Franklin Sussex Auto Mall Blog

While terms of the sale have not yet been completed, Chrysler has officially recognized that they have sold the Pacifica Advance Design Studio in Carlsbad California to Mercedes-Benz.

The Chrysler Pacifica studio opened in 1983 and spawned the Dodge Challenger concept in 2006. It also was responsible for the concepts that led to production versions of the Dodge Intrepid, Plymouth Prowler and Jeep Compass, as well as a number of influential concepts that were not produced, including the Chrysler Millennium and Chrysler Atlantic.

Chrysler closed the site earlier this year as part of a plan to streamline operations. The 20-person Pacifica design team has relocated or left the company.

Mercedes’ plans for its existing studio, 51 miles to north in Irvine, California, are unclear. It opened in 1990 and employs about 18 people, according to company materials. However, it measures about 13,000 square feet–less than half of the size of the Chrysler property.

Check out the full article on AutoWeek.Com

Yesterday, I was able to check out some Chrysler Concept vehicles that may become actual production cars some day! Here are a couple shots of what we might be seeing on the road in just a few short years!

Jeep Renegade

Dodge Zeo 500

Dodge Slingshot

Dodge Hornet 500

Chrysler EcoVoyager

Chris Shunk of AutoBlog.Com was able to get a couple images of the 2009 Dodge Ram that could have been. In an effort to stay competative, Chrysler had worked extremely hard to get this new truck just right. In the end, the results paid off with improved power and efficiency, more storage and a much more refined look.

Here are some excerpts from his blog post:

Friend of Autoblog Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com got his hands on many of the designs that led to the Ram we’ll see in showrooms this fall, and the sketches range from interesting to bizarre. If you take the photo above, for instance, you can see where Dodge was trying to conceptualize nifty storage solutions. The forward-leaning cross-hair grille and integrated bumper had already taken shape, too. Check out our gallery below that includes some exclusive pictures of rejected Rams, and visit PIckuptruck.com to see even more.

There has been a big buzz lately surrounding the reintroduction of the Dodge Challenger. With a long list of followers and the recent release of numerous drifting and burnout videos, the Challenger has become an extremely desirable vehicle.

Yesterday, I found a couple desktop wallpaper images of the Dodge Challenger over at MotorTrend.Com. Enjoy!

Yesterday, Chrysler announced something that no other automotive manufacturer is currently doing. When you purchase any new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicle, they will lock the price of gasoline to $2.99 for the next three years for you!

The campaign called “Let’s Refuel America” provides new customers with a special card that allows them to fill up their new vehicle, as well as other vehicles in their personal fleet, for $2.99/gal for up to a 12,000-mile a year limit. If a cardholder sells their vehicle before the 36-month time period is up, they can still continue to use the card for the remainder of the three-year period.

The great part about this deal is that it also includes diesel-powered Ram Heavy Duty pickups. With national diesel fuel prices averaging $4.239 per gallon, according to AAA, a Ram Pickup owner with a Cummins engine could save $3,747, if Chrysler estimates average fuel economy at 12 mpg.

The following vehicles are eligible for the new Let’s Refual America Program (click on the vehicle name to search our current inventory):

Small/Compact Car
Dodge Caliber, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible

Mid-size Car
Dodge Avenger, Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler Sebring Convertible

Large Car
Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum

Crossover
Dodge Journey

Minivan
Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country

Compact SUV
Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass

Mid-size SUV
Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty

Large SUV
Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen

Pickup Truck
Dodge Dakota, Dodge Ram, Dodge Ram HD

Mike Levine, from PickupTruck.Com, received the first official photos from Chrysler of the newly redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram Regular Cab. Here are a few excerpts …

Though we’ve yet to drive it, so far we’re mighty impressed with the new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500’s fresh approach in design and functionality that emphasizes day-to-day usability over extreme capability.

But we’ve only seen and touched the Crew Cab version. The traditional Regular Cab model has remained out of sight. No longer! Here are the first official Ram Regular Cab pictures, received from Chrysler.

