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The Progression of Chrysler

steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
edited February 2014 in General
After the bankruptcy, came Fiat. In the third quarter of 2101, Sales and market share are up. What's ahead in this decade?
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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Some reading material.

    "Chrysler, which today painted a vastly different financial picture from a year ago when it was just emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has demonstrated improvement in nearly every metric measured by Edmunds.com, parent of AutoObserver.com.

    Sales and market share are up; incentives are down, allowing Chrysler to get a higher price for its vehicles; and inventories are in line with sales and, in fact, are tight."

    Chrysler Demonstrates Solid Progress, Edmunds.com Data Shows

    "Chrysler's third-quarter results released this morning show vast improvement in the automaker's financial performance, prompting Fiat, which now runs Chrysler, to up its forecast for the full year.

    Chrysler still lost money on a net basis - $84 million in the third quarter - but narrowed the loss from $172 million in the second quarter. Its operating profit, increasing quarter after quarter, rose to $239 million, a $56 million improvement."

    Chrysler Narrows Losses, Increases Operating Profit, Ups Forecast (AutoObserver)
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    but ever since Chrysler merged with Fiat and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne decided to let Chrysler bring the 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta over to America and sell it as a Dodge, I have been a fan of theirs. :shades:

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I think Marchionne has some good ideas, but Chrysler quality has been awful for several decades. That will be hard to turn around quickly. I wish them well, but its going to take some consistent changes before I consider them. New interiors and a new engine may help, or they may just be lipstick on a pig.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    this new 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Alfa Romeo has done a great job with this new Giulietta and UK reviewers are all giving at least an 80 out of 100 for the car. Which includes a test drive, which is a necessity here. The drive and hold to the road is great and Alfa Romeo includes different "settings" for different road conditions and driving desires. It is a true enthusiast's driving sports car created just for us. I want a large part of that, even if it is going to be in Dodge form. Dodge has already stated they're not going to change the car at all except for the badge, a big plus here!

    image
    2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

    image
    2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta interior-including the metal gearknob

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    much at all I can order a new Giulietta and drive the 735 miles north to Seattle to pick it up! No kidding! Now, when it comes time to giving me good customer service it might be unfair to the Seattle Alfa Romeo dealer I order from, true, but it's a cool discovery I made and good to know I can do this if needed. There's a good maintenance shop I've discovered here in Elko, NV, that could do the maintenance on my Giulietta if this is the route I do indeed go. It is a real possibility as I am missing Seattle quite a bit.

    I may go this route as Alfa Romeo has done a great job on this car and I don't want it screwed up by Dodge. Frankly, I don't trust the manufacturing of this car at Chrysler's Belvidere, IL, plant. I just don't. I may need to buy this in true Alfa Romeo form. A plus of this is that for close attention from a true Alfa Romeo service center I get to drive to Seattle on my time off from work! And see my family over there at the same time. Brilliant idea, iluv!

    Here's the Seattle Alfa Romeo dealer ad.

    http://www.alfaromeosales.com/research/giulietta/

    image

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    but I can also but Alfa Romeo jeans from this Seattle Alfa Romeo car dealer.

    image

    Read about that right here, folks.

    http://www.alfaromeosales.com/20100501-alfa-romeo-luxury-denim-seattle/

    Hey, I found a place in Las Vegas that works on Alfa Romeo's. Cool!

    http://www.italianautoservice.com/lasvegasalfaromeo.html

    image
    Love ta see the cost of this Alfa Romeo and test drive one to boot

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    is what's ripe for right now.

    image
    Me like the 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta in white

    I'm starting to generate strong feelings for the "buy the 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta at a Seattle area dealer" idea. Several questions are generated by this scenario, yes. One being trade-in treatment of our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Another is price of the car I want to buy and another is when will the car hit the Seattle dealer. I have begun the process of contacting the Seattle Alfa Romeo dealer already so, knowing how most new car dealers work, the answers should start coming in very, very soon to me.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • karynrkarynr Member Posts: 1
    Chrysler refuses to correct the in-service date (warranty start date) for my 2007 PT Cruiser. This vehicle was first titled in Feb 2008, with an odometer reading of 15 miles. This should be the start of the warranty period. Instead, Chrysler has a date 5 months earlier (Oct 2007) with an odometer reading of 123!!! miles. Can't have more miles at an earlier date-- but Chrysler customer service will not recognize the logical fallacy here. I am the second owner, but Chrysler will not correct their database without my producing the original sales document (why would I have that??) -- so they say my car is out of warranty when it is not, and will not pay for the repairs I recently required. They have created a catch-22 -- only their database is correct and I can only disprove it with documents it is impossible for me to possess! I've tried going up the chain of command within customer service, but everyone just repeats the same nonsense.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2010
    You should have something like a bill of sale and title and those documents should show what the odometer reading was when you purchased it.

