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Chrysler’s Confessions of Flops Not Meant for Public Consumption

On Friday, June 6th, The Detroit News printed a story concerning an internal Question and Answer session between a small group within the Chrysler Corporation and the Corporate Chiefs. The Q&A session was intended to respond to the disquiet among employees over Chrysler’s current products and their harsh reviews by Consumer Reports and other auto professionals. The results of the session were some strong criticisms and confessions from the top and a plan for some vital changes.

chrysler sebring When questioned directly about the poor performance of the new 2007 models, particularly the Sebring and Dodge Nitro, Bob Lee, head of power train engineering, wrote that they had “missed where the market was to end up versus our projections.” Lee also noted that the CEO’s of Chrysler were “quite upset” with performance and miscalculations of their new cars. Jose Valcourt of The Detroit News summed it up this way:

“Chrysler underestimated competitors, set standards too low in some areas and was not where it needed to be in areas such as fuel economy, interior quality, and limiting noise and vibration.”

dodge nitro chrysler In response to all the unflattering critiques of the new cars for 2007 Chrysler has devised a plan of action. One of the actions to take place will be the hiring of ASI Consulting Group to work with them on improving their design in regards to the customers needs. Chrysler also vowed to alter the strategies by which they gauge the market and their competitors plans for the coming years. Their concern is how much the missed the mark in their expectations for the other auto makers releases of this year. In terms of fuel efficiency, interior quality and their response to customer complaints Chrysler has lagged behind their automotive counterparts. If it were not for a few redesigns that hit-the-mark, like the new Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler were be heading for another rocky year.

chrysler jeep wrangler

It seems the traditional Big Three of the Automotive Industry have been playing follow the leader in a pitch dark warehouse for so long they may have forgotten they were designing cars for the Consumer. How they have remained ignorant of the needs of improved fuel efficiency or what those needs are is beyond comprehension. Only time will tell if their renewed Commitment to Excellence brings Chrysler back from the brink as Lee Iacocca did decades ago.

Source[TheDetroitNews]

Plants Growing Green

To the many out there who may not have a Green Thump but do have a Green Conscience there resides a glimmer of hope in the automotive manufacturing process where Green is Growing. There are companies like Ford and Nissan that are making strides in cleaning up the processes by which and the locations in which they work. They may not be at the point of zero impact (is that really a viable notion?) but they do have their sights set on Greener pastures.

FORD DEARBORN PLANT SOLAR ARRAY

FORD DAGENHAM PLANT DIESEL LONDON Ford has been hard at work in utilizing cleaner resources than have traditionally been associated with manufacturing. Those cleaner resources extend from solar power at their Dearborn plant, to passive cooling and natural grass roof tops at their Rouge plant. And now their latest plant to receive Green recognition is the Ford Dagenham’s plant East of London. The Dagenham plant is the home of the new European diesel engines and they have gone beyond the cosmetics of Green in their production. The oils used in production at the plant are Bio-based as opposed to mineral, metal wastes are cleaned and sold for recycling and the Dagenham plant is the first Ford plant to be wind-powered.
nissan Nissan is taking steps in reducing its carbon emissions in Spain with the installation of solar panels on a couple of its manufacturing plants. The Barcelona plant will be sporting 606 solar panels across its surface. Electricity will come from the majority of those panels, while the remaining will be thermal panels used to heat water. Nissan will also be placing solar panels on their Avila, Spain plant in the coming year.

Going Green is going Global as these manufacturers are demonstrative evidence.

Source[AutoBlogGreen]
Source[EnvironmentalLeader]

Car thief caught by police on Segway

Naturally when a car thief steals a Mercedes car you would expect if the alarm was raised early that there would be a police car chasing after them, but in Long Beach, the police have a weapon against these car thieves, the two wheeled battery powered Segway personal transporter, which has a top speed of just over 12 mph!

segway

The Mercedes Benz car was stolen by three juveniles and was observed by Officer Jose Miguez as it left the car park of a Burger King restaurant, he then went into hot pursuit mode, following the car as it drove down the road, however the police was able to still keep them in sight as it accelerated away, but they decided that the best thing to do would be to leap out of the car and make their escape, the car left the road and ended up hitting a utility pole, which was probably a stroke of luck for the people walking on the sidewalk.

segway

However Officer Miguez kept up his pursuit of the driver finally catching up with him a few minutes later, it turned out the driver was only thirteen years old, he later identified his partners in crime, who were also young teenagers, they have all been charged with juvenile delinquency.

Could this be a classic example of the hare and tortoise?

Source [Officer]

May Sets Records in Hybrid Searches

It was reported on Autobloggreen.com that hybrid auto searches reached record numbers in May on Cars.com. Surely the peak in gas prices that occurred in May had little to do with this, right?

toyota prius hybrid car auto

With three new Hybrids fresh on the market and high fuel prices souring the driving season a new hybrid would be a wonderful addition. There are tricks to seeking out the right hybrid for you and more research needs to be performed. Before you make your choice on a new hybrid research your choice on fueleconomy.com to determine the cars long term value, fuel economy and federal tax deduction.

saturn vue hybrid auto car

To read the complete article and to see the rankings by search click below:

Searches for Hybrid Cars Skyrocket on Cars.com in May

Jonesin’ for a cool ride?

I’m one of those stereotypical guys that salivates over a cool ride, be it car, truck or motorcycle. If that’s you, guy or girl, stay tuned as David Allen, myself and others will bring a variety of “ride” news.

Fresh Cars Reviews

Chrysler’s Confessions of Flops Not Meant for Public Consumption

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