Ground was broken today for a facility that, when completed, will be the most environmentally-friendly automobile dealership in the country. The Tamiami Automotive Group announced plans to relocate and expand to a building that will achieve the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “Gold Certification.”
“Concept to reality” has become a term that epitomizes the Chrysler Group design philosophy, and many observers are hoping that it will apply to the company’s concept vehicles for 2007. Chrysler Group’s latest concept vehicles clearly demonstrate a design tradition that has become a key strength of the company: an ability to design the coolest-of-cool concepts, which are as relevant as they are innovative.
The Chrysler brand is announcing the birth of the “Chrysler Sebring Bundle of Joy” contest that gives new parents a chance to win an all-new 2007 Chrysler Sebring if their baby is born at 2:03:04 a.m. on 05/06/07. This sequential time and date is novel because it won’t occur for another hundred years. Chrysler wants to celebrate this history-making moment by awarding a family-friendly vehicle to parents who give birth at this exact moment in time. In addition to bringing home their new baby, one lucky family will also bring home a new 2007 Chrysler Sebring.
The elegant Chrysler Sebring is an evolution of the 2003 Chrysler Airflite concept car, and will offer surprisingly good value for money as well as striking looks when it launches in the UK in June. Peter Lambert, Managing Director for Chrysler Group UK said: “The Sebring is Chrysler’s first offering in the mid-size family car segment, currently dominated by cars like the Ford Mondeo and Honda Accord.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, the Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, has confirmed for the first time that discussions have taken place with interested parties regarding future options for the Chrysler Group. “In this context, I can confirm that we are talking with some of the potential partners who have shown a clear interest”, Zetsche is quoted as saying in the text of the speech he will deliver at the Annual Meeting 2007 in Berlin today. However, Zetsche continued, “But it is also true that we need to keep all options open, and that I cannot disclose any details, because we need to have the maximum scope for maneuver.” The company’s management requires “the greatest possible flexibility so that we can identify and then professionally implement the best possible solution.”
Chrysler Group and SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced today that Chrysler Group will be the exclusive auto manufacturer to offer SIRIUS Backseat TV™ in its vehicle lineup in the 2008 model year. For the first time, live TV programming from the most trusted brands in family entertainment—Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network—will be available through SIRIUS Backseat TV in select 2008 model Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles, beginning with the all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.
The Jeep brand is continuing its expansion into new territory with the European premiere of the new Jeep Patriot at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The Jeep Patriot will be the new, entry-level price point for the Jeep brand in the UK when it launches this summer. Patriot combines the packaging and interior flexibility of an SUV with the performance, handling, fuel economy and price of a family hatchback.
Chinese car companies have played down speculation that one of them is interested in acquiring Chrysler, the struggling US-based division of DaimlerChrysler. While, some of China’s vehicle manufacturers have previously indicated they want to be global players - such as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Nanjing Automotive, First Automotive Works and Chery Automotive - representatives of SAIC, FAW and Chery say they have no interest in Chrysler.
Chrysler Group and the UAW today agreed to two special programs that will provide retirement and separation incentives for the Company’s bargaining-unit employees in the United States as part of the Chrysler Group’s Recovery and Transformation Plan. The negotiated programs include an Incentive Program for Retirement (IPR) with $70,000 cash lump-sum amount for employees with 30 or more years of credited service, or who meet a combination of age and years-of-service eligibility, and an Enhanced Voluntary Termination of Employment Program (VTEP), which provides a lump sum payment of $100,000 for employees with at least one year of credited service. A letter outlining the plans was sent to affected employees Feb. 27.
Chrysler Group workers arriving for work found an email in their inbox from President and Chief Executive Officer Tom LaSorda.
Here’s Tom’s email in its entirety:
Dear Colleagues,
I know you have many questions as a result of the DaimlerChrysler Annual Press Conference last week and the resulting rumors about the future of the Chrysler Group. I’m sending this letter because I want to provide you the information that I can, and share with you my personal thoughts.