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Jim Press says Chrysler could be America's Benz, BMW

What American automaker best matches up with the uber-machines from the Germans? Lincoln... no, probably not. Cadillac? Getting warmer. How 'bout Chrysler, asks ChryCo. co-Prez Jim Press. After a quick review of Chrysler's current line-up, we're not really buying the comparison; but it's fun to dream, so we'll bite. The Sebring is roughly the size of the C-Class and 3 Series, but it's driving the wrong wheels to go head-to-head with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, so that would need a complete rework, to say the least. The 300C is a very nice car with an appropriate engine up front, rear-wheel drive and a relatively attractive price compared to the Germans. That could work, but it's clear that Chrysler would need to pump lots more money into the car to keep it up to date with it's competition from Germany. Minivans don't equate very well to any Germanic rivals, especially since the R-Class from MB has been a major disappointment. One possible area that Chrysler has over its supposed competition is trucks. The new '09 Ram may be a major step up from its predecessor, but we're not so sure we're ready to call it the Mercedes-Benz of pickups, which is pretty much how Press says he sees it. We're all for the idea of an American competitor for Mercedes and BMW, and we'd love to see the Pentastar emerge from its financial problems a leaner, more focused manufacturer. Still, we wonder if Chrysler should set its sights on cross-town rival Cadillac before jumping all the way to Germany.
posted : 12/23/2008 @9:06:41 PM

Chrysler bringing back Sales Bank... or not

Chrysler's "sales bank," the loathed program in which the automaker continues to manufacture and stock cars regardless of demand, is supposedly back through the end of the year. Chrysler LLC co-President Jim Press delivered the news to dealers on Friday during a nationally telecast conference call when he mentioned that district managers will be calling dealers trying to offload 12,000 units of unassigned inventory.

Dealers left the call gasping for air, recalled the summer of 2006, when Chrysler had nearly 650,000 units in the sales bank. At the time, there was a 91-day supply of vehicles. Today, with about 400,000 units in inventory, the automaker is sitting on a 117-day supply. While Chrysler claims repeatedly that they only make cars that dealers order, and have reduced production to match market share and plunging sales -- down nearly 28 percent this year -- stocks are still up. Why? According to a second report by Automotive News, Press clarifies his statements to the trade pub, saying that the vehicles being hoisted onto retailers were all ordered by dealers and later canceled due to dealerships that have closed, unsold vehicles from sales promotions, fleet customers that backed out or buyers that weren't able to secure financing. Despite the fact that dealers supposedly ordered these vehicles with the intention of selling them, we fail to see how pushing 12k in unsold product doesn't constitute a "sales bank" program.

posted : 12/22/2008 @8:58:21 PM
Cadillac manager appointed HUMMER CEOGeneral Motors seems pretty anxious to see its HUMMER division go away. In fact, it's called the sale "urgent," and recent actions appear to bolster that claim. James E. Taylor, the man who had formerly been helping lead Cadillac back to its "standard of the world" past-glory, has just been appointed the new CEO of the HUMMER brand. GM says that this upper-management move "marks a progression in the ongoing strategic review process." We read that to mean Taylor will help ready the brand for a quick sale. It also sounds like HUMMER's general manager, Martin Walsh, will attempt to smooth over any issues that the brand's sale will have with its current dealerships. Mark McNabb will oversee Taylor on his new assignment and will also shoulder the burden that's left at Caddy now that the brand has lost the man who had been at the helm. We've pasted the press release after the break if you'd like to try and decipher it for yourself.
posted : 10/16/2008 @6:14:36 PM
Audi Mileage Marathon: Digital gestures in Texas

As the AMM fleet rolls across north Texas, my co-driver Steve Ewing and I are currently on the tail of the Q7 piloted by Kevin Kelly and the legendary Jim McCraw. Jim, a veteran of four One Lap of America events, is used to these long slogs. Actually, for Jim this is more like a luxury cruise. On the One Lap, the teams circumnavigate the country in only a week, often ending up sleeping in cars and cheap motels. For us, the longest leg was the run from Chicago to Memphis, a trek of nearly 550 miles (more for those whose nav systems got confused among the Chicago skyscrapers). Jim and Kevin managed to top the charts yesterday on the stage from Memphis to Little Rock to Dallas with 30.3 mpg while Steve and I only got 28.6. Jim managed to get hooked up behind a semi that was cruising at a good clip for an extended period of time, while we had trouble finding any trucks running faster than 60-65 mph. The day before, on the trip from Chicago, we tied at 28.8 mpg although Jim and Kevin had a slightly higher average speed at 63 mph vs our 60 mph. We've since become aware of a couple of tricks that seem to be helping, which I'll divulge at a later time. Never let it be said that journalists aren't competitive. As I finish writing this paragraph, a slightly faster truck passed us, and Steve has slipped in behind it. As we slid past, I glanced over to see a very unprofessional finger gesture from Mr. Kelly. Kevin and I will be discussing that tonight over steaks in Amarillo.
posted : 10/15/2008 @9:18:51 PM
Pontiac defends decision to sell G3 in U.S.

