A few years ago, Italian auto giant Fiat was very close to partnering up with General Motors. However, that deal went sour at the last minute and a few years after that, Fiat bought a big chunk of Chrysler in its quest to have a large slice of the American market.

Earlier, we reported that Ford CEO Alan Mulally had been awarded $58.3 Million worth of company stock for meeting company performance targets. Fiat/ Chrysler‘s Sergio Marchionne, on the other hand, has declined a salary and bonus for the work he’s done for Chrysler Group in 2011.

As if his venture into the automotive industry wasn’t enough with IAMAUTO, Will.i.am has shown up again in a Chrysler 300s commercial, selling the car to young club goers with his own song “the hardest ever” playing throughout. 

The car’s looks, style, and stereo are the focus of the spot, with not even a passing mention of performance or engine stats. I guess the market that buys a car from Will.i.am isn’t necessarily the most car savvy group for the most part.

A Beats by Dre audio system is shown off in the commercial too, but there is not sign of the doctor himself.

At least Will.i.am is associating himself with a good looking car, unlike his own designed IAMAUTO car, which looks like it was put together using an eight year old Lego set.

Watch the spot below, and decide for yourself whether the self proclaimed “hardest ever” pop star should be selling cars.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is open to the possibility of a partnership with another automaker to help Chrysler-Fiat’s ailing sales in Europe, with Suzuki and Mazda being cited by the CEO as viable options.

Famous fashion designer John Varvatos has teamed up with Chrysler to create a one-of-a-kind 300S that will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Stuart House, an organization that serves and protects childhood sexual abuse victims.

Known for his high fashion menswear, Varvatos reached out to Chrysler to see if they would be interested in sponsoring his annual party in LA that benefits the Stuart House. Without thinking twice, the American automaker offered a 300S for Varvatos to customize and auction off, so the award-winning designer went to work.

This year, Varvatos teamed up with online auction house Charitybuzz.com, where the John Varvatos Stuart House Online Auction is running now until March 20th. Those interested in putting in a bid for the 300S will be getting themselves a very unique vehicle, with plenty of bespoke customizations that resemble Varvatos’ clothing style.

Valued at $40,000, the custom 300S features 20-inch wheels from Mopar in a Satin Carbon finish while, as expected, much of the upgrades are in the lush interior: woven “Black Waffle” leather; flat-woven heather fabric; contrast silver fabric with texture on the seat piping, headrest, and floor mat binding; a black leather-wrapped instrument panel, console lid, and door armrest; satin chrome finishes, and a black two-tone steering wheel with accent 360 ring.

Check out a video of John Varvatos talking about the custom 2012 Chrysler 300S below.

Back in 1989, the TC by Maserati was released and was supposed to be Lee Iacocca’s triumphant model for Chrysler. Instead, the Italian-designed two-seat convertible only sold 7,300 units before it got the axe a mere two years later.

Fiat– Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne isn’t one to sit idle. The head of both automakers recently said that he is actively searching for possible automotive alliances.

Although in recent times, there’s been much talk from automakers on delivering the vehicles that consumers want, at least when it comes to options, perhaps such statements should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Based on the C-Evo platform from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback, the American-twin 2013 Dodge Dart will only be available in a four-door body style.

As we head towards another presidential election, it seems the Republican nominees can’t seem to get enough of criticizing the way in which the Obama administration handled the financial bailout for  Chrysler and General Motors.

According to a recent Gallup poll around 51 percent of Americans still view the bailout in a negative light. Nonetheless the Obama administration is fighting back, one avenue being a patriotic TV commercial that’s set to air tonight. Called “Made in America,” the commercial declares, “for generations of Michigan autoworkers it’s more than a slogan; it’s a way of life,” yet it typical political rhetoric it also says, “but when a million jobs were on the line, every Republican candidate turned their back.”

In perhaps a canny political move, the commercial will only be seen in Michigan, which is, amusingly enough the next location for the Republican primaries, where the likes of Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich will battle it out in an effort to increase their chances in becoming the next Republican nominee.

The ad also points the finger at Romney, citing his 2008 New York Times article which declared “Let Detroit go bankrupt,” yet conveniently avoided the fact that the bailout was initially put together while a Republican was in the White House; namely George W. Bush, whose administration allocated the original $25 billion in federal loans. Some things never change. Click below to view the ad.

It’s time to update your look with a few of the new items from Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” collection.

The Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan have ruled the minivan market for years, and are now poised to combine into one vehicle sporting the best features from each. The biggest problem with this merger however, is which name do you keep and which name do you scrap?

Thinking of putting down a minivan owner? You may want to think twice. Minivans are among the most useful vehicles on the road. Take a look at some of these reasons why owning a minivan can be a life-enriching experience.

