Chrysler LLC is preparing to spend $281 million to renovate the Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit where the company now builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander.
The automaker hasn’t said anything publicly at the future Grand Cherokee but privately Chrysler officials have confirmed that the money is being spent to produce new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, starting in the summer and fall of 2010.
The Jeep Commander, which also is built at Jefferson North, will probably be dropped as Chrysler reduces the number of models it builds as part of the effort to right-size the company for its shrunken market share, analysts have suggested.
While the Commander gets decommissioned, the new Grand Cherokee–one of the Chrysler’s signature vehicles–will come with an optional diesel engine made by Daimler AG or with an optional two-mode hybrid system, which Chrysler has developed jointly through a joint venture with General Motors, Daimler and BMW, Chrysler officials indicated privately last week.
In addition, the 2011 Grand Cherokee will be one of the very first vehicles engineered and sourced under the tough regime being installed by Chrysler’s new chief executive officer Robert Nardelli and vice chairman and president Jim Press. Both Press and Nardelli are taking a direct role in decisions on the new Grand Cherokee, Chrysler sources said.
Key supply contracts will be awarded in the next few months but the new purchasing regime installed by Nardelli is having a huge impact. At the same time, the influence of Daimler’s product development system on Chrysler decisions is rapidly diminishing.
The new Grand Cherokee, however, will have to be developed for export, which probably means it is being developed for both right and left-hand drive markets.
“Developing foreign markets is a priority for us,” noted one Chrysler officials.
Nardelli said back in January that as Chrysler expands its overseas sales operations, it also plans to do more design and engineering work in places such as China and Eastern Europe.

March is Dodge Truck Month!

We have BIG rebates, Special APR Financing and NOW NO-CHARGE HEMI Special for 2008 model Dodge Ram Light Duty Trucks. Yes! Pick out a Dodge Ram 1500 with a HEMI V8 engine and we will subtract the the amount charged for the engine on the Factory Sticker off our price. When you combine these savings with our Zcarsonline Internet Savings, you get more than you've ever bargained for.

It really is a great time to buy any brand new Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep car, truck or an SUV from Zcarsonline during the launch of the NEW DAY SALES EVENT!

Here are some of the highlights of some of the incentives: Call Russ at 616.588.4252 for more info or e-mail me at russjohnson@haroldzeigler.com

$750 Minivan Owner Loyalty Bonus Cash for the all-new 2008 Dodge & Chrysler minivans
$500 Military Bonus Cash on most 2008 Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about the "NEW DAY" promotion and what it means to the consumer. Below you will find a list of what the NEW DAY packages include:

DODGE :

Caliber
$1,695 in additional equipment over the SE, with a $900 discount
A/C and Chill Zone® with air filtration
17" aluminum wheels
P215/60R17 all season touring tires
24 mpg city / 29 mpg hwy
1.8L Dual VVT with 5-speed manual transmission
Illuminated cup holder rings

Avenger
The Avenger R/T and SXT Packages include:
No extra charge MyGIG® Entertainment System (a $650 value on SXT, $300 on R/T)
17" cast-aluminum wheels and ABS brakes (SXT only)
8-way power drivers' seat
YES Essentials® premium seat fabric
Available 2.7L V6 with 4-speed automatic (SXT only)
Available ESP / All-speed traction control (SXT and R/T)

Optional heated / cooled cup holder (SXT and R/T)
Optional Six Boston Acoustic® Speakers
3.5L V6 with dual exhaust and 6-speed AutoStick® transmission (R/T only)
18" ultra-brite cast-aluminum wheels (R/T only)
Spoiler & fog lamps (R/T only)


Grand Caravan
SE Value Package includes:
No extra charge second-row Stow 'n Go® (a $945 value)
Electronic Stability Program[3] ESP, brake assist and all-row side curtain airbags
3.3L V6 w/ 4-speed automatic transmission
Available power liftgate, power sliding doors and power second-row windows
Available MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System
Available Swivel 'n Go™[6]
Available YES Essentials® seat fabric Caravan


Charger
Charger SE Plus Package includes:
$3,120 in additional equipment over the SE, with a $1795 discount
3.5L high-output V6 engine
Electronic Stability Program, ABS and traction control
17" cast-aluminum wheels
SIRIUS Satellite Radio System
8-way power drivers' seat
Satin silver / chrome interior upgrades and premium floor mats


CHRYSLER:

Sebring Convertible Touring:
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System including 20GB hard drive, AM/FM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio with MP3 input, CD player, and integrated 6.5-inch touch screen display, and Boston Acoustics speakers ($300 value)
2.7L flex-fuel DOHC V6 Engine with 4-speed Automatic (epa rated 18 city/26 hwy)
YES Essentials® Stain/Odor/Static Resistant Fabric
Standard Cloth Top / Optional Retractable Hard Top
17" Cast aluminum wheels
Top Down on Key Fob
Electronic Vehicle Info Center
Heated Mirrors

