Autoblog UK

The Caliber is the best-selling car of Chrysler subsidiary, Dodge, outside of North America. The 2010 model of the Dodge Caliber will be unveiled at the IAA in Frankfurt. One difference to the previous model cannot actually be seen from the outside. Passengers will enjoy a totally redesigned cockpit, which has been not only visually enhanced but is also trimmed with better quality materials. The revamped Caliber should appear in dealer's showrooms by the beginning of 2010 at the latest, but customers will have to wait a few more months for the new diesel engines.

In 2010, the first electric car from Chrysler is due to make its debut, with three more plug-in models set to follow by 2013. The hopes of the US automotive giant are initially pinned on the 200C which was unveiled in Detroit this January. Chrysler's vision of what a 'green' vehicle should be is a saloon car with a 272bhp electric motor. There are striking similarities with the larger Chrysler 300C which is due to get a smaller brother in the lower mid-range segment by 2012. A few words of encouragement then from all of us here in Europe: Welcome to the future, Chrysler!

The US auto giant Chrysler aims to equip the national postal service with electrically powered vehicles. A trial run with four such vans is due to commence in the near future. At the Detroit Motor Show in January 2009, Chrysler unveiled an e-vehicle based on the Grand Voyager (badged in the USA as the 'Chrysler Town and Country'). The US Postal Service already has a fleet of more than 10,000 Chrysler vans. The switchover to electric will be part-financed by state subsidies and also by partnerships with the energy supply sector.

After buying into the insolvent US Chrysler group, it seems that Italian car manufacturer Fiat are now more interested in ever than getting their hands on Opel. Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne announced that Opel would be the perfect partner for Fiat. There is indeed good reason for the increased interest shown by the Italians, since state funds of 3.3 billion euros could also cushion their Chrysler investment.

Opel's business has taken a boost from both the German "scrappage allowance", as well as from the new Insignia model which has been very well-received. Apparently Opel has 100,000 orders on its books, which has in fact led to extra shifts at their Rüsselsheim plant.

Third-largest American auto manufacturer Chrysler sees insolvency as the best chance for a general corporate clear-out. This is without doubt the biggest bankruptcy of all time in the industry. President Barack Obama put a positive spin on the news, averring that the company would emerge much stronger from the process.

Italian carmaker Fiat is set to take an immediate 20% stake in Chrysler, rising to 35 percent at a later stage. Chrysler has lodged an official application with the courts and announced that production will generally cease for the time being. This will then only return to pre-insolvency levels once the process has been completed. Chrysler boss Bob Nardelli and his deputy Tom LaSorda will both resign. As already announced, the UAW employees' union will take a majority shareholding in the new Chrysler company. The whole insolvency process will be completed in record time, estimated at between 30 and 60 days. The US government is pumping in aid to the tune of around $8bn.

At the New York Auto Show, the ailing US car giant Chrysler showed there's life in the old dog yet with the debut of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. As before, this large SUV is based on the same platform as the Mercedes M-Class, but the looks have been considerably pepped up. The biggest external changes compared with the current model are to be found in the now more angular front as well as in the side profile of the five-seater. The overall length of the Grand Cherokee has been increased by five centimetres and the wheelbase has extended by 13cm to 2.92 metres. This means that passengers on the back seat can stretch out their legs a bit more. In choosing an engine for the European market, they are likely to stick with the six-cylinder diesel built in cooperation with Daimler and familiar to us from the previous model. The new Jeep offers three different four-wheel drive systems. This SUV won't be appearing on the American market until the end of 2010. No announcement has been made about any launch date for Europe.

May 2009 will see the American premiere of 'Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins', the latest sequel in the blockbuster science-fiction series. European audiences will get to see it one month later. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic landscape in the year 2018. Christian Bale takes the lead role as hero John Connor.

But one other main player in the movie is US automotive giant Chrysler in the role of sponsor. Exactly how they are incorporated into the plot has yet to be revealed. The Americans aren't too concerned about that aspect: what does worry them, though, is that public finances are being used in this way. It seems incredible to them that state funding intended to bail out the troubled car industry should be diverted into such a project.

Chrysler's Media Director was rather coy about the extent and nature of the company's involvement: "We've been partners in the previous Terminator projects and we intend to carry on as such," she added.

It will be interesting to see what vehicles Chrysler supplies for the film. It is obviously not in the best interests of the film plot if a current series production model is part of the scenery. Maybe it's just a commercial: "Sponsored by..." Or perhaps the answer lies in the film title: "Salvation: The Future Begins". Because the whole of the car industry is hoping for financial salvation. Quite ironical, really.