American automaker Chrysler is reportedly considering which upcoming model will replace the Dodge Challenger. The newest rumor to sneak out is that Ralph Gilles, Chrysler Design Chief and head of the new SRT division, is looking to roll out a modern Barracuda.

Chrysler has announced the withdrawal of its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Viper is one of the rare vehicles to adorn a new logo for each major redesign, sporting “Sneaky Pete” on the original, and “Fangs” on the second gen. For the new 2013 Viper, the first under the SRT badge instead of Dodge, the “Stryker” logo has been designed to celebrate the new direction.

The 2012 Chrysler 300 and its mechanical twin, the  Dodge Charger are both recognized as Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after also earning a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA.

It’s no secret that for the past decade or so, Chrysler has seen some rough times. There was that ill-fated partnership with Mercedes-Benz, followed by sharply declining sales due to a stale product lineup, and then near bankruptcy, and finally a U.S. government bail-out aided by a stock sale to Italian automaker, Fiat. Yet, remarkably, through all those trials and tribulations one tiny ember of the old Chrysler company was kept burning, and that was the desire to make horsepower.

Today we took a first-hand look at the most powerful of the four vehicles Mopar doctored up for this year’s Chicago Auto Show, the Mopar Chrysler 300 ’12.

During the closing speech at this year’s National Automobile Dealers’ Association convention in Las Vegas on February 6, former president George W. Bush said he’d bail out US automakers again in a heartbeat if he had to.

It was only a matter of time until Fiat‘s small car DNA seeped into Chrysler‘s veins and morphed a small car capable of competing with the Ford Focus and Honda Civic, the Chrysler 100.

Did you think that every automaker’s secrets were revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit? Think again.

One-upping its own Super Bowl from last year wasn’t going to happen for Chrysler, but that didn’t stop the once-beleaguered automaker from continuing to spread its Imported from Detroit message.

Replacing Eminem in this year’s spot is the gruff-voiced Clint Eastwood, extolling the virtues of America, pushing through the tough times and moving into the future in a spot that aired during the big game’s half time and appropriately named “It’s Halftime in America.”

Watch the ad below:

To encourage engineers to push the internal combustion technology forward, Republican Congressman Dan Lungren has introduced a bill that will reward a handsome $1 billion in Federal prize money to the first U.S. automaker that can successfully sell 60,000 mid-size sedans that are capable of achieving 100 mpg on gasoline.

There’s no question that Chrysler‘s “Imported from Detroit” Super Bowl ad from last year will be a tough act to follow, nonetheless the automaker is doing what it can to exceed expectations again.

Sticking with a gritty theme, albeit in a different style, Chrysler has enlisted the services of veteran actor and director Clint Eastwood, who is expected to give the country a tough talking to in Walt Kowalski style, though we doubt the ad will feature a 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport or off-color banter.

Like “Imported from Detroit,” this year’s commercial will air for two minutes during this Sunday’s Superbowl XLVI. Considering that it costs around $3.5 million for just 30 seconds of air time during the game, Chrysler is clearly feeling lucky about making the audiences’s day this year.

[Source: wxyz action news]

Watch the ad below:

It’s cool to be in the car business again. If in doubt, just ask President Barack Obama, who recently spent time sampling and sitting in a number of new vehicles at the 2012 Washington DC Auto Show.

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Chrysler Group LLC, has been in the media a lot lately thanks to his successful reinvention of Fiat and Chrysler as profitable companies. Announcing a $183 million net income for 2011 was a good way to start off the day for the surely elated Marchionne.

It seems, from a financial standpoint, things are getting better for Chrysler Group.  The company reported a total net income of some $183 million last year.

Since its reveal at the Detroit Auto Show, the new 2013 Dodge Dart has received a lot of positive reactions and Dodge intends to make it even better. Based on the Italian Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform, the solid European chassis will be further finessed for sport and performance under the care of Ralph Gilles and the magicians of SRT. The SRT4 is back!

The Mopar ’12 300, as it’s being called, is a souped up version of the 2012 Chrysler 300.

For Mopar’s 75th birthday they have added some style and performance to four of Chrysler’s cars.

On January 31st, Chrysler’s Mopar Division (a term coined from its original title, Motor Parts), celebrates its 75th birthday. And what  could be a better way to mark the occasion than unveiling four modified production vehicles created from the current Mopar performance catalog.

Would you pay a million bucks to put your butt in the same place as Barack Obama? Yeah, we wouldn’t either.

Now that the Dodge Caliber production has ended, Chrysler will no longer have a hatchback offering in any of their models. It turns out that Chrysler has been thinking the same thing and is possibly considering building a compact hatchback for their Chrysler brand.

