Fiat Pledges to Keep Italian Plants, Shift Focus to Foreign Markets by Building Chrysler Models

As expected after last week’s announcement, on Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti met with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne and the company's Chairman and heir to the Agnelli family empire, John Elkann, to discuss the automaker’s future in the country.

The meeting was arranged after rumors surfaced that Fiat, which is expected to lose around €700 million (US$904.5 million) this year due to a sales slump in the European market, is considering closing some of its plants and moving production out of Italy.

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Chrysler , Fiat , Reports

Chrysler Group Halts Plug-in Hybrid Test Fleet after Discovering a Problem with the Batteries

The Chrysler Group has temporarily pulled the plug on its test fleet of advanced plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) to fix a battery problem that occurred on a small number of models.

In particular, the Detroit-based carmaker said three of the fleet’s 109 pickups fitted with plug-in hybrid powertrains sustained damage when their prototype 12.9-kWh lithium-ion propulsion batteries overheated, adding that no injuries were reported with all incidents happening when the vehicles were unoccupied.

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Chrysler , Electric Vehicles , Hybrids , Ram , Ram Concepts , Reports

Only About 5 Percent of all Chrysler U.S. Dealers to Sell New 2013 SRT Viper, Each will be Charged $25k

As the Chrysler Group's undisputed "halo" car, one would believe that the Detroit-based carmaker would want most of its U.S. dealers to be able to show and sell the new 2013 SRT Viper, but that's not the case.

An Autonews report back in July, quoted Ralph Gilles, CEO of the SRT brand, saying that around 15 to 20 percent (or roughly 340 to 460 showrooms) of Chrysler's more than 2,300 U.S. dealers will carry the V10-powered sports car, but according to USA Today, Gilles has now lowered that number even more to only about 100 to 150 shops or 4-6%.

Gilles told the newspaper that the No. 1 requirement, "Is first of all, to have the fire, the passion. That's the unofficial requirement -- that you have a love affair with the cars and you just love fast cars."

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Chrysler , New Cars , Reports , SRT , SRT Viper

CAW Strikes a Deal with Ford, Gives GM and Chrysler More Time to Make Up Their Minds

Negotiations between the Canadian Auto Workers’ union and Ford resulted in a tentative deal concerning the new four-year contract between the workers and the automaker, averting the proposed strike that would start on Monday midnight if a deal couldn't be reached.

Though the deal still needs to be ratified by the union members, it includes creating 600 new jobs, modifying the two-tier wage system, paying CAW members US$9,234 in bonuses over the life of the contract and eliminating guaranteed cost-of-living wage increases. Moreover, new hires will start at about US$21 an hour, but will receive full wages of about $35 an hour after 10, instead of six, years.

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Canada , Chrysler , Ford , GM , Reports

Chrysler Employee Kills Co-Worker then Commits Suicide, Automaker Idles Down Jefferson North Plant

In a developing story, authorities say a Chrysler employee fatally stabbed a male co-worker at the Detroit company's Jefferson North assembly plant at around8 a.m. Thursday.

Detroit police Sgt. Alan Quinn told reporters that the suspect fled the factory and then committed suicide at the Belle Isle Park. The unnamed man is said to have died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Chrysler confirmed the incident in a short press statement:"Two employees were involved in an altercation inside the plant. One employee was stabbed and unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene. The Detroit Police Department is currently investigating."

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Chrysler , Dodge , Dodge Durango , JEEP , Jeep Grand Cherokee , Reports

Fiat-Chrysler CEO to Meet with Italian PM Amid Fears About Automaker's Future in the Country

On Tuesday, two days after two government ministers asked Fiat to clarify its plans, the Italian government announced Prime Minister Mario Monti would meet with Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne on Saturday, September 22, to talk about the company’s “strategic prospects”.

Given that the Fiat Group is the country’s biggest company, the rumors about shutting down some of its Italian plants have caused a lot of concern.

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Chrysler , Fiat , Reports

CAW Makes Some Concessions Over New Contract with Detroit 3, Carmakers Still Undecided

Three days before the expiration of the ultimatum that the Canadian Auto workers’ union (CAW) has issued to GM, Ford and Chrysler, the union has made some concessions over the new contract in order to avert a simultaneous strike at all three carmakers' Canadian plants as it has threatened.

The CAW is proposing a lower starting wage for newly hired workers and a longer time for them to reach the top of the pay scale. Moreover, unlike current workers, new employees will contribute to their pensions but will still be entitled to a defined-benefit, not a defined-contribution pension.

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Canada , Chrysler , Fiat , Ford , GM , Reports

CAW-Detroit Big 3 Negotiations Continue but Still No Deal Reached, Triple Strike Looms

With only four days remaining until the end of the current contract between the Canadian Auto Workers’ union (CAW) and the Detroit's Big Three, the union announced on Wednesday that meetings between the two parties are becoming more frequent, yet they “have not yielded many results”, which is bringing the event of a triple strike even closer.

September 17 has been set as a deadline from CAW. Unless a deal is reached by midnight, then the union members have voted almost unanimously to strike at GM, Ford and Chrysler, all at the same time.

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Canada , Chrysler , Ford , GM , Reports