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The Chrysler PT Cruiser should be history.
But the new Chrysler Group LLC has given the retro-styled car a last-minute reprieve.
Chrysler Group chief spokesman Gualberto Ranieri confirmed Monday that Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who also is CEO of Fiat SpA, said the company will keep building the PT Cruiser.
Chrysler had announced earlier this year that it would discontinue it this summer. Now, the assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico, will keep churning them out.
Jim Hall, an auto analyst at 2953 Analytics in Birmingham, said continuing the PT Cruiser makes sense, even with its poor overall sales performance.
The company sold 50,910 last year.
Sales peaked in 2001 at 144,717.
Analysts said the decision to keep building it was a good one.
"The PT Cruiser is a car that is selling even without marketing," Hall said.
"The labor costs are cheap and the tooling is paid off."
Karl Brauer, editor and chief of the automotive research Web site Edmunds.com, added, "Every PT Cruiser Chrysler sells ... is pure profit."
The car will likely stay in production through 2011, Hall said, until Fiat vehicles are ready for production in North America.
Chrysler planned to end production of the PT Cruiser because redesigning it would cost too much, Hall said.
Additionally, retro-themed cars are extremely difficult to redesign.
Brauer said the change of heart came after Chrysler entered bankruptcy and emerged in a partnership with Fiat, the Italian automaker that has management control of the company.
"Chrysler is in bridge mode," Brauer said. "Fiat can't do anything immediately, and in the meantime, this car will make Chrysler money."
Yes, this morning Walter_P._Chrysler started spinning in his grave as his business was handed over to the UAW having majority ownership and FIAT running the day to day operations.
Obama reached into the Public Treasury and gave his new "World Business" another $6Billion going away gift.
It is a sad day indeed!
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'A government big enough to give you everything you want, Is strong enough to take everything you have.'-Thomas Jefferson -
NEW YORK -- Lee Iacocca, the car executive credited with saving Chrysler from bankruptcy in the 1980s, is to lose a big chunk of his pension and a guaranteed life-long company car due to the U.S. automaker's bankruptcy filing two decades later.
Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli told a U.S. bankruptcy court on Thursday that Iacocca's pension would be among the obligations Chrysler will no longer have to pay if it gets bankruptcy court approval to sell itself to a "New Chrysler" to be owned by its union, the U.S. and Canadian governments and Fiat SpA FIA.MI.
Iacocca, the storied former chairman and CEO who revived Chrysler in the 1980s and appeared in car commercials, has participated in a supplemental executive retirement plan that was comprised of non-IRS qualified pension funds and is subject to bankruptcy.
The claim is unsecured, and typically would be paid after secured creditors in a bankruptcy, but even secured creditors are not expected to get full recovery in a Chrysler bankruptcy that will see hundreds of dealerships shuttered and plants closed.
Chrysler has also written to former executives saying that as a result of its April 30 bankruptcy filing it will stop a program that furnished company cars to former executives and directors.
Iacocca, famous for the phrase "If you can find a better car, buy it," and other senior executives who were part of the program are being asked to return their cars to a Chrysler marshalling center or arrange to pay for them, according to the document.
Chrysler said it regretted the action "in light of the many contributions these individuals have made to Chrysler over the years" and that the "New Chrysler" does not expect to reinstate the car program.
Washington -- Chrysler LLC said today it would honor lemon law claims from existing owners.
Under state and federal laws, owners of defective new vehicles can demand repairs or replacement vehicles if a new vehicle can't be fixed. Chrysler will agree to "recognize, honor and pay liabilities under lemon laws for additional repairs, refund or replacement of a defective vehicle," the company said in a legal filing today. Chrysler had already agreed to honor existing warranties.
Some lemon law checks cashed after April 30 bounced. Chrysler agreed to reissue them.
Chrysler has revised the terms of the proposed sale of its good assets in a number of ways. It has agreed to provide for placing an estimated $48 million in escrow owed to the state of Michigan for sales and business taxes. It also addressed a number of objections -- including from the city of Auburn Hills -- to clarify it will pay its 2009 property taxes.
It is still in discussions with Michigan, Ohio and Illinois over objections filed about whether Chrysler would abandon its workers' compensation claims.