The Sebring Convertible Limited
Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System including 20GB hard drive, AM/FM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio with MP3 input, CD player, and integrated 6.5-inch touch screen display, and Boston Acoustics speakers ($300 value)
3.5L V6 24V 235hp Engine with 6-speed Autostick
Leather Trimmed Seating / Tortoise Shell Accents
Standard Cloth Top / Optional Retractable Hard Top
18" Cast Aluminum Wheels
Fog Lamps
The Sebring Touring Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System including 20GB hard drive, AM/FM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio with MP3 input, CD player, and integrated 6.5-inch touch screen display ($650 value)
2.4L 4 CYL VVT 173hp engine with 4-speed automatic
Available 2.7L DOHC V6 186hp eng w/ 4-speed auto
YES Essentials® Stain & Odor Resistant Fabric
Fold flat passenger seat / Satin silver accents
17" Cast aluminum wheels

The Sebring Limited
Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System including 20GB hard drive, AM/FM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio with MP3 input, CD player, and integrated 6.5-inch touch screen display, and Boston Acoustics speakers ($300 value)
2.4L 4 CYL engine with 4-speed automatic (epa rated 21 city/30 hwy)
Available 3.5L V6 24V 235hp engine w/ 6-speed autostick
Leather trimmed seating / Tortoise shell accents
17" Cast aluminum wheels
Fog Lamps
Power 8-way driver seat and Garage Door Opener

PT Street Cruiser
Value Package includes:
$1,770 in additional equipment over the LX, with a $995 discount
2.4L DOHC four-cylinder 16V engine with 150 horsepower - MPG up to 21 city / 26 highway
16-inch Chrome-clad Aluminum Wheels
Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass
Chrome Bodyside Moldings, Lock Knobs
Seat-mounted Side Airbags
Remote Keyless Entry, Power Windows and Locks, & Sentry Key Theft-deterrent system

Chrysler 300 Touring Signature Series
Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Infotainment System[1] with Navigation including 20 GB hard drive ($1,550 value)
No Extra Charge Two-Tone Trimmed Seats ($200 value)
Standard 250-horsepower 3.5L 24-valve High Output V6 engine with 4-speed automatic transmission, MPG 17 City / 24 Highway
New 18-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels
Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Brake Assist and All-Speed Traction Control
Four-Wheel Disc Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Supplemental Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags[3] and Supplemental Side-Curtain Airbags[3]
Unique Manila Flax interior bezels
Heated front seats
Power 8-way front-passenger seat
Power-adjustable pedals
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
Auto express up/down front windows
Walter P. Chrysler Signature Series badging

Chrysler Aspen Signature Series
Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge one-touch power sunroof ($850 value)
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System[1] including 30GB hard drive, AM/FM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio[2] with MP3 input, CD player, and integrated 6.5-inch touch screen display ($650 value)
18" chrome-clad Aluminum Wheels
Heated front seats with unique two-tone leather-trim and two-tone leather-wrapped steering wheel
Choice of standard 303HP 4.7L Flex Fuel V8 or available 5.7L HEMI® V8 w/ MDS
ParkView Rear Back-Up Camera with ParkSense® Rear Park Assist System
Standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Side Curtain Airbags, and Electronic Roll Mitigation
Floor Mats
Walter P. Chrysler Signature Series badging

Town & Country Touring Signature Series
Value Package includes:
No Extra Charge Dual DVD System ($1,525 value)
MyGIG® Multimedia Entertainment System with ParkView® rear back up camera
Remote Start
Stow 'n Go® seating & storage system
SIRIUS Satellite Radio with 1 Yr Subscription
EVIC with tire pressure monitoring system
Premium center console
Leather-trimmed, heated bucket seats - first and second rows
Available Swivel 'n Go™ seating & storage system
Available SIRIUS Backseat TV™
Walter P. Chrysler Signature Series badging
Remote Start

JEEP

Commander
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Infotainment System with Navigation ($900 value)
Available 5.7L HEMI® V8 w/ MDS
Power Sunroof w/ Command View® w/ dual skylights
SmartBeam™ headlamps
Available SIRIUS BackSeat TV™
Standard 2WD or choice of two available 4WD systems

Grand Cherokee
No Extra Charge MyGIG® Infotainment System with Navigation ($900 value)
Available 5.7L HEMI® V8 w/ MDS
Heated 1st & 2nd row seats
Rain-Sensing Wipers
Available SIRIUS BackSeat TV™
Standard 2WD or choice of two available 4WD systems

