I'm no longer going to express any shock that my island city continues to provide a seemingly inexhaustible supply of street-parked vintage cars and trucks; we got to 150 Down On The Street posts late last year, we're up to 200 as of today, and I've got enough photos in the can to get us to 250, no sweat.  read more »

The Wall Street Journal today published a story stating, according to un-named sources, that Chrysler is in talks with Japanese automaker Nissan to essentially supply the Auburn Hills, MI carmaker with mid-sized cars derived from the Nissan Altima. Such a deal would come on the heels of an agreement for Nissan to supply Chrysler with a version of the Nissan Versa as it next small car. In turn, Nissan is getting out of the business of building its own full-sized pickups and is going to replace the Titan (currently with $10,000 of incentives on it) with a version of the Dodge Ram.  read more »

So Chrysler's new ad campaign isn't the homicidal child take over narrative we'd originally envisioned. The new advertising campaign, which breaks into 55 markets "around the Super Bowl," is focused on showing customers it is a new day for the brand with new value. Mostly, the value focuses on 12 "new" packages offering electronic items like the MyGig entertainment system, DVD navigation and satellite radio at no extra charge. The ads with the demon child are about an animated kid that listens to customers in order to build a new car company... which is Dodge?  read more »

Unlike GM and Ford, Chrysler saw an increase of 1% in sales for December 2007 compared the previous December. That's what they'd like you to focus on, please. They'd rather you ignore the fact that for 2007 total sales were 2.08 million vehicles, a decrease of 3% from 2006. The Chrysler brand saw a year-over-year decrease of 10% due to decreasing sales from the 300, PT Cruiser and Pacifica, as well as a decrease in Town &amp Country sales as customers waited for the new model. Jeep saw an increase in sales of 3% in 2007, led by the new Jeep Compass and the Wrangler. Dodge stayed near steady, losing just 2%.  read more »

Weve been covering the rollout of April incentives this week, and so far the deals coming from Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep are the most jaw-dropping. The weak economy and double-digit sales slump in March spurred major incentive spending from Ford , while GM has kept incentives about even for the past few months. Chrysler, however, has incentives so large that, in some regions, they even beat the radical employee discount sale from the summer of 2006. Not surprisingly, the biggest numbers are on large trucks and SUVs, with the Dodge Ram half-ton sporting a $5,500 cash-back offer.  read more »

We fired up the email this morning, per our usual, only to read lots of people asking why we hadnt posted about Toyota overtaking Ford for the No. 2 automaker in the U.S in 2007. Frankly, we had thought that had already happened. Just kidding. Still, we didnt digest all the numbers until now and there are some interesting things to note. Toyota Division Toyota-branded vehicles only; no Lexus or Scion sold 2,291,648 total vehicles in 2007, the companys best number ever. Ford Division Ford-branded vehicles only; no Lincoln or Mercury sold 2,101,244 total vehicles, down 13.6 % from 2006s figure of 2,433,086. Conclusion 1: Yes, Toyota is now the No. 1 nameplate. GM as a company is still really No. 1, but its Chevrolet nameplate is the No. 2 brand now, with 2,265,641 vehicles sold in 2007. Thats down 6.2% from 2,415,428 in 2006. GM as a company including Cadillac, Hummer, and so on is still tops with 3,833,611, versus Toyota Motor Company at 2,620,825 and Ford Motor Company at 2,572,599. The new Chrysler group Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep was down 3% to 2,076,650. Conclusion 2: The Ford brand didnt do that poorly if you take into account old models that were discontinued in 2007. The Freestar minivan alone accounted for a loss of 47,735 vehicles in 2007 sales. It will be replaced by the Flex crossover in 2009.  The Ford Five Hundred accounted for a loss of roughly 17,040 vehicles, when you account for its discontinuation and the addition of the new Taurus, which replaced it a few months later. The Freestyle accounted for a loss of 16,492 during its few months out of commission before the Taurus X replaced it. The gas-guzzling Excursions minimal sales of 965 surely wont be missed. The total of those discontinued vehicle sales is 82,232, which you could subtract from the 190,404 shortfall vs. Toyota, a number large enough to make an obvious dent. Thats not Fords only problem, though. Conclusion 3: Big sellers for Ford saw big declines and most are in need of replacing or updating. The F Series alone was down 105,450 in 2007. Thats a huge number and would help bridge that gap with Toyota (which added an all-new Tundra last year, by the way). The Mustang, Econoline and Ranger also saw significant losses in 2007. Conclusion 4: Lincoln sales are gaining, but Mercury sales are dropping, and Ford needs to address Mercurys failure soon. There are no new Mercury models in the pipeline at all. And with most Lincoln and Mercury dealers already consolidating with Ford stores, theres no need for two upmarket nameplates. The Silver Lining: Ford will introduce an all-new F-150 in two weeks at the Detroit auto show. Even in a declining segment that should boost sales a bit. Also, the Mustang will get an update in 2009. In 2008 the Flex crossover will go on sale, potentially offsetting the loss of the Freestar. The last all-new Ford crossover, the Edge, has done extremely well for the company. Its 130,125 in sales in 2007, its first year, easily offset the 41,412 drop in Explorer sales to 137,817 in 2007. Ford also says it cut down fleet sales which dont turn as much profit by 18% in 2007. What does all this mean?  read more »

