Car Moon

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.

Is there room in the U.S. market for an another retro-style muscle car? According to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's chief designer and boss of the Dodge brand, the answer to that question is yes. At last week's SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, Gilles told show-goers at the Mopar stand that he is "seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda."

"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles. Speaking with reporters he added that "the customers have (been) stomping their feet for it."

Being that the Plymouth brand was phased out from the Chrysler Group's portfolio back in 2001, if the 'Cuda were to be revived, it would probably be marketed under the Chrysler brand. And like the original 1970s model, it would be based off the current Dodge Challenger.

Here's one way to make Chrysler's Concorde sedan stand out from the crowd; turn it into a "business in the front, party in the back" style pickup truck. While the styling may not be to everyone's taste, it's a unique creation and judging by the photos, the execution appears to be decent, to say the least. Check out the rest of the photos after the break.

A unique 1953 Chrysler "Thomas Special" coupe with coachwork by Ghia, far bettered its pre-sale estimate of $350,000 to $500,000 bringing a top bid of $858,000 at this past weekend's RM Auctions Vintage Cars of Meadow Brook sale in Michigan.

One of Chrysler's first "Idea Cars" of the 1950s, the dazzling coupe was designed by Virgil Exner and crafted by famed Italian coachbuilder and stylist, Ghia. Only six of these vehicles were produced for Chrysler, while Ghia built another 12 examples for themselves.

Now that their limited production Maybach 57S Coupe (see here) has made the rounds, here are some of the other proposals from Xenatec. Since the company's specialty is chassis modification (and the necessary body work thereafter), they've got some ideas for a lengthened (and shortened) "dream cars".

Have a look at the gallery below and see what tickles your fancy. The SUV limos are a bit much, but the rag-top conversions don't look too bad (especially the CLS and 300).

According to a news report from the Detroit Free Press, Chrysler's super-refreshed Sebring replacement will be called the Nassau, after executives decided the Sebring name has been "tarnished". More like utterly destroyed.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Nassau name, it's derived from a few previous Chrysler concepts (most recently the 2007 Nassau 4-door coupe/wagon concept) and the location where Bond won his Aston martin DB5 in a poker game.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne explained one reason for the name switch, referencing Chrysler's poor image/entry in the mid-size segment: "If you look at the Sebring and benchmark it against the competition, it's not where it needs to be." Hopefully a redesign and a new identity will help out.

With the glitzy Chrysler Thunderbolt taking the spotlight at the at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show, we seriously doubt that anyone even vaguely remembers the company's second concept car at Motown, the 300C sedan. Important or not, fact is that the 300C prototype model is up for grabs at Volocars.

The one-of-a-kind concept features a customized interior and exterior, as well as a glass panoramic roof with electric sun shade with the seller claiming that it cost $145,000 to build. The documented prototype, which has covered only 350 miles, is priced at $25,998. Comprehensive gallery after the jump.

Talk about a crappy representation of a thinning yet still major player in the U.S. automotive scene like Chrysler and its Dodge and Jeep brands. Not only did Fiat Group's bosses decide to skip a press conference at the 2010 NAIAS in Detroit but they didn't even bother -at least until the time that this post was written- to issue a press release on the Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta that was displayed at the firm's booth...

Not to pat ourselves in back, but our photoshop of the "Chrysler Delta" that we showed back in December was spot on as we correctly predicted the shape and more importantly, the styling of the chrome grille.

We did however overestimate the Fiat Group's rebadging capabilities as the unnamed Detroit Show car retained the Italian model's alloy wheels - we'll keep that in mind for next time.

There's no official word on the group's North American plans for the 4,522mm-long (177.9-inches or about the same size as the VW Jetta) hatchback, but we would like to hear your thoughts on the matter and in particular, if the Delta's styling would appeal to American consumers. Have your say in the comment section below.

Lancia Delta Hatchback

Can't say that were fans of "badge engineering" especially when it comes to brands with a completely different mind-set and background, but like it or not, chances are that Fiat's tie up with Chrysler will most likely give birth to at least a couple of vehicles that will only differ in grilles and badges. The U.S. automaker's recently revealed five-year product plan hints at a few cars of this sort, but photoshop wiz, Theophilus Chin, took it upon himself to create a trio of 'Chrysler-ized' Lancias and vice-versa.

To the surprise of no one, cash-strapped Chrysler LLC won't be performing any global premieres at next week's Geneva Motor Show. Instead, the American automaker will showcase its electric vehicle future (that is, if it makes it through the economic crisis) with the European premieres of the Chrysler 200C EV concept vehicle and Dodge Circuit EV prototype, both of which made their debut at January's Detroit Auto Show.

The stylishly-penned Chrysler 200C EV mid-size sedan concept comes equipped the firm's ENVI electric-drive system that combines a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator. According to Chrysler, the rear-wheel drive 200C has 64 kilometers (40 miles) of all-electric range, and a total-driving range of 644-kilometer (400-mile).

The Lotus Elise-based Dodge Circuit EV is a sport proposition that boasts a range of 241 to 322 kilometers (150 to 200 miles) with zero gasoline consumption and zero tailpipe emissions.

True, as many of our readers cleverly pointed out, Chrysler's surprise concept at this year's Detroit Show, certainly does bear a resemblance (or two...) up front with the Opel Insignia. But to tell you the truth, in our books, Chrysler's designers did a wonderful job with the 200C EV, creating a dynamically styled and well proportioned rear-wheel drive sport sedan. If the firm manages to make it through these difficult times, we hope that the 200C will find its way into production. Hit the jump to watch four videos of the concept that include the Detroit Show presentation, driving and static footage as well as interviews with car's designers.

Seeing Chrysler's all-new 200C mid-size sedan concept, it makes you wonder how different things would have been for the brand if it had presented a car like this as the Sebring's replacement. Blending the classic, rear-wheel drive design proportions and low roof line