While past reports have suggested that the Dodge Avenger is dead, speculation has apparently been a bit premature. Chrysler/ Fiat have plans for a number of new cars in the future including the introduction of new midsize sedans which will update the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger for 2013. The new Avenger and 200 will be based on the Dodge Dart platform. Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne also intends to have a Chrysler premium compact hatchback in the mix, known for now as the “Chrysler 100.” If given the ‘okay’ for production, then the Chrysler hatch will be exported as Fiat European luxury brand Lancia as well.

Despite Chrysler experiencing a 26-percent growth in sales last year, CEO Sergio Marchionne is still not pleased with the customer experiences at Chrysler’s dealerships.

Ford and General Motors could have an all-too-familiar rival in the V8 Supercar series and despite some rumors, it won’t be from German or Japan. Hailing from the other side of the world, where they’re cross-town rivals, Chrysler is tipped as the latest possibly entry into the touring car championship.

At least that’s the findings from Evalueserve’s White Paper, entitled “Platform Strategy Will Shape  the Future of OEMs.” Like many facets of  the auto industry, the concept of platform sharing is nothing new, automakers have been doing it for decades.

Two years ago the first Pentastar V6 engine rolled off the line. The person who made it might not have known, but that engine was the first of what would prove to be one of the best engines in the world.

Ohio Governor John Kasich and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon made a visit to Detroit this week during the North American International Auto Show in an effort to bring U.S. automotive manufacturing to their respective states.

Rumors are brewing that Chrysler may be considering dropping their Dodge Avenger within three years in order to focus on the better-selling Chrysler 200 sedan – which is built on the same platform as the Avenger.

The 2013 Viper SRT is already high in demand – and it’s not on the market yet. If you’re one of the many who can’t wait to buy one, you may be out of luck – unless, that is, you already own a Viper or belong to the Viper Club of America.

The fuel wars are heating up as automakers search for new ways to squeeze more mileage out of their cars. While some might take this chance to preach doom and gloom for future cars, Chrysler– Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne isn’t ready to call the Road Warrior just yet.

According to a plan instigated by both Chrysler and the United Auto Worker’s union, an agreement between the two parties calls for a boost in Wrangler output to 90 vehicles a day at the Toledo Supplier Park  facility in Ohio (the only one that builds the traditional Jeep), by June 2012.

When there’s blood in the water, sharks start to bite. If the automotive industry does nothing else, it fosters ruthless competition and a winner-takes-all mentality akin to professional sports.

Although the Dodge Dart was Chrysler Group’s big news at this year’s North American International Auto Show, there was also another rather unique vehicle on display, the 700 C.

Replacing the now almost invisible Caliber, the 2013 Dart is the car Dodge hopes will reinvigorate its presence in the compact segment. At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Dodge Brand CEO Reid Bigland unveiled the highly anticipated Dart to a captive audience.

There’s no question that Chrysler product interiors have improved dramatically over the last several years. Now it appears that trend is set to continue, at least on the 2012 Dodge Durango.

Despite all the current hype surrounding Electric Vehicles and the seemingly huge amount of money some automakers are investing in them, a recent survey among global auto executives by consulting firm KPMG revealed that most are skeptical about the future success of EVs.

Since Fiat restored Chrysler after its humbling bankruptcy, the third American automaker has been reinvigorated, and boasts industry leading statistics in growth.

Okay, so it’s a show car and despite the rendering above, the chances of  being able to drive something like it on the road, unless you perhaps live in the Middle East are on the far side of slim.

With the North American International Auto Show almost upon us, Chrysler has announced that it’ll be exhibiting Mopar enhanced examples of some of its mainstream offerings.

If you’ve got a full house, it means that you have a full car. And it probably means that you’ve spent a lot of frustrating time trying to fit three child-safety seats in the back seat of your car. It’s much easier with a minivan, but when you’ve got a car, it can drive you to distraction.

The upcoming 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 refresh will also be getting some new tweaks to its suspension, employing the services of Jeep‘s Grand Cherokee.

The Chrysler 300 is getting a face-lift that will take direct aim at the luxury brands. This newest edition of the Luxury series 300 will offer some pretty swanky features that you would expect from a Benz or a BMW.

Dodge‘s announcement that the Caliber’s production has ended was no surprise, and now the Nitro SUV has also been confirmed to share the same fate as the Caliber. Nitro monthly sales had continued to be dismal with its lowest in July 2009 with just 1,115 vehicles sold.

Everyone had to know this was coming the second General Motors announced the For My Vehicle (FMV) OnStar system, an aftermarket setup that can be implemented on any vehicle. The second OnStar’s FMV would help recover a Chrysler, there would be news about it – and here it is.

Chrysler Group’s Mopar division has announced the grand opening of two new distribution centers overseas, one in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates another in Shanghai, China. Both new facilities help expand Mopar’s parts distribution networks and continues Mopar’s international growth.

Let’s hope this alliance will bear better fruit this time around, as Maserati is set to unveil their Kubang SUV concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.