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.

Trevor Creed resigned from the position of Chrysler’s head of design, and as of today is succeeded by Ralph Gilles, the man who designed the 300C. Since every change at the top comes with a “new sheriff in town” speech — or at least one-liner — this is what Gilles had to say: “It’s definitely time for a new aesthetic at Chrysler. … We’re done with the ‘edge’ look.”

Gilles says he wants the Pentastar’s cars to look more “organic.” This being art, however, that could really mean anything. For concrete examples and practical considerations he mentioned the Dodge Zeo and Chrysler Ecovoyager, and said that he wants to design “sexy” cars that will appeal around the world. Intriguing statements from the gent known for a car that epitomizes the American muscle sedan, but we are all in favor, and we say “aye.” The only question is how soon will they start the redesign, and what will organic look like?

Even in a down pickup truck market, the all-new Dodge Ram should be a boon to Chrysler and not just because it’s a far better truck than the one it replaces. The new Ram will also be the next Nissan Titan, a deal that helps Chrysler keep its truck factories running closer to maximum capacity. With Nissan borrowing Ram mechanicals and engineering, the assumption has been that Chrysler’s 5.7L HEMI V8 was going to be part of the package. Nissan officials have continually denied that any decision about the truck’s engine of choice has yet to be made and that its own Evolution 5.6L powerplant was still under consideration.

Chrysler chairman Jim Press put any speculation to rest when he declared at an LA Motor Guild meeting recently that the Nissan Titan would indeed receive HEMI power. After our friend Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com broke the news, Nissan responded by saying that it has made no decisions concerning the HEMI engine and when it does, the announcement would come from Nissan. It makes sense that the next Titan would be HEMI-fied, especially considering that the engineering needed to mate the HEMI and Ram platform has already been done and paid for, and part logistics are already in sync with truck assembly. Plus, the new HEMI produces a class-leading 390 horsepower and gets decent fuel economy for a big, burly truck engine. Nissan could do much worse.

Choosing them for their portrayed image of “strength and power,” officials in Kuwait have ordered 150 Dodge Chargers to be modified as police vehicles. As the Charger is the leading volume vehicle for Chrysler LLC in the Middle East, the choice doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Delivery of the cop cars, however, isn’t expected to take place for another couple months. In the meantime, the lot of them are heading to Canfield Equipment Service in Michigan where they’ll be fitted for their new Kuwaiti roles in traffic, security, and emergency response. (Here’s hoping none of our readers get a chance to check them out from the back seat once they’re in service).

The Dodge Viper has been heard Chrysler’s halo car from the time it was introduced coming back in 1992, but times are tough. Faced among the thing so it are able to not be able to remain writing the brutish sports car, the Auburn Hills-based automaker is reportedly looking at working at somewhat that is never carried on finished before by a domestic automaker (as for as we know): marketing the Viper’s times ahead to a third party. Automotive News quotes Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli saying, “We undergo carried on approached by third parties who are interested in research coming years possibilities for Viper.” Nardelli reports overly at all happens, his association ought to go to trigger ensured the proper interests of Viper fanboys are served and which Chrysler ought to still be to forward “operational and financial” validation for the car if a purchase takes place. We’re honestly a tiny stunned this Chrysler ought to mull over this kind of a vital action, even though if it equals the Viper can not be sacrificed at the altar of sector woes, we are all for it. On the a multitude of hand, how performs one separate Dodge according to the Viper? Can you assume Ford re&wshyp;selling the Mustang to ROUSH or GM re&wshyp;selling the Corvette to Lingenfelter? Chrysler has not called any of the Viper’s suitors, so in its place as opposed to a familiar tuning house, it would as well be a conglomerate of investors or an extra automaker. Is a Viper purchased by one more kind continue to a Viper?

The 2009 Dodge Journey carries the size and condition of a common crossover, and it has seating for seven and all the luxuries you am able to probably ask for at $30,000. On paper, the Journey has a heaps of Times in its favor, yet we had our doubts.

First off, it appears a lot as if the Dodge Caravan, that operates against the Journey when getting ready to so most crossover homeowners would like to prevent the minivan stigma. It’s as well centered on the dwindled as opposed to amazing Chrysler Sebring platform, that we own discovered to be merely awful. Then there is Chrysler’s corporate 3.5L engine, that is lessened powerful, refined and compact as opposed to similarly sized engines from what i read in its competition. Chrysler’s the latest track peak for vehicles overly are ebbed as opposed to course competitory as well lent substantiation to our idea this the Journey should be a letdown. Regardless, we tried to obvious our minds of these types of conditions when the Journey arrived for a week-long remain in the Autoblog Garage. Hit the jump to see how Chrysler’s new crossover fared.

Later the present period Chrysler are able to at long last launch the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango hybrids. These are the previous non-GM packages of the 2-Mode hybrid partnership the current in addition includes GM, Daimler and BMW. Chrysler hopes who the hybrid patterns can revive its big SUV sales, but if GM’s encounters provided the Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids is any indication, there may be motivate for concern. With this in mind, Chrysler has priced its hybrids $8,000 dwindled as opposed to the comparable GM cases in the present hopes such a working at so could kick-start sales. Back in June, AutoblogGreen drove the Chrysler Aspen hybrid based on what i read in Portland, Maine to Boston, Mass. Head within to ABG to saw all just about how it fared and how even the hybrid method raises the truck’s mileage. Hint: it did higher as opposed to expected.

A quick give the impression at July transactions figures informs who Chrysler saw a gargantuan 34% fall off in its Daily Sales Rate vs. July 2007, but the lower end chain ought to suffer looked worse. Chrysler’s newly written announcement which its loan arm might exit the leasing arena by July 31 had cause to a rush of shoppers visiting local Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealerships. Some dealers purchased two times as a multitude of vehicles as regular for the the previous couple days of the month, initiating the stores a little reprieve for an otherwise bleak July. Now dealers are troubled which the increased sells volume might cause to a nevertheless further bleak August, from the time of various mortgage holders pulled pass on the get decision.

Some dealers are working to afford third-party banks going to get in on the leasing game, but a tight charge cash in on and whole losses at automaker charge arms own received leasing appear actually unappealing as lease market values start on to rise. Chrysler is hoping a modern sweet of incentives should permit pillow the blow, as zero per cent banking and loads of currency on the hood is the condition of the day for now. Chrysler historically leased up 20% of the vehicles it sold, so if a huge new sweet of juicier incentives does not entice people to “Shop til you Drive”, August may seem nonetheless worse as opposed to July

Despite perception overly suffer carried on floating virtually ever since the debut of the Hornet notion in Geneva their year, Volkswagen would not be while Dodge through a platform to get a B-segment vehicle.

According to an report that is due for publication the Monday in the German magazine Automobilwoche, VW’s bid to share its Polo’s bases was too extreme for the German-American automaker. However, DaimlerChrysler’s plans to form the Hornet or a similar car plans to not be thwarted, as D.C. is much the system of negotiations in on Chinese, Japanese and European manufacturers.

Although such a may be a efficient hurdle for Dodge’s new sub-compact, the relationship between VW and Dodge to acquire a mini-van has been heard left intact.

During the up to date What’s New occurence at Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Ground, we had the time to sample the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. For the 2008 exemplary year, Chrysler is one and only making SRT-8 versions of the Challenger provided a combination of the 6.1L HEMI V8 and a five-speed automatic transmission. We first and foremost saw the creation version of the Challenger beforehand presently year at the Chicago Auto Show and additonally we idea the styling was extreme amidst right muscle car proportions, it is very much a big car. The Challenger is put up on Chrysler’s LX platform shared in on the 300 and Charger. Compared to the Mustang it appears enormous and it not turns out such as it are able to that much feel sporty.

Fortunately, the dynamic behavior of extensive cars has constructed monumental strides from the time the first Challenger headed away in the mid-seventies. We original tried out the Challenger on the road at Chelsea before bringing about it for a hot lap about the evaluation track. The circuit was constructed coming back in the the beginning of ’90s when a ensured gentleman named Lutz was a good deal occupying an office on the top bottom of Chrysler’s headquarters. It’s truly a lovely tad inherent terrain road course, not relatively as elaborate as the new road class who Maximum Bob made at the GM Proving Ground, but it is a superior way to get a dynamic feel for a car. After lunch we had one more time to thrash the Challenger on the autocross path such a Chrysler set up on the car dynamics pad. Find out how the Challenger did once the jump, along in a couple of video of our moment behind the wheel.