New B5 Blue Challenger Look and Feel. I think it is the best of the view styles yet -- but you still have 15 others to choose from.
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vBulletin (Forum Software) was upgraded from 3.7.4 to 3.8.2. MoparStyle started using vBulletin in January 2002 -- when it was the new version 1.0.1. About every couple of weeks they have to release a new update to keep ahead of the hackers. I've been catching up about once a quarter, as it is a royal PITA to also test and upgrade all of the non-vBulletin features I've written into the application. vBulletin is real big into Social Groups now. If you play around with MySpace or Facebook -- those are Social Groups. vBulletin allows people to have private Social Groups and invite their friends to participate. These Social Groups (Secret Societies) operate in the background and out of the public view. If you think you'd like to create a social group at MoparStyle.com -- but need more information -- click here for vBulletin's explanation and instructions.
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Free Classified Ad Web Sitewas also upgraded. I do this about once a year because the people that write it don't document it well. I've had more problems upgrading that application than any of the others. While the Classified Ad application and the forum application have been written by two different companies -- I have them both modified to use the vBulletin membership database -- so that you can move between the forum and the free classified ad web site on the same log in. They also share the same look and feel -- regardless of the view style you use. The new application allows for six photos, instead of four, to be uploaded with the ad. There is also a little change in the ad display, which most won't notice. A nice feature of the ad is that you can sell multiple of the same items and have it automatically take Paypal on the Buy it Now, and stop when you've sold out the quantity you had set. For instance -- I came across a box of 50 MoparStyle key rings that I had made up in 2002. I placed them in an ad for $5 each, free shipping, set the quantity to 50, and allowed for them to be purchased through PayPal. Each morning I printout my PayPal shipping slips and send off the key rings. This is perfect for merchants selling Mopar stuff -- and they are encouraged to sell their promotional stuff as well as individual members sell stuff collecting in their garage. There were 89 new ads placed in the last 7 days. The Free Classified ad site is a great place to buy and sell Mopar stuff.
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Portal was upgraded. I also do this about once a year. Few of the members appear to check out the Portal on a regular basis, and that's a shame -- but most of the visitors enter the site through the Portal. I intend to spend more time posting Mopar News on the Portal -- and dressing it up a little.
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MoparWiki. The most important news is the integration of the MoparWiki into the MoparStyle web site. The MoparWiki uses the exact same application used by the famous Wikipedia, but after 6 months of trying -- I finally figured out how to get it to use the MoparStyle user database -- so that members can add wiki pages on Mopar topics. The goal is to have a wiki page for every model of Mopar, every important Mopar person, Mopar Reference Data, Mopar Technical papers, Mopar Dream Cars, Famous Mopar Race Cars -- in a nutshell -- a few years down the road I'd like to see the MoparWiki to have developed into the Internet's largest Informationbase on all things Mopar, in an organized group of categories, sharing a consistent format.
For those of you who don't know what a wiki is:
A wiki is a website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked (often databased) Web pages, using a simplified markup language. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis. Wikis are used in business to provide intranet and knowledge management systems. "Wiki" (English pronunciation: /wiːkiː/) is a Hawaiian word for "fast". "Wiki" can be expanded as "What I Know Is," but this is a backronym. The MoparWiki is a Mopar encyclopedia written collaboratively by many of its readers. It is a special type of website, called a wiki, that makes collaboration easy. Many people are constantly improving MoparWiki, making thousands of changes, all of which are recorded in article histories and recent changes. How can I help?
Don't be afraid to edit — anyone can edit almost any page, and we encourage you to be bold! Find something that can be improved and make it better - for example, spelling, grammar, rewriting for readability and removing unconstructive edits. If you wish to add new facts, please provide references, so they may be verified, or suggest them on the article's discussion page first. Remember - you can't break MoparWiki, all edits can be reversed, fixed or improved later. So go ahead, edit an article and help make MoparWiki the best information source regarding Mopar topics on the Internet!
