Fiat 500 Will Be in Chrysler Showrooms in 2010 | The CarGurus Blog

 

  Three versions will come to the U.S. First, the basic 1.4-liter will arrive in late 2010 in “metro areas at select dealers that house all Chrysler Group LLC brands and will include a dedicated salon inside the dealership.” This will be followed in 2011 by the 500 convertible, with rollback top (above), and in 2012 by an Abarth 500 with turbocharger and, we assume, some suspension mods. Go to Carscoop for a slew of photos.

Click on the following:  Fiat 500 Will Be in Chrysler Showrooms in 2010 | The CarGurus Blog

Chrysler's Complete Product Plan

Last Wednesday’s big conference in Detroit was basically a 335 slide power point production.  The key 13 slide as presented last week are available at this site.  The slides below have the Belvidere built models.

 

Click on the following for the rest of the slides:  Chrysler's Complete Product Plan

Chrysler’s new wing logo gets patent approval

CEO Marchionne asserted that the break-even was achieved in September and the last few months have seen more money roll in than out. With this, Marchionne remained confident the cash won’t deplete as new models are developed off Fiat technology. By 2010, it’s anticipated that “emergency” facelifts will renew 75% of the line-up while the remainder will be refreshed by 2012. This strategy will align with a range of new platforms from both Chrysler and Fiat arms. The Fiat 500 will place Chrysler into a new B segment market, while two further platforms set to be received from Fiat will allow new C and D segment offerings. New Chrysler platforms will underpin models in SUV, Minivan and CUV segments.

Chrysler’s new wing logo gets patent approval

Green Car Congress: Chrysler Disbands ENVI Electric Vehicle Group; Function Absorbed into Traditional Line Organization

 

Marchionne told reporters and analysts electric cars would only represent “one to two percent” of Chrysler’s sales by 2014, equivalent to less than 60,000 vehicles—a percentage consistent with the current proportion of hybrid to conventional vehicle sales for all OEMs in the US with the exception of Toyota. (Earlier post.)

As outlined in the plan, Chrysler is putting a more immediate focus on downsizing its engines and improving fuel economy across the entire portfolio.

Click on the following for more details:  Green Car Congress: Chrysler Disbands ENVI Electric Vehicle Group; Function Absorbed into Traditional Line Organization

Toledo Area: Solid Future? - Dodge Nitro Forum

This Toledo area blog discusses the competition between the Belvidere plant and Toledo for survival. 

Tracy Handler, who studies Chrysler for IHS Global Insight in suburban Detroit, said Toledo Jeep's Liberty and Nitro factory "is directly competing" with Chrysler's small-vehicle factory in Belvidere, Ill., for future work. Belvidere is where the fuel-efficient Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriot, and Jeep Compass are manufactured.
Mrs. Handler said that while the Wrangler facility's future is solid, the Liberty and Nitro factory's future is less certain.
"Even if you add some Alfa-Romeo and other Chrysler-based product, if you only have the Liberty built at that plant, that's probably not enough," she said.

Click on the following for the complete story:  Toledo Area: Solid Future? - Dodge Nitro Forum

NY Times Opinion - Chemicals in Our Food, and Bodies

Your body is probably home to a chemical called bisphenol A, or BPA. It’s a synthetic estrogen that United States factories now use in everything from plastics to epoxies — to the tune of six pounds per American per year. That’s a lot of estrogen.

More than 92 percent of Americans have BPA in their urine, and scientists have linked it — though not conclusively — to everything from breast cancer to obesity, from attention deficit disorder to genital abnormalities in boys and girls alike.

Last year, Canada became the first country to conclude that BPA can be hazardous to humans, and Massachusetts issued a public health advisory in August warning against any exposure to BPA by pregnant or breast-feeding women or by children under the age of 2.

Click on the following for more details: Op-Ed Columnist - Chemicals in Our Food, and Bodies - NYTimes.com

Indiana Supreme Court To Hear Gambler's Lawsuit

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on whether an Ohio River casino should have allowed a compulsive gambler to play and lose $125,000 in a single night.  Casino sued Kephart to recover $125,000 that she had lost in a single night of gambling in 2006.  Kephartto said the casino enticed her to gamble with free meals and rooms and money

Click on the following for more details:  Ind. Supreme Court To Hear Gambler's Lawsuit - Indiana News Story - WRTV Indianapolis