JUST IN FROM CARANDDRIVER.COM

The Quickest Sedans of 2008: $30,000 to $40,000

2008 Dodge Charger SRT8
Base price: $37,0100-to-60-mph time: 4.8 secQuarter-mile time: 13.2 sec @ 109 mph
How does Dodge manage to put more than two tons ahead of such pedigreed track stars as the Evolution and 335i? Simple. Throw lots of cubic inches at it, 370 to be exact. With 6.1 liters of V-8 madness beneath that snorty hood, the Charger SRT8 sends 425 horses rearward for transformation into thrust or smoke—you decide. Driven for optimal speed, the Charger SRT8 hustles to 60 in 4.8 seconds and looks and sounds quick while doing it. Perhaps mindful of the car’s bruiser status, Dodge placed the traction control switch within finger-flicking range of the shift lever, should you want to scratch the burnout itch. Although this isn’t a “10 Fastest Sedans” contest, this car would make the list with an almost three-miles-per-minute, rpm-limited 173-mph top speed (ignore Chrysler’s claim of 165 mph).
It’s faster than its chrome-mawed sibling, the 300C, for almost a grand more. The SRT8 Chrysler leapfrogs the similar Charger by $5250. Aside from price, choosing between them boils down to your preferred projection of self. Charger headrests are just slightly more likely to support mullets than high-’n’-tights. And for all the Motown history, the 300C is more likely to have a disc in the changer from DeathRowRecords.com, and the Charger’s six speakers will probably be broadcasting Alan Jackson. The Charger is the urban 300C’s country cousin—same nature, different nurture.
In either sedan, the benefits are manifold when jumping from the not-a-slouch, Hemi-equipped R/T model to the SRT8. Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology group packs just about everything, mechanical and otherwise, with muscle. Another 85 horsepower arrives for a total of 425, thanks to that growth in displacement from 5.7 to 6.1 liters and fitment of higher-compression (10.3:1) pistons. The five-speed automatic transmission channels 420 pound-feet of torque to 255/45 tires on forged and polished 20-inch alloy wheels, only prevented from looking silly by huge 14.1-inch front Brembo rotors and four-piston calipers. For such a big sedan, the Charger SRT8 hustles through curves and jerks to a halt just as well as it screams in a straight line.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $37,010
ENGINE TYPE: pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 370 cu in, 6059ccPower (SAE net): 425 bhp @ 6200 rpmTorque (SAE net): 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 120.0 inLength: 200.1 inWidth: 74.5 inHeight: 57.7 inCurb weight: 4274 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:Zero to 60 mph: 4.8 secZero to 100 mph: 11.2 secZero to 130 mph: 19.9 secStreet start, 5–60 mph: 5.2 secStanding ¼-mile: 13.2 sec @ 109 mphTop speed (redline limited): 173 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 168 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 g
FUEL ECONOMY:EPA city/highway driving: 14/20 mpg

HERE IS YOUR LIST OF TRACK STARS THE CHALLENGER CRUSHED!

By the way four of the top ten available from HAROLD ZEIGLER

Tenth Place: 2008 Volkswagen Passat 3.6
Ninth Place: 2008 Cadillac CTS V-6 DI
Eighth Place: 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super
Seventh Place: 2008 Acura TL Type-S
Sixth Place: 2008 Chrysler 300C
Fifth Place: 2008 Infiniti G35
Fourth Place: 2008 Lexus IS350
Third Place: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Second Place: 2008 BMW 335i
First Place: 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8

A Savior for Chrysler? Read On

After reading things like this you just stop and wonder what is true and what is not...I for one believe that Chrysler will come out of this on top because we simply make the best looking, safest and most fun to drive vehicles in all of our price ranges. Anyone who disagrees needs to stop by the dealership and take your choice of SRT-8s on a test drive...THAT IS AMERICAN METAL!!!!