So basically a wiki page gets started on a Mopar topic by having another wiki page feel that it is important enough to have a page created on it. From there (any and all) members add bit's and pieces to to complete the puzzle -- ensuring that they are using facts -- not old memory guesses -- after all the information needs to be accurate to be trusted. Others come in and help fix spelling and grammar (although it sure would be nice if contributors would run their paragraphs through Word's spell/Grammar check first), fix format violations, and correct errors. Each topic has a discussion tab association to it -- where disputes on various conflicting "facts" are discussed and hammered out. The Wiki has a group of volunteers called Sysops, who are most familiar with the operation and goals of the MoparWiki -- and they rule on disputes, or roll back bad information to the previous state. It is somewhat of a long process, which first requires the more bold leaders to immediately participate -- before the less helpful followers feel it is worthy of their participation.
There are two major benefits to having a MoparWiki. The first is to create a historical encyclopedia of information. People can learn about famous people like Big Daddy Don Garlits, Walter P. Chrysler, Ronnie Sox, Richard Petty, Virgil Exner, or Mr. Norm Krause. They can learn about Dream Cars like the Daroo or the Thunderbolt; or facts on production cars like the Airflows, or the Desoto Adventurer. Tech papers on using F/J/M front disc brakes to swap onto an A-body; introduction to drag racing -- first time at the track; or swap in a 8.875" rear-end. Learn what Vendors like Indy, Keisler, and Laytons specialize at. Reference charts on things like engine head castings, or the various 50s Hemis. The information that can be contained in a seasoned MoparWiki is endless.
In addition to the help, facts, and interesting reading -- the benefit to MoparStyle is the shear number of Mopar people who had never heard of MoparStyle drawn to it from their Internet searches getting great hits in our MoparWiki. The more people who visit -- the more people who register. The more people who register -- the more people who participate. The more people who participate -- the more technical and racing threads we'll have. The MoparWiki can be the biggest boon for MoparStyle ever -- if just a few of the leaders will roll up their sleeves and be the ones to show the followers that this is a good deal. From the best of this group of leaders -- I'll need to select about a half dozen sysops to spend a couple of hours a week reviewing the additions made -- and helping to keep the information accurate (through the discussion page on the topic) and format followed.
To make it easy to have a format that creates and index, and for things like bulleted lists, the wiki application has its own Markup language -- similar to BB-Code in the forums. This is not a complicated computer programmer language -- but a very simple way to learn to format wiki pages to look professional. Having a couple of Cheat Sheets open at first -- will soon have you memorizing these simple format items. The Help in the wiki if very robust. A few examples of a MoparWiki topic, which have been started -- but are never really completed, are below:
If you are a registered member of MoparStyle -- you have to do nothing else to get started -- you are already registered to edit wiki topics. BUT FIRST -- for a little practice on the formatting, why not use your member page to get a handle on editing. Each member has a page at the MoparWiki. Click your handle at the extreme left of the navbar at the top of any wiki page -- and you will be taken to it. Open a tab or two with the formatting cheat sheets from wiki's Help link -- and create a page telling the world about yourself. It makes for good practice. I whipped up a quick and dirty member page on myself in about 30 minutes -- not knowing anything about this software, but to get a feel on how to do things. If a dumbass like I can do it -- anyone can. Please Participate. The world is full of know it alls that do nothing to help out -- but only criticize the work of others. Real leaders ignore people like them and do something to help themselves and others. If everyone spent just one hour a week in the MoparWiki, editing the areas that interest them -- we'd be the biggest Mopar Informationbase in a year -- or even less. Be a doer -- and not an apathetic naysayer. Participate in something worthwhile -- like this MoparWiki. [url]www.moparstyle.com/wiki[/url]
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NavBar - I made changes to the NavBar to make it easier to navigate this and a few other sites. In the top NavBar -- all of the links are categories with drop-down menus. In the MoparStyle category, the links will take you to the Portal, Forums, Free Classified Ads, Wiki, and the gift Shop.
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Near Future -- I've got a lot planned for the near future. The return of the Photo Album Application, getting the look and feel of the wiki to match the rest of the site, an automatic reward system that honors the members who participate the most -- using criteria like threads started which become hot, threads replied to, thanks, and other participation factors. I plan to clean up the Portal, find some old history and tech papers -- and get them in the wiki, and try to find sysops (high level moderators) from those participating at a high level in the MoparWiki.