Chrysler is just full of surprises. Earlier this week, the company told its nervous dealers that the company isnt being sold off. It will be around for years to come and that it has some hot products coming. Among them will be an electric car that is slated to go on sale in late 2010. That was the most shocking news of all. First, Chrysler has made almost no noise about work on electric cars. And in Detroit, the Big Three rarely hesitate to crow about green tech developments, not with Washington trying to strong arm them into higher fuel economy performance. Second, this is the company thats still burning cash and losing money. Coming up with R&D dough for an electric car isnt cheap. Rubbish all of that. Chrysler says the company has been secretly working on electric drive systems since 2007. Chairman Robert Nardelli, formerly of Home Depot and General Electric, says one is on the way. A source close to the company says Chrysler has even cut a deal with GE to get electric motors. The company has also been working with suppliers to develop the needed technology. Chrysler has worked with English carmaker Lotus to develop a two-seat electric car based on the companys Europa sports car for Dodge. Even though Lotus helped Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors develop its electric roadster, Chrysler says it wont be getting batteries from Tesla. The other two concepts Chrysler showed the dealers were the four-door Jeep Wrangler and Chryslers Town & Country minivan. Those two concept cars would run like the Chevy Volt, going 40 miles on electric drive before a gasoline engine starts up to recharge the battery. A Chrysler spokesman says that, even though Chrysler uses a GM hybrid system in the Dodge Durango suv, the company will not use the Volt system. Nissan is a possible partner. The two already have several deals to work together and Nissan is developing its own electric car for the end of the decade. If Chrysler can pull this off, it will be a bolt from the blue. It would be surprising given the cutbacks and cash constraints. Not to mention the incredible amount of development work needed to mate one company's engine with batteries, an electric motor and power controls of its suppliers. Don't forget crash testing on these babies, either. The optimist in me says that Chrysler has always been innovative. It has come up with some of the best designs and breakthrough products over the past 20 years. Maybe the smallest of the shrinking three can do it. The pessimist says Chrysler has never been a green leader and its resources are too thin to get it done. This isn't just a matter of coming up with a 7-speed transmission. At the least, Chrysler will now have access to some of the $25 billion in loans that the federal government just made available to carmakers. There's the cash. Now we'll see if they have the expertise to build the car.  read more »

SMS, Steve Saleen's new operation, wants to sell 2005-09 Mopar Hemi owners a supercharger that the company claims can bump underhood horsepower by as much as 45%. The SMS 296 supercharger has some unique features, including an internal intercooler and a low profile, letting the blower sit between the cylinder banks and fit entirely under the hood. Obviously, we can't verify any of the company's output claims, but if they'd send us a Challenger so-equipped, we'd be happy to amend this post with full test results. Steve? Anyone?  read more »

Last week, the bankruptcy news of an auto parts supplier in Dearborn, Michigan, may have a direct impact on consumers. And it reveals some insight into what goes into the parts of the car that owners see and touch every day. Plastech Engineered Products makes interior components for Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors vehicles. About a week ago, Plastech declared bankruptcy amidst a dispute with Chrysler, as widely reported. As a result, Plastech stopped supplying Chrysler interior components, causing the automaker to run short of parts and shut down four factories temporarily, with the potential to close many more. The standoff didnt last for long before a temporary agreement could be reached and production resumed.  read more »

Chrysler has had a number of big-name new model introductions over the past few years, including redesigned versions of big sellers like the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Grand Caravan. Theres just one problem: Theyre not setting the world on fire. In a stagnant car market, some of the companys models are at the bottom of the barrel. To help spark some interest, Chysler announced added content to many models across Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep while using a new ad campaign called "New Day" which will debut during the Super Bowl on Sunday. When we first heard about this story, we made a joke in the office of Free MyGigs for everyone!  read more »