By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
Published: February 19, 2008
“We despise all the public attention we are getting,” Stephen Feinberg, the secretive founder of Cerberus Capital Management, wrote to his investors last month. “We do our best to avoid the spotlight, but, unfortunately, when you do some large deals, such as Chrysler and GMAC, it is hard to avoid.”
Well, yes — and a letter like this certainly won’t help. Many Wall Street deal makers were shocked by it, BlackBerrying the letter around town with exclamation points in the subject line. One moment, Mr. Feinberg sounded cavalier about the prospects for the companies he controls. The next, he seemed cold and ruthless.
Cerberus is, of course, the hedge fund-cum-private equity firm that bought Chrysler last year for next to nothing. Mr. Feinberg is the brains behind the operation, but John W. Snow, the former Treasury secretary, is the frontman. Mr. Snow is trotted out for press conferences and interviews because of Mr. Feinberg’s self-described “disdain” for publicity. Dan Quayle, the former vice president, is also on the payroll.
To Mr. Feinberg’s apparent dismay, Cerberus — named for the mythical three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld — has grabbed a lot of headlines lately. The reason is that people can’t stop speculating about whether its investments, notably Chrysler and GMAC, the former financing arm of General Motors, are going to go under.
Cerberus, which got into the private-equity game late, made perhaps the riskiest bets at the peak of the buyout boom. Indeed, if there is one buyout portfolio that Wall Street worries about most, it is Cerberus’. (Apollo Management, with its investment in Realogy, the real estate company, and Linens ‘n Things, is perceived as a close second, though I’m not sure we need to worry about them just yet.)
But Cerberus, more than any other private-equity firm, also finds itself thrust into the spotlight for another reason: It bought an American icon. If Chrysler, which has $18 billion in pension and health care liabilities for at least the next two years, winds up sinking into bankruptcy, it would be a watershed event. Such a failure might take down the entire private-equity industry — everyone in the business, bystander or not, would be tarred. It would be on the 6 o’clock news. Mr. Feinberg would be hauled in front of Congress. It would be considered a national crime. Remember the outcry when Kohlberg Kravis Roberts bought RJR Nabisco for $25 billion back in the 1980s? That was just a dress rehearsal.
No wonder regulars at The Four Seasons are nervous.
Mr. Snow has tried to paint Cerberus as Chrysler’s savior. In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in July, he said that private equity in general and Mr. Feinberg’s firm in particular offer “perhaps the last, best hope of turning around the auto industry and basic manufacturing in the U.S.”
Which is why it is so disturbing to read Mr. Feinberg’s letter, which sounds downbeat about the economy and, at times, indifferent to the firm’s investments.
“We do not need to be heroes to earn a good return on the investment in Chrysler,” he said, suggesting he has no ambition to reinvent the troubled American automobile industry. Cerberus, after all, bought Chrysler on the cheap.
“We do not need to transition the car industry or even to return Chrysler to a much stronger relative position in the U.S. car market in order to be successful,” Mr. Feinberg continued. (This makes you wonder what Robert L. Nardelli, Home Depot’s former chief executive and $225 million man, does as chief executive of Chrysler.)
At one point, Mr. Feinberg says his firm’s “success does not depend on the future of GMAC, Chrysler, or any other single investment.”
Mr. Feinberg seems less indifferent — and more negative — about GMAC.
“GMAC is an investment about which we have significant concerns,” he wrote. “If the credit markets continue to decline and we find ourselves in a prolonged environment of capital market shutdown, GMAC could run into substantial difficulty.”
Despite all the unwanted attention, Mr. Feinberg is as sharp-elbowed as ever. He whined about ending up in court after Cerberus walked away from its deal to buy United Rentals.
“They hauled me and other Cerberus people into court, and prior to trial brought me to a deposition where they tried to pressure me by asking numerous personal questions that had nothing to do with the case,” he wrote. “We stuck to our guns, and the truth prevailed.”
To be sure, Mr. Feinberg, in his letter, was playing to his audience: his private investors, not the public. He tried to appear introspective and “disciplined,” which, on Wall Street, is code for ruthless. He even tried to humanize himself: “We need to remain vigilant, humble, hard-working, focused and disciplined. We cannot let up for one second.”
But set against everything else he said, those words rang hollow. Mr. Feinberg must have realized his letter backfired because by Friday, Cerberus was sending around a new statement to anyone who would listen.
“We continue to be extremely enthusiastic about our investment in Chrysler,” the statement said.
Trying to explain away Mr. Feinberg’s cheerless outlook on the economy, Cerberus said it “has an obligation to be forthright with our investors about all possible risks and uncertainties that could impact their investment.”
“Although we prepare for the worst-case scenario,” the company said, “it doesn’t mean that it will certainly happen: in fact, we are committed to doing everything in our control so that it doesn’t.”

Thanks for the assurance!

This is a great quote I took from an article my boss gave me on the Challenger SRT-8...

It is in the April 2008 Motor Trend

HE ALSO TOLD ME WE HAVE ONE MORE WE CAN SELL....LET ME KNOW ASAP IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, THEY ARE ONLY MAKING 4800 OF THESE CARS AND THEY ARE GOING FAST. E-MAIL ME AT russjohnson@haroldzeigler.com


Sorry, Ford. Your by-default reign over the American musclecar party is about to come to an end. This is clear the instant we climb aboard a final engineering prototype of the Challenger SRT8, fire its 425-horse Hemi V-8, and plant our right foot hard to the mat. The engine screams to over 6000 rpm, the rectangular exhaust outlets bellow, and the Big Bad Dodge's husky butt fishtails in response, just like the good old days. Better, in fact.