The Regular Cab Ram 1500 will offer two bed lengths, 6-foot 4-inch or an 8-foot cargo box. The truck will have a 120-inch or 140-inch wheelbase, depending on the bed choice. The Ram pickups shown in this story all have the short box and 120-inch wheelbase. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to order the innovative new ‘RamBox’ side saddle storage option. It will only be available for the Ram 1500 Crew Cab.

Franklin Sussex Auto Mall has done it! We have been recognized as a Chrysler Pacesetter Club Member as we sold more than 1,000 new vehicles in 2007!

From the Press Release by Chrysler:

Chrysler LLC awarded nearly 200 dealerships across the nation with the 2007 Chrysler-Jeep Pacesetters award and the 2007 Dodge Charger Club Award. The Pacesetter winners are Chrysler-Jeep and the Charger winners all are Dodge-brand dealerships. The dealers each were selected for selling a minimum of 1,000
retail units or more during the 2007 calendar year.

“For our Dealers, becoming a Pacesetter or Charger Club member says that you have ‘made it’ and are now recognized as one of the best in the country,” said Landry. “These elite memberships prove that you can sell a
lot of vehicles, have satisfied customers, and be profitable. The real winners are our customers because in every market we have dealers that exemplify outstanding sales leadership and customer satisfaction.”

However, none of this would have been possible without the support from our incredible customers and our local community! We thank all of you for an incredible 2007 and we look forward to making it an even better 2008!

During the entire month of May, you can save up to $11,000 off MSRP on brand new Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep Vehicles!

Chrysler has also make 0% financing for 5 years available for all new purchases!

Here is May’s TV Commercial …

From the KickingTires Blog at Cars.Com … 

Minivans and cars with all-wheel drive are two of the most popular topics over at Ask.cars.com. In keeping with the popularity of both, Chrysler is adding two new safety systems to its 2009 minivans, the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, as well as adding a fuel-saving feature on the all-wheel-drive 2009 Chrysler 300C.

Two new detection systems, Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Path, will keep Chrysler minivan drivers aware of what’s happening outside their vehicle. Blind spot detectors are commonly found on luxury and near-luxury cars, not necessarily minivans. Like the current systems available, Chrysler’s will warn drivers with an icon that illuminates in the side-view mirrors when a passing vehicle enters their blind spot.

The Rear Cross Path feature also warns drivers of passing vehicles, except it does so when a vehicle is crossing the rear bumper in tricky situations, like exiting a parking space with poor visibility.

On the all-wheel-drive front, a new device on Chrysler’s rear-wheel-drive-based cars — starting with the 300C and potentially moving to the Charger — will disconnect the front drive wheels from the all-wheel-drive system when not needed, transferring power 100% to the rear wheels and saving fuel. Chrysler claims an additional 1 mpg can be gained on the 300C AWD’s 15/22 city/highway mpg rating.

Another feature slated to appear before the end of 2008 is an aftermarket wireless internet system — as if Chrysler’s minivans needed one more multimedia outlet on top of their dual-rear LCD screens, in-dash audio storage, DVD player and satellite television. Available through Chrysler’s accessories division, the system will create an internet hot spot for laptops and other devices.

The sister vehicle to the 2008 Chrysler Town And Country, the Dodge Grand Caravan, was recently reviewed by Harvey Schwartz over at AutomotiveAddicts.Com. His opening line is the perfect statement for this incredible vehicle …

The all-new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan re-writes the book on minivans.

Over the years, Dodge’s hauler has faced increased competition from import-brand minivans. In some ways, it has risen to the challenge, offering groundbreaking features that have served to separate it from the pack. The Chrysler/Dodge minivans were the first to offer driver-side sliding doors. They are also the only vans on the market to offer Stow ‘n Go seating. Eliminating the need to remove the seats and then find someplace else to store them when not in use, this system enables owners to quickly and easily fold both the second- and third-row seats into the floor, or flip the third-row split bench completely rearward to provide tailgate seating. New Swivel ‘n Go allows you to turn the middle captain’s chairs around to face the third row for a family-friendly conversation seating setup.

To continue reading his outstanding review, be sure to check out his blog post. If you are interested in finding out more about the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, check out our inventory on the website for Franklin Sussex Automall.