    But if you were the second owner, the date the warranty kicked in (for the time computation part of the warranty) would be when it was first titled. If you don't have the original transaction documents, I guess I'm wondering how you know the first title date was 2/2008?

    If you have a consumer protection agency where you live, why not grab your documents and see if you can get some advice from them?

    And try asking in the Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer? discussion. We're talking more about the company here, not individual problems, and you may get more help over there.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    from this Seattle dealership group, the Rairdon Group, and he confirmed that they are indeed going to sell Alfa Romeo's in a standalone dealer at their Kirkland, WA, location. Twould be a long drive to Seattle for me to buy one...but I could then visit my family in Mukilteo, Issaquah and Okanogan after the deal is done. I'm getting interested in doing this thing. I don't want to wait and see what Dodge would do to this thing. Way rather have the purebred Italian 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

    http://www.alfaromeosales.com/research/giulietta/

    image
    Looking to go with the white color...even though white isn't a color :shades:

    Pricing will be critical, I have a great trade-in that will provide adequate value for the deal to work out and the salesman indicated that they would love to have my trade-in.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • nine51nine51 Member Posts: 77
    I have had three Dodge Grand Caravans in the last 20 years. A 1990 LE, 1997 ES and a 2008 SXT. With each one I have seen a steady decline in component quality. This last one, an 08 SXT has had corrosion issues with brake and suspension parts. The rear parking brake assemblies had to be replaced this summer due to rust, last year the rear AC unit corroded and lost all of the R134a, and now the front struts and rear shocks are so brown and pitted with rust, they probably won't last another year. I also own a 2004 Honda Civic (US built) and a 02 Subaru Legacy (US built) that have spent 2 to 3 times the amount of time and miles in the salt here in wisconsin, and neither one looks as bad as the Dodge. I will need to see a big increase in quality from Chrysler before I buy another one, and I doubt Fiat will be the company to correct that.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited November 2010
    yeah, that is one of the burning automotive questions out there right now. I found out a Seattle Auto Group is going to import the Alfa Romeo Giulietta directly over to sell as an Alfa Romeo, soon. Like in the next couple of weeks.

    No Chrysler involvement at all in this, for right now. Funny thing is, this same Auto Group also sells Chrysler products, so they'll be selling the Dodge version of the Giulietta in about a year from now, too.

    I have since turned my attention to a Ford product of all things, that being the 2011 Ford Fiesta S 5-speed sedan. I can't get the $13,990 price after $500 Ford cash back to the consumer at purchase thing out of my mind. Plus the fact that the new Fiesta is a great new subcompact. I'm getting myself all flushed with excitement again. For reals. :P

    image
    This is the model I want, note the simple grille design, devoid of any chrome, that's one way you can tell it's an S model, the cheapest one

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • bruce6bruce6 Member Posts: 29
    I went to the San Francisco Auto Show Sunday. Now I know SF is not a show where they debut new cars for the first time, but several companies had cars on display that won't be in dealers for a month or two or even longer -- the Chevy Volt and upcoming Ford Focus, for example. Chrysler, had none of their new passenger cars. Instead of the reportedly much-improved 200, they had the car it replaces, the dreaded Sebring -- whose interior looks even cheaper and tackier now that the competition has gotten so much better. As they say in the old country, WTF? The display gave no hint at all that this is a company in the middle of updating its product line.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Chrysler Group LLC plans to hire 1,000 engineers and other high-tech workers over the next four months as it expands small and midsized car development, a company executive said Tuesday.

    With the 1,000 engineering hires, Chrysler will have added or announced the addition of 6,000 jobs since its exit from bankruptcy. Its overall total North America employment was 51,663 as of June compared with 47,788 at the end of June 2009. That remains far below the 82,284 Chrysler employed at the end of 2006."

    Chrysler to Hire 1,000 Engineers, Others (Wall St. Journal)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "As part of a ceremony at the Sterling Heights (Michigan) Assembly Plant, Marchionne will formally thank the U.S. and Canadian governments and their citizens for the 2009 loans. The announcement today comes on the heels of last week's bond offering announcement by Chrysler to refinance its debt through the private sector."

