Car Moon

A dozen vehicles from the three core Chrysler brands covering more than half of the company’s 2011 models are being recalled in the United States to fix a potential problem with the steering column.

The recall covers 11,351 vehicles and affects certain 2011 model year Dodge Journey crossovers, Jeep Wranglers, Chrysler 200s, Chrysler 200 Convertibles, Dodge Avengers, Dodge Nitros, Jeep Liberty SUVs, Dodge Calibers, Jeep Compass crossovers, Jeep Patriots, Dodge Grand Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.

If you've been following our recent reports on Chrysler’s update lineup, then you know about the Auburn Hills-automakers plans to expand its range with a new trim series called ‘S’, which is aimed at younger buyers who want something a little more attitude in looks.

Following the appearance of the 2011MY 300, 300 and Town & Country S Concepts at the 6th Annual Spring Festival of LXs in California, in late March, Chrysler has lifted the veils off the first production S models based on the 200 Sedan and Convertible.

The ‘S’ treatment is a cosmetics-only package, with both the saloon and drop top 200 gaining a bespoke front grille with a black background, body color mirrors and door handles, smoked headlamps, unique 18-in. aluminum wheels with dark painted pockets and “S” badging.

The Chrysler Group is showcasing its new “Imported from Detroit” tagline for the 200 model series with a massive wrap covering almost the entire west side of the company’s 15-story headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Detroit automaker's new tagline made its debut in a two-minute advertising spot for the company's latest entry to the mid-size segment on Super Bowl Sunday.

Maybe it's because I'm a suspicious person by nature, but upon seeing the pictures of the Lancia Flavia Concepts, the first thing I thought of doing was to head over to Chrysler and check out the gallery of photos of the 200. Now, even though there's a possibility I could be wrong, my gut instinct and experience tell me that the photo of the official Lancia Flavia Convertible Concept has been doctored, or to put it bluntly, the Fiat Group simply photoshoped the Italian firm's badges on an existing photo of the Chrysler 200 Convertible.

Lancia is going to be quite busy at next month's Geneva Salon as the Italian brand deepens its ties with Chrysler by incorporating the latter's models into its range. Next up on our list after the new Lancia Thema, are the Flavia concept saloon and convertible models, which pay tribute not to their historic ancestor of the 1960s but to art of badge engineering. The two Flavia studies are based on the respective body styles of the Chrysler 200.

The numbers are in for last week's Super Bowl event and they show that the winner is General Motors with its Chevrolet’s spot, “Miss Evelyn’s Wild Ride”. According to Nielsen, an estimated 119,628,000 viewers watched two guys describing a woman’s wild ride in a silver Chevrolet Camaro making it the most-watched commercial ever. The previous record holder was a Doritos ad from 2010 with 116,231,920 viewers. GM's winning streak continued with the Chevy Cruze ad that came in second with 119.3 million views.

However, despite the record viewing number, Chevy's lovely ladies couldn't beat Volkswagen's little Darth Vader in the Passat ad for the most favorite commercial of the game with a Nieslen likability index of 186 (the average score for the Super Bowl ads is 100, meaning VW's Passat ad was almost twice as liked as the average commercial).

Chrysler, unlike other automakers that were teasing and showing off their Super Bowl ads well before Sunday's event, held back giving viewers their first taste of the brand's two-minute long commercial in the third quarter of the game. The new TV spot, called “Born of Fire," showcases the all-new 2011 Chrysler 200 and reveals the brand’s new tagline, “Imported from Detroit.”

The commercial, which features singer Eminem driving the 200 through Detroit, is as much about the brand and the revamped mid-size sedan as it is about Detroit and the town "that’s been to hell and back.” Overall, we'd say the ad conveys an honest and somewhat emotional message to consumers about the 200 as well as Chrysler in general.

The new 200 Convertible will make its motorshow premiere at the upcoming 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which runs for the public from February 11 to 20, Chrysler confirmed today. Essentially a re-packaged, re-designed and partially re-engineered version of the drop-top Sebring, the 200 Convertible will soon go on sale in the States with a starting price of $27,195, and a choice of two powerplants, a 173HP 2.4-liter four-pot and a new 283HP 3.6-liter V6, both matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.

We've already had our first in-depth look at the revised Sebring Convertible, which has been renamed to 200 Convertible, but now, Chrysler has releasing pricing a couple of months ahead of its market launch in the States. The new 200 Convertible is available in three trim levels (Touring, Limited and S), two engine choices including a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 3.6-liter V6, plus the option of a traditional soft top or a retractable metal hard top.

The range begins with the entry-level Touring model powered by a 173HP 2.4-liter four-banger matched to a six-speed automatic transmission, which is priced at $27,195 including a $750 destination fee. That brings the 200 Convertible in the same price range as Ford's 305HP Mustang Convertible V6, which starts at $27,495 (including destination and a $500 cash back).

In its latest commercial, Chrysler takes a trip down memory lane, showcasing some of its vintage models and wonders what ever happened to the glamour and style that these cars represented. And you guessed it; according to Chrysler, good 'ol American style is making a comeback on the firm's new models like the recently launched 300 sedan. Video available after the jump.

If you've been following our daily posts, you'll remember that the first batch of photos of Chrysler's 200 Convertible, previously known as the Sebring, were leaked onto the net last Thursday (January 13, 2011). The following day, Chrysler posted the photos on its official website. End of story? Well, not exactly as we discovered a very interesting posting on the photographer's official Facebook page.

Webb Bland, the person who shot the admittedly impressive press photos of the 200 cabriolet accused a “misguided idiot somewhere outside of the fantastic marketing team at Chrysler” for leaking the images “weeks in advance of the meticulously scheduled unveiling”.

Following yesterday’s leak, Chrysler today officially released photos and preliminary data on its new 200 Convertible. As previously noted, the drop top model is essentially a facelifted Sebring Convertible featuring a refined exterior design, and a revamped interior with new styling and improved quality.

Customers can choose between two automatically latching tops, which is certainly not a common option in the category. The first option is a body-colored retractable hardtop, while the other is a more traditional cloth soft top, both operated by a button on the key fob.

We don't know if Chrysler's affiliation with the Fiat Group has anything to do with this story, but fact is Italian websites have managed get their hands on the first official photographs of the redesigned Sebring Convertible, which like the sedan variant, gains the 200 moniker.

There's nothing surprising about the 2012 Chrysler 200 Convertibles design, which follows the same recipe as the sedan with softer and more elegant styling for the front and rear end, plus a fully redesigned interior boasting higher quality materials and build.

Naturally, the 200 Convertible will feature the same mechanical tweaks as the sedan with engine options including a 173HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder motor and the new 283HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, both offered with a six-speed automatic transmission.

“The new Chrysler 200 will come – cabriolet included – to Europe as a Lancia, and Flavia is a very good hint as its possible name,” Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said on the sidelines of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

Since we have a long way to go for the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Chrysler decided to give us a glimpse of what its in-house performance division Mopar is readying for the firm's redesigned Sebring, the 200 sedan, at next week's Detroit Motor Show.

The styled-up 2011 Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar seen in the teaser rendering here features a black and grey two-tone body and a full aero kit plus a lowered suspension, larger 19-inch alloy wheels and numerous accessories that will most likely be available for the production model in the near future. Hit the break for the full list of accessories and parts featured on the Detroit motorshow car.

Even though the 2011 Chrysler 200 is set to debut in the U.S. at the end of January, many facts on the mid-size sedan remain unclear. The company hasn’t officially (…) released interior pictures yet, only a video, and mpg figures were also unknown. However, as some isolated reports about EPA ratings hit the internet today, we decided to investigate. We found out that Chrysler’s sedan won’t establish any records in the segment and that, ironically, the automaker can’t decide which is the correct EPA estimated mpg.

According to one page on Chrysler.com, the 200 sedan equipped with the 173 hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine returns 21/30 mpg city/highway, with both the 4-speed and 6-speed automatic transmissions. This is kind of strange to begin with, as you’d expect the more modern gearbox to have better numbers for the sake of marketing, if nothing else.

In a surprise move, Lancia literally outlined its forthcoming 2012 Ypsilon supermini through an animated New Year's greeting card posted on a special minisite. And if that's not enough news for you, the chalk-like drawings were accompanied by a teaser message that reads, "A new horizon, three new Lancia models".

In what may be a sign of the times, the Chrysler Group is using bloggers, and members of social media sites and forums to promote its newest models on film. Here we see the company's latest promotional clip showing off the restyled and upgraded Sebring sedan, which as most of you know, has been renamed to 200.

The video hosts a number of people from various websites as well as one of its own marketers, and compares the mid-size sedan with Chevrolet's soon-to-be-replaced Malibu (see the official drawings here) and the Ford Fusion. Being a Chrysler made / edited promotional video, we'd take everything said with plenty grains of salt. Follow the break to watch the short clip.

Over the past few weeks, we've shared all the details and shown you a variety of photos of the Chrysler's Sebring replacement which has been reborn as the not-so-new 200 sedan. However, due to Chrysler's dappled photo tactics, many questions remained on the new 200's exterior as well as interior looks. Well, time has come to provide answers to all those questions with the first video of the car, which gives us a complete and unobstructed view of the 200 inside and out.

After you finish watching watch the video below, voice your opinion on Chrysler's refreshed mid size sedan, which will be officially introduced at this week's LA Auto Show, in our comments section.

As a reminder, the 200 will go on sale in December with prices starting from $19,995. Engine choices are limited to a base 2.4-liter I-4 engine producing 173 horsepower and 166 lb.-ft. of torque, and an available new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 delivering 283 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels. The V6 is teamed up to a six-speed automatic transmission, while buyers of the four-cylinder model have the choice of a six- or four-speed automatic transmissions (yes, some things never change...).

We're still waiting for the Chrysler Group to release some decent photo galleries of its newest models - and in particular, of the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 200 - but until then, here are two group shots, one including all of the 2011MY Dodge models such as the Avenger, Charger, Challenger, Durango, Journey and Grand Caravan, and the other, the updated Chrysler 200 sedan and Town & Country.