy of its vehicle fleet.

Chrysler’s head of powertrain operations, Paolo Ferrero, said that future Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicles will use the MultiAir engines that will be offered in the Fiat 500 when it arrives next year. The MultiAir system delivers a mix of fuel and air to boost horsepower of smaller engines while improving fuel-economy. Chrysler will also use Fiat’s dual dry-clutch transmission, which will be introduced on the 2011 Chrysler 300.

A mass-market hybrid from Chrysler isn’t planned before 2015, even though the company’s 5-year business plan assumes that gas will return to $4 a gallon. The Dodge Ram 1500 light-duty pickup is the only model scheduled to get a mild-hybrid system sometime next year.

It was earlier this week that Chrysler has dismantled a team of engineers dedicated to developing a range of electric-vehicles under Fiat SpA.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Free Press

After five months of marketing darkness, Chrysler Group LLC is preparing to pump up their advertising this quarter and gradually increase the amount spent over the next few years says Automotive News. Starting next quarter, Chrysler Group will spend $100 for each vehicle sold at retail in the US, and eventually cap out their media spending at $170 per vehicle next year, and $210 in 2011. Chrysler Groups sales fell 30% last month from the same time the previous year, and CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News “I can give you one reason: The fact that we’ve been incredibly quiet for the last five months, so the marketing positions of all our brands have been incredibly weak.”.

Marchionne cautioned against pessimism in his plan however and told attendees that “We would not reinvest $23 billion if your expectation is not to re-establish these brands.”

As part of their marketing plan, Chrysler plans to reinvent the Dodge image. They hope to shift from a rugged image to a more refined and youthful one. Ralph Gilles, CEO of the brand also mentioned a shift in marketing approach. Instead of going after consumers based on traditional demographics such as age, or price groups, Dodge intends to market to lifestyles as he noted that “people are aging gracefully”.

Jeep also has a slight image modification in the pipeline. CEO Mike Manley hopes to shift focus from sheer capability towards fuel economy and on-road driving performance. Research showed that only 30% of Jeep customers are truly interested in off-roading. Daimler AG had tried this when they owned jeep with the introduction of the Compass and the Patriot, which both flopped.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Under Fiat SpA, Chrysler has dismantled a team of engineers dedicated to developing a range of electric-vehicles. The move marks a major reversal for Chrysler, which had used its ENVI department and its electric-car program in order to receive $12.5 billion in federal aid.

In August, Chrysler took a $70 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop and test a fleet of 220 hybrid pickups and minivans that are now scrapped from its turnaround plan that CEO Sergio Marchionne announced earlier this week. Spokesman Nick Cappa said that on Friday, Chrysler had disbanded ENVI for a more traditional organization.

“Envi is absorbed into the normal vehicle development program,” Cappa told Reuters.

Under the new plan presented by Marchionne, ENVI’s chief Lou Rhodes will become the executive in charge of developing electric-cars for both Fiat and Chrysler.

Originally, Chrysler had plans to launch its first electric-vehicles by 2010. It had pledged to have 500,000 electric-cars on the road by 2013.

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Reuters

Starting in 2012, we can expect to see an influx of Fiat-based Chrysler Group LLC vehicles, according to Automotive News. Joseph Veltri, VP of product planning for Chrysler unveiled the product plan on Wednesday. 56 percent of Chrysler’s vehicles will be derived from Fiat platforms by 2014, Veltri announced in the plan.

Chrysler projects a $5 billion operating profit by 2014, CFO Richard Palmer announced during an eight-hour program outlining Chrysler’s strategy for the next five years.

Palmer predicts that U.S. sales will more than double during that time from 950,000 units sold this year to 2 million units sold. The plan also calls for each Chrysler brand to receive new nameplates that build off of Fiat platforms.

Chrysler’s 5-Year Product Plan:

- By: Stephen Calogera

Two days ago we saw Chrysler’s brand new logo leaked via the U.S. Patent Office website. We now have the official high-res logo from Chrysler. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section after the jump.

Chrysler Logo:

- By: Kap Shah

If you were keeping up-to-date yesterday with egmCarTech you probably noticed that most of our posts had to do with Chrysler’ 5-year product and business plan. If you missed anything the plan is available to view in detail over at http://www.chryslergroupllc.com/business/.

You can check out some of the important slides right here.

- By: Omar Rana