Rome, Feb 4 - Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that he expects to
complete the merger of the Italian carmaker with its US partner
Chrysler in 2014.

"We will succeed in doing it," Marchionne said in an interview Sunday with the chief editor of La Repubblica national newspaper.

"With Veba (the United Auto Workers union retiree health benefits fund,
a Chrysler shareholder) we have different opinions on the value of
Chrysler but will solve the problem in 2014," he added.

In what apparently will set a new standard for the gas-guzzling pickup trucks and make ‘fuel economy’ a new battleground for the stuff-hauling vehicles, Chrysler Group LLC has said in a recent disclosure that three trim lines of its 2013 Ram 1500 will be capable of achieving 25 miles per gallon (mpg) on the highway.

Chrysler Group LLC is apparently banking on its redesigned line of 2013 Ram 1500 pickup trucks to gain some ground on market leaders Ford F-150 and General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado, especially since the new Ram 1500 lineup will boast better fuel economy and will be a moderate 1 percent pricier than the vehicle’s 2012 models.

Two of the Chrysler's top selling models are facing a US government investigation for safety problems after accidents were reported in the country.

Chicago, March 2 - Chrysler Group LLC reported a 40 percent increase in February while Ford Motor Co.'s sales rose 14 percent and General Motors Co. added 1.1 percent beating analyst expectations, as US customers snapped up smaller cars to offset high gas prices, Detroit News reported Thursday.

Chrysler Group LLC reported its US auto sales jumped 40 percent last month as the company's car sales more than doubled. It was Chrysler's best February in four years and its 23rd consecutive month of sales growth.

Chrysler brand sales soared 114 percent, with both the Chrysler 300 and 200 sedans posting triple-digit sales gains.

Chicago, Feb 2 - US auto sales for the Big Three American automakers were mixed in January as General Motors (GM) sales dropped 6 percent since January last year while Chrysler posted a strong gain of 44 percent over the same period and Ford increased 7 percent.

Chrysler's year-over-year increase of 44 percent marked its best January in four years, and its eighth-consecutive month of sales gains of at least 20 percent, reported Xinhua.

Fiat group’s Chrysler has announced the launch of two new models in the UK: the Ypsilon and the Delta.

The two models are already on sale with the Lancia badge in some European countries. Lancia, has withdrawn from the UK market more than a decade ago mainly due to poor reputation of its models and has chosen to launch the new model under Chryslers instead of taking the risks of a re-launch.

At the moment when the Chrysler Group approximately has finished its avalanche of 2011 model modifications absolutely, it's letting go the pricing on a group Dodges and a Jeep. This is the strategy how they pile up:

The remanufactured Dodge Charger shall commence at $25,170 when it moves on to sale in December, exclusive of an $825 target charge. That's a $580 price augment that is less than one might wait for the stage of modifications to this model. 2011 Dodge Durango turns out to be a unibody crossover SUV.

It has been reported that the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced recalls of Ford Motor Co. Transit Connect vans and four Chrysler vehicles on Friday.

It was also reported that Ford is halting sales and recalling 33,728 sold vans due to a failure to meet federal standards on roof strength, relating specifically to the headliner retention pushpin which is situated above the B-pillar on both sides of the vehicle.

The recall involves vans made between December 5, 2008, and May 31, 2010.

According to company sources, production of Chrysler's PT Cruiser ends Friday with the last of the compact cars that looked more 1940 than 2000 being built in Mexico.

The Detroit News has reported that the retro crossover was a quick hit when it was first built with cars on the Internet being sold for many times the sticker price in showrooms.

It would recall nearly 600,000 Jeep Wrangler, Town & Country and Grand Caravans on problems with brakes and sliding doors, U. S. automaker Chrysler said on Monday.

288,968 Jeep Wranglers from model years 2006 through 2010 would be recalled because potential contact between fender liners and front brake tubes could cause brake fluid to leak resulting in "partial loss of service brakes," which could result in a crash, Chrysler has said.

Chrysler Group LLC has announced that it is going to take in 1,100 new workers at its plant in Detroit.

The automaker said that the decision was taken after the plant was set up for starting production. The plant will be manufacturing Grand Cherokee, a Jeep model of the company.

This model, Chrysler expects will be helping it to gain back the market share that it has lost over the years.

There is no denying that FIAT has been able to gain some ground as far as its third comeback is concerned but the company still no plans to bring Chrysler products on to the Indian turf in the short run.

However, the duo has turned towards the Indian economy in a big way as far as sourcing components from the Indian market is concerned. Moreover, according to the new five-year plan which the Fiat top management executives made public to investors in Turin last week, the company will be looking at Best Cost Countries (BCC) to keep a control over the costs in the coming times.

The Detroit Free Press reported on Monday that U. S. automaker Chrysler Group will likely build 400,000 Fiat brand cars a year in North America.

No source was named by the Free Press but it said that Fiat's five-year plan is scheduled to be released on Wednesday.

Among the developments the newspaper called probable, Chrysler and Fiat's Lancia model lines are expected to merge into one global brand.

It plans to increase its stake in Chrysler Group LLC from 20 percent to 35 percent within the next two years, Fiat SpA says.

Fiat received the 20-percent stake in Chrysler in 2009 as payment for assuming operations at Chrysler, which emerged from bankruptcy in June.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that under the conditions of the deal, Fiat can increase its ownership in Chrysler if it shares small-car technology and expands the U. S. car maker's international presence.

Chrysler has announced that it would buy the Sterling Heights assembly plant for $20 million from the old Chrysler bankruptcy estate. If the U. S bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez approves the sale, it would be good news for
1,219 workers who had earlier seen their jobs on risk when the plant was supposed to be shut at the end of this year.

Even after the city extends $7.4 million in property tax abatements to Chrysler, the Sterling City would continue to receive $2.6 million annually from its largest taxpayer.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday backed the plans of General Motors and Chrysler to compete after emerging from bankruptcy in the last few weeks.

In a visit to Michigan, the state at the heart of the US auto industry, Obama praised both companies for getting out of the bankruptcy process "in record time," though with the help of billions of dollars in government loans.

"They've got a leaner structure, they've got new management, and a viable vision of how to compete and win in the 21st century," Obama said in a speech in the town of Warren.