    Chrysler To Announce Government Payback (AutoObserver)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Forecasters are scrambling to slash their forecasts for European car sales in 2012 as Europe's financial meltdown makes the idea of buying expensive things like cars seem like an act of bravado. So this is not an ideal time to declare that a company like Fiat is going to wipe out its losses in Europe.

    Fiat has some ace cards though, with Chrysler given the unlikely role as savior with its return to profitability. Recently bankrupt Chrysler could make the difference between life or death for Fiat. The Financial Times of London's Lex column put it this way.

    "A valiant soul dives in to save a drowning man only to be pulled under himself. Rarely, the initial victim gets his second wind and rescues the would-be savior. Italy's Fiat finds itself in the latter position. Having been the only global carmaker willing to take a gamble on Chrysler, it is now clinging to it," said Lex."

    As Fiat struggles in Italy's financial storm, Chrysler makes the difference (Detroit News)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Maybe not. Inventory has doubled.

    Chrysler Furloughs Workers As Fiat 500 Inventory Climbs (AutoObserver)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,140
    The Enterprise-Alamo-National fleet got a dump of them about 3-4 months ago... I wonder who will be next.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    And try asking in the Got a Quick Question for a Car Dealer? discussion. We're talking more about the company here, not individual problems, and you may get more help over there.

    Ahhh... but individual problems like Karynr's are exactly why the "Company" of Chrysler has been bailed out twice from bankruptcy.

    It had nothing to do with Daimler or the economy, and everything to do with the way Chrysler treats customers (and what they sell them).
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    I will need to see a big increase in quality from Chrysler before I buy another one, and I doubt Fiat will be the company to correct that.


    Being that FIAT stands for FIX IT AGAIN TONY (Tony being a car mechanic), I think your doubts are well warranted.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729

    With the 1,000 engineering hires,

    How many of those thousand engineers will be former proven failures for engineers from Ford (back when they sucked), GM (bankruptcy) or even former Chrysler workers? Poor excuse for engineers unless they are completely new blood.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    It's not clear to me what interest rate the loans to Chrysler were made at. Are tax payers making reasonable return for the investment in Chrysler over the last few years?

    Payback should be directly to the American people, no need to give thanks. They can show their gratitude by putting a new Viper in everyone's driveway. Otherwise, spare me.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    They can give me a new Chrysler 300-C SRT8! Make mine red!
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    It's not clear to me what interest rate the loans to Chrysler were made at. Are tax payers making reasonable return for the investment in Chrysler over the last few years?

    Chrysler was paying an over double digit interest rate to the US and Canadian governments which cost them $1.2 billion in 2010. Not a bad return to the government on $7.5 billion in loans. That's 16%!!

    Chrysler paid the money back earlier this year.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576341363763683294.html
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    Frankly, for the risk involved, we should have gotten 32%.

    However, on principle alone, I'd of never loaned Chrysler any money as it is always a bad idea to help a bad company with bad people in it.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    Well I'm sure we're never going to agree on this topic.

    IMHO, not bailing out GM and Chrysler could have led to an even greater economic downturn than we experienced. We can only hope that moving forward, these two companies work better.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    Knowing that the only and sole reason they want to pay off the gov't loans by taking private loans is so that they can give themselves bigger bonuses and bigger golden parachutes, I can't wish them well, sorry!
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    A reporter is looking for midsize or small car owners who switched from Honda or Toyota to Chrysler, Ford or GM. Email pr@edmunds.com by Friday, January 6, 2011 with a few words about your car choice and your experience so far.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Here comes Andre's next car - Dodge Dart.

    Nice.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    The new Dart pix do look good, but I'm thinking its overshadowed by the new Fusion - maybe Andre will join Lemko and move over to a Ford - Just Kidding! I've got to say though that a lot of this new D3 stuff makes Toyota (and its updated Camry), as well as a lot of the other Asian models look kind of yesterday, don't you think?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,140
    According to the propaganda, the Camry is "reinvented" :shades:

    Chrysler seems to be making the hugest potential jump in brand equity.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,681
    I like the new Dart from some angles, but from others, it makes me think of a 10 year old Hyundai or Kia.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    I can see certain angles you might not like and I'm not crazy about the dash but overall I love the package and indeed they are making the new Camry look downright fuddy duddy.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Smash! Wow! Pop! Zoom! Kubang!

    Chrysler, Fiat CEO confirms Maserati SUV production for Detroit (chicagotribune.com)

    2014 Maserati Kubang Makes U.S. Debut: 2012 Detroit Auto Show (Inside Line)

    image
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    “Chrysler’s momentum has been nothing short of remarkable, especially when it was on its last lifelines as recently as two years ago,” said Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs. “It’s poetic that Chrysler is receiving this well-deserved recognition almost exactly one year after its ‘Imported from Detroit’ ad campaign debuted during the Super Bowl, which was really the big turning point for the company.”

    Edmunds.com Auto Sales Forecast: Analysts See Chrysler up 35 Percent (chron.com)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "For January, Chrysler said it sold 101,149 vehicles. Truck sales rose 25% from a year ago, while car sales more than doubled.

    Sales for the Dodge brand advanced 29% while sales for the Jeep brand gained 37%. The namesake line's sales increased 81%.

    Chrysler finished the month with an 83-day supply of inventory."

    January U.S. Auto Sales Jump (WSJ)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Fiat SpA has reached an agreement to with Sberbank Rossii to build Jeeps in Russia, according to reports in the Italian media Sunday.

    Marchionne said recently that much of Chrysler's growth in 2012 will come from expanding Jeep's overseas sales in markets where its name is already well known."

    Fiat to build Jeeps in Russian factories (detroitnews.com)
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    edited March 2012
    Impressive!

    link title
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited April 2012
    To be closer to his money?

    Chrysler posts $473 million profit in Q1a (detroitnews.com)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,140
    On this day in 1998, a new invasion began, and a little more revenge for 1945 was enacted :shades:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    No problem, the reemergence of the minivan will save Chrysler again. :-)

    Chrysler, minivan heavyweight for 29 years, mulls next act (autonews.com)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Chrysler has introduced a "No Payments for 90 Days" promotion on many of its 2012 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat models that will run through May 31. The special deal excludes the 2012 Dodge Avenger SE, Chrysler 200 LX sedan, Dodge Journey AVP, Fiat 500 Abarth, all SRT models and the Viper."

    Chrysler Debuts No Payments for 90 Days (Inside Line)
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Well I hope they really are turning the quality corner, but for now I'm expecting to see a lot of used Chryler products on the lots of other makes starting in about 3 or 4 years when the new car payments run out and the warranty is expired. Color me skeptical.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Dumping the Town and Country for another boring crossover. Phooey. :shades:

    Chrysler keeps Dodge Caravan; production of Town & Country to end (Detroit News)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Dodge Announces Withdrawal From NASCAR (Inside Line)

    (The WSJ reports this week that minivans are back and sales are up, so maybe the T&C will get reconsidered).
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited October 2012
    "The automotive industry is benefitting from as low interest rates, improved housing prices, more optimistic consumers and pent-up-demand from consumers with aging vehicles who are returning to dealer showrooms."

    Chrysler sales up 12% in September (Detroit Free Press)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Fiat's troubles in Europe make it increasingly important for Fiat to complete a full merger with Chrysler, according to a report Wednesday by Max Warburton, an analyst for Bernstein Research. However, Fiat's plans to acquire a larger stake in Chrysler are taking longer than expected, in part, because of a suit by the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust.

    Fiat owns 58.5% of Chrysler and is trying to buy an additional 3.3% of Chrysler's shares from the trust, which manages health care for union retirees."

    Fiat's weak sales, credit downgrade complicate plan to increase Chrysler stake (Detroit Free Press)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Adding the third crew now was driven by the mounting cost of overtime Jefferson North's workers have logged in recent months. Newly hired workers start at a lower wage to which the UAW agreed in its 2011 contract.

    Through September, U.S. sales of the Grand Cherokee are up 30.1% from a year earlier to 112,075."

    Chrysler to add 1,100 workers at Detroit plant to make SUVs (Detroit Free Press)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Net revenue for the quarter was 18 percent to $15.5 billion, thanks to a 19 percent increase in shipments. Chrysler shipped 559,000 vehicles during the third quarter compared to 469,000 during the same period in 2011.

    Since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009, Chrysler has not only returned to solid profitability, but also announced investments of more than $4.5 billion in the United States and Canada, repaid its government loans in full with interest six years ahead of schedule and launched 18 new or refreshed cars and trucks.

    Fiat currently owns 58.5 percent of Chrysler and is trying to purchase another 3.3 percent of the company from its other owner, an hourly retiree health care trust run by the United Auto Workers."

    Chrysler 3Q net profit up 80% to $381M (Detroit News)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Chrysler Group LLC will announce Thursday nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in new investments and add about 1,250 jobs at three of its Michigan plants to boost production of engines and pickup trucks."

    Chrysler to invest $250M, add 1,250 jobs at three Michigan plants (Detroit News)
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