As you may know, Pontiac has finally decided to sell the Korean-built G3 five-door hatchback in the U.S. On sale elsewhere in the world as a Daewoo and as the Pontiac Wave in Canada and Mexico, the G3 is basically a Chevy Aveo5 with a different nose and red gauges. It's brand rebadging in the grand old GM tradition. Jim Hopson, Manager of Pontiac Communications, has recently attempted to defend the G3's insertion into Pontiac's lineup on the GM Fastlane Blog. Let's take a look... When addressing the fact that the G3 is just a rebadged Aveo5, he admits they "share a lot of components" (understatement), but that Toyota and Lexus also share components. Seriously? When Toyota and Lexus share components, the two cars are offered with entirely different exteriors, interiors, suspension and engine tuning. From what we can tell, the G3 and Aveo are identical except for their front ends, gauge clusters and wheels. Next he addresses why Pontiac needs the G3 and Vibe, but we don't think many people are asking that question. The G3 and Vibe are very different in size, capability and purpose.
posted : 10/2/2008 @2:23:40 PM
Chrysler's Jim Press talks brand strategy at WAJ this week

Chrysler has unveiled a few plans for the future and, rather than using past successes to carve the path, will adapt its course according to the changing market. While speaking at the recent Western Automotive Journalists' dinner, Chrysler President Jim Press touched on the need to generate brand identity amongst Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler. While each brand currently has a core theme, Jeep – off-road, Dodge – volume and performance, Chrysler – affordable luxury, there have been many recent deviations, such as the conglomeration that is the Jeep Compass. Press hopes to put an end to that trend and focus the company's aim at the automotive enthusiast. Toyota can keep the automotive appliance title, Press wants Chrysler to appeal to drivers rather than consumers. Nevertheless, actions speak louder than words and Press backs up his claims through the current curtailing of vehicle production and the scheduled release of seven new vehicles come 2010. Like other manufacturers, Chrysler is aggressively pursuing alternative powertrain configurations, particularly electric drive. In case no one has noticed yet, 2010 will be a big year for the American automotive industry. It will be the point when the roller coaster ride reaches its end and some folks end up with motion sickness while others get a rush of adrenaline. Hopefully Chrysler can find themselves in the latter category.
posted : 9/16/2008 @6:54:28 AM
Lotus broadens production, market for Jim Clark Elise

Lotus has a dedicated following around the world, and many of them were undoubtedly disappointed that the first special edition of the new supercharged Elise was limited to just 25 examples, all of which were sold within the UK and Ireland. Although Lotus enthusiasts in the U.S. will surely remain disappointed, a handful of those in Europe will get another lucky chance at limited edition Elise ownership with Lotus' announcement that it will produce an additional run of 25 examples of the Clark Type-25 Elise SC for sale on the continent. The special edition is named for legendary Scottish racing driver Jim Clark and features an array of special retro touches, including a British racing green paint job with a broad yellow stripe and white circle on the door. It's based on the 218 hp blown Elise SC, which remains mechanically unchanged. An additional 25 examples of the special Lotus are available now in Europe for €44,100 before local taxes, which translates to about €54k in Germany, France and Italy.
posted : 9/14/2008 @5:14:18 AM
First Ride: Trekking Fiat 500 makes SoCal stop

Jim Magill's little Fiat 500 made a stop in SoCal this weekend and we were among the lucky few who got some seat time in it. As we recently blogged, Jim shipped his microcar to the States all the way from Belfast, Northern Ireland to help raise some cash for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, and to meet with some fellow Fiat tifosi along the way. As part of the plan the Cinquecento is being driven to some high profile events to show it off and help spread the word about his cause. In the OC this past Saturday morning, the car attracted a ton of attention at a weekly car show, even sitting in the shadow of a few Zagato-bodied Lancias and Alfas. While the nearby Isettas made it seem positively huge, the tiny Fiat was still appreciated for its frugality and miniscule footprint. After the show we went for a spin and stopped to take a few pics of the car next to a handy Smart ForTwo.
posted : 8/8/2008 @7:40:31 PM

The next sibling rivalry? Nakajima Jr climbs the formula racing ladderThe formula racing world is rife with the offspring of long-retired F1 drivers making a name for themselves: Rosberg and Piquet are already in F1, Jacques Villeneuve has already come and gone, and the Mansell brothers are working their way up, to name just a few. But since both the Schumacher brothers have retired, Formula One has been lacking that sibling rivalry. (Mind you, with Michael having won more championships than Ralf did races, it wasn't much of a competition).

However, we might get to see some serious brother-on-brother, wheel-to-wheel action in the near future. With his older sibling Kazuki (pictured at right) already racing for Williams-Toyota, 18-year-old Daisuki Nakajima is competing in the Japanese Formula 3 championship. Their father Satoru, who raced in about 80 grands prix in the late 80's and early 90's, says that Daisuki could be even faster than Kazuki. If that's the case, the younger Nakajima could find his way into F1 within the next couple of years, and then it'll be on.

posted : 8/8/2008 @7:10:34 PM
Fiat 500 makes trek across America

The jury in Turin might still be out on whether to export the miniscule Fiat 500 to North America, but one adventurer got tired of waiting and took things into his own hands. Jim Magill shipped a Cinquecento from Northern Ireland to New York and embarked immediately upon a trek across the United States. Magil says the car garnered an inordinate amount of attention in Manhattan before they hit the road for Washington, across the heartland through Chicago and De Moines, running through Salt Lake City and Oregon before swinging down through San Francisco, the Bonneville salt flats, Death Valley, Las Vegas and finally... whew... Los Angeles. Although Jim and his co-driver Alan have now returned across the Atlantic, the car is staying behind to make appearances in Pebble Beach at the concours and the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Check out the images in the gallery below to see the 500's foray into and across the United States.
posted : 8/7/2008 @9:25:46 PM
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