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'A government big enough to give you everything you want, Is strong enough to take everything you have.'-Thomas Jefferson -
Looking For Mopar Show & Race Cars for 2010 Calendar
Every year I try to do a high quality wall calendar. Last year I did a couple.
click above to review calendar
This year I'd like to do several different calendars:
Mopar Show Car Calendar. This would be some of the prettiest Mopars set in pleasing back and foregrounds. Spring has sprung up north -- and there ought to be some excellent settings to use for a photo shoot of your car.
Mopar Drag Race Calendar. This would be track photos of Mopars having front wheels off the ground.
Forgotten B-Bodies. I need photos of Chargers, Sport Furies, Magnums, Coronets, and Cordobas/300s on the B-body platform with model years 1975-1979. I might consider adding some nice J and R Bodies if there isn't enough variety of color in the Forgotten Bs, and rename Disco Mopars. Warning -- I'm way too deep in great photos of White Magnums.
Nostalgia Super Stock. I'm looking for great launch photos of NSS car -- regardless of the make.
Smokey Burnouts. I'm looking for both street and race Mopars doing Smokey burnouts.
Superbirds, Daytonas, CHarger 500s, Mr. Norms, and other ultra low production Muscle Mopars.
This is the important part. Photos must meet all of these specifications for me to be able to use:
Must be digital photos.
They must be untouched (not cropped, color adjusted, brightness & contrast...) direct from the memory card of your digital camera 5MP or better. I have to have 300DPI 11.5"X9" photos after I have cropped them to fit. They cannot have been loaded up and resaved -- as the compression from resaving as a JPG kills the hi-res of the photo and make colors (especially reds) bleed.
The cars and scenery have to be looking their very best. Clean, no glares, and no huge shadows.
Tips:
Plan your location in advance. Know what time of the day the sun will be at your back.
Overcast days help reduce glare, long shadows on the ground, and dark shadows on the lower parts of the car. Evenings and mornings have less glare -- but longer shadows. High noon -- and when the sun is high and bright is the worst time -- unless you have good cloud cover or a building at your back shades the entire frame of the photo.
Takes dozens of photos and have a helper there to help move (rotate) the car so you get all angles.
Turn the wheels slightly in the direction to see the wheels -- not the tire tread.
Light cars need colorful or dark backgrounds. Dark cars need light backgrounds. Thumb through some magazines at the one the pros take.
Shoot some photos standing, and some crouching for different effects. Bring a ladder or look for a higher location to shoot down on to the car.
Tire in the grass most often don't work.
Look at the entire location. Foreground, background, ground where the tires are. I can make telephone wires disappear, but not knocked over garbage cans, dead grass, a dog licking its boyz, a tree growing out of the roof, or other subtle problems that ruin photos. Look through the camera -- and move the car and objects that you can around the car.
The format size of your camera and the format size of the calendar page will be different -- so I'll have to crop. As such you need to make sure to leave me room to crop left, right, top, bottom. Don't fill the whole photo with car -- but center the car to use 2/3 of the photo.
Slight angles are typically better than head on or side views.
Give me a big selection. Take 50-100 photos of your car and send to me on a CD.
Include your contact information and a little about the car -- so I can correctly get your name, city/state, and the car yr/make/model the proper credit.
Look for unusual backgrounds. Factories, flowering hedges, amusement park, grain mills, concrete pipe yards, mansions, statues, ......
No people -- unless topless hard bellies for my personal collection.
Rotate the car for photos at least twice to try to catch better lighting conditions. Glare and shadows make or break.
If you have a CD full of photos -- you stand a better chance of having your car featured because of the great selection of angles and lighting. Send the CD to:
MoparStyle Racing
7723 FM 723
Richmond, TX 77406
On the other hand you only have one or two hi-res photos that meet the above criteria, and you're certain that they'll be a slam dunk -- email to me (they better be well over 1MB) as a file attachment at: dave@oldhippie.com and have the subject say 2010 Calendar.
I will only do a Top Shelf Calendar -- so I can't use anything less than top shelf photos.
The weather, sunlight, and flora is just right tight now -- why not make this a project for this weekend. You could use the photos of your car anyway.
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'A government big enough to give you everything you want, Is strong enough to take everything you have.'-Thomas Jefferson -
Members are not only allowed to place free classified ads with photos -- they encouraged to do so.
Get your digital camera and clean out the garage, attic, basement, shop, and shed of Mopar parts you don't have a need for -- and score the cash for stuff you do have a need for. Photo ads are showcased.
Building an engine or looking for a weekend project to put more power to the pavement -- there are ads for brand new cranks, rods, intakes, distributors, pistons, carburetors -- and a lot more, at fire sale prices.
Do you build engines, restore steering wheels, build race carbs, sell transmissions, transport cars, clear title problems, sell trailers, pull parts at salvage yards..... then let others know of your services.
Looking for a part to complete your restoration -- or for that elusive car? Place a wanted ad.
The Free Classified Ads was put there for you benefit. Use it.
Like everything else in life there will be scammers -- so use proper practices and the scammers are apparent. I've bought sold close to $1million (quite a few high end cars like Superbird, Charger, Daytona, Texas Big Bird, ...) in cars and parts through the classifieds -- and have never been burnt because of common sense. Scammers stand out -- and when found are removed quickly.
List your for sale items and service, check the ads frequently for great deals, and tell your Mopar friends. Commercial Vendors also welcome to place their items for sale in the Free Classified Ads.
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'A government big enough to give you everything you want, Is strong enough to take everything you have.'-Thomas Jefferson -
Chrysler LLC today announced that C. Robert Kidder, former Chairman of Borden Chemical Inc. and of Duracell International Inc., will become Chairman of Chrysler Group LLC, once it completes its acquisition of the operating assets of Chrysler LLC and completes a global alliance with Fiat SpA. He will succeed Robert L. Nardelli.
"We are most fortunate that Bob Kidder will lead the new company through its transformation," said Nardelli. "My number one priority has been to preserve Chrysler and the livelihoods of thousands of people who depend on its success. With his broad expertise serving on numerous world-class boards and his accomplished business background, Bob will provide the leadership and strategic counsel that will help to create a strong global competitor moving forward."
With more than 40 years of experience, Kidder currently serves on the boards of Morgan Stanley, where he is the lead director, Schering-Plough Corporation, and Microvi Biotech Inc. He previously has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both Duracell International Inc. and Borden Chemical Inc. and as director of such companies as Electronic Data Systems Corporation and General Signal Corporation. During his tenure with McKinsey and Co. Inc., Bob worked with a major OEM client in the automotive industry. Bob currently is Chairman and CEO of 3Stone Advisors LLC, an investment firm that focuses on clean-tech companies. He holds an M.S., Industrial Economics from Iowa State University and a B.S., Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan. He resides with his family in Columbus, Ohio.
“I am pleased to join Chrysler at a time when Chrysler is poised to launch an exciting new era,” said Kidder. "I am confident that Chrysler will emerge from Chapter 11 a lean and powerful competitor, combining its own rich history of innovation with Fiat's technology and expertise to invigorate the American car market and to challenge other car companies around the globe."
Chrysler LLC announced on April 30, 2009, that, as a result of the comprehensive restructuring plan agreed to by many of its stakeholders, it had reached an agreement in principle to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat to form a vibrant new company.
On the same day, Chrysler LLC and 24 of its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiaries also filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Chrysler also filed a motion under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code requesting the swift approval by the Court of the agreement with Fiat and the sale of Chrysler's principal assets to the new company. The benefit of this type of filing is speed. It will allow a leaner new company to emerge in less than 60 days from the time of filing, well positioned for long-term viability.
Nardelli, Chrysler's Chairman and CEO since August 2007, announced on April 30 his plan to leave the company following the completion of the transactions. He will return to Cerberus Capital Management LP as an advisor. He said that it was "an appropriate time to let others take the lead in the transformation of Chrysler with Fiat, and I will work closely with all of our stakeholders to see that this new company swiftly emerges with a successful closing of the alliance."
As stated in the terms of agreement, upon successful completion of the alliance, a board of directors for the new company will be appointed. The majority of the directors will be independent (not employees of Chrysler or Fiat). The board will select a CEO with Fiat's concurrence.
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