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Chrysler and Pure Detroit Agree to Settle “Imported from Detroit” Merchandise War

The “Imported from Detroit” tagline used by Chrysler to launch its redesigned models last year has made many a headline; not always in the way intended, though.

Its award-winning 2011 Super Bowl commercial was copied by Audi in a German ad for its A6 Avant leading to a legal dispute with Eminem, while the Pentastar brand was also embroiled in a legal battle with a clothing company.

Chrysler sued Motown-based clothing retailer PureDetroit in March 2011 for copyright infringement as it started selling merchandise with the “Imported from Detroit” logo right after the Super Bowl ad aired.

New Dodge Durango Ready to Serve Police and Fire Fighting Agencies

The Chrysler Group has presented its answer to the respective SUV proposals from General Motors and Ford Motor Co. for use by police, fire and general fleet customers in the form of the new Durango Special Service model.

The Durango, which follows the introduction of the Dodge Charger Pursuit and more recently, the Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 Special Service models, is available for order now with first deliveries expected to begin in the second quarter of the year.

Fiat Management to Meet with Italian Prime Minister to Discuss its Future

It’s no secret that Fiat is in dire straits right now. Its CEO, Sergio Marchionne, is counting on increased productivity and U.S. sales, but he’s also prepared to close down two Italian plants if push comes to shove.

According to Reuters, Marchionne and Fiat Chairman (and Gianni Agnelli grandson) John Elkann will meet with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and, subsequently, with Labor and Industry Ministers, Elsa Fornero and Corrado Passera, today to discuss the group’s plans concerning its local operations.

Monti is no stranger to Fiat as he has is a friend of the Agnelli family and was on the company’s board from 1988 until 1993. However, it's the first time that he will meet with its management as a Prime Minister.

Chrysler to Offer a Smaller Displacement Version of its Pentastar V6 According to Sources

Two separate sources, a union official and a company insider, have told Automotive News that Chrysler will soon present a smaller displacement version of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gasoline engine.

Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW (United Auto Workers) Local 12 in Toledo, Ohio, where the Liberty replacement (called Cherokee in markets outside the U.S.) will be assembled, told the news site that the SUV would be offered with a new V6 with a capacity of 3.2-liters.

One-Off 2012 Chrysler 300S Customized by John Varvatos goes up for Auction

One of the stars in Chrysler's 'Imported from Detroit' campaign has rejoined forces with the Detroit automaker, albeit for a different cause.

John Varvatos, the Detroit born, high-fashion menswear designer, teamed up with Chrysler to create a one-off version of the 2012 300S that was announced at the John Varvatos ninth annual Stuart House Benefit that supports children and which took place this past Sunday on March 11 in Los Angeles.

Next Generation 2014 Chrysler 200 Sedan Conceptualized

It may feature a different name and fancier looks, but pay close enough attention and it’s not hard to see that the current Chrysler 200 is a heavily facelifted Sebring.

That doesn’t come as a surprise as the Detroit automaker wanted to buy some time before it develops an all new replacement based on the CUSW platform used on the Dodge Dart, which has been jointly-developed with Fiat.

Chrysler has already admitted that the 200's successor will arrive in the market within the next year or so, but we still don't know what it will look like.

Lawrence Technological University design student Colin Bonathan, whom we came to know through his Chrysler Review Coupe and Lincoln Continental studies, attempts to shed some light on a possible design direction for the next 200 mid-size sedan.

Chrysler Confirms Pentastar V6 and 8-Speed Auto for Ram Truck, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango

Not that we weren't expecting it, but the Chrysler Group officially confirmed through a voluntary annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was first discovered by Autonews, the availability of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission on the Ram pickup truck.

The Pentastar V6, which should produce around 280-horsepower in this application, will replace the Ram truck's current 210hp 3.7-liter V6 that is linked to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The new and more powerful Ram model will be presented next month, possibly at the New York International Auto Show.

New Chrysler 300S Spot Grooves to the Beats of 'will.i.am'

Rapper William James Adams, Jr., better known by his stage name "will.i.am", is the new face of Chrysler's latest campaign for the 300 sedan called.

The commercial is called "The Hardest Ever" and shows will.i.am driving a customized 300S to promote its Beats audio system. Nothing special but if you insist, you can watch the 30 second clip in the video that follows after the break.

Marchionne Says Fiat May Close Two Italian Plants if U.S. Export Plans Fail

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne may have succeeded in signing a deal with the Italian worker unions, yet decreasing demand in the struggling European market may still force him to take extreme measures.

And while Marchionne does not expect the situation in Europe to improve “at least until 2014", on the other side of the pond, he said that Chrysler's plants are already at full capacity, necessitating imports from the group’s factories in Canada, Mexico or Europe to satisfy a third of U.S. demand.

Therefore, as he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, it’s a perfect opportunity for Fiat’s Italian plants to increase their production and make up for the drop in local demand by exporting models to the States.

Obama Campaign Airs 'Made in America' Ad Touting Auto Bailout

If you have been following the news in the U.S. these past few weeks, you will have no doubt noticed that all Republican presidential candidates have attacked the Obama administration for the way it handled the auto industry bailout.

Now it's time for President Obama's campaign to fight back through a new ad that will air on television this Friday but only in Michigan, ahead of the State's Republican presidential primary next week.

The ad is named "Made in America" and touts Obama's stance on the auto bailout bill while at the same time taking a jab at the GOP and especially Mitt Romney, showing the title of his November 2008 New York Times op-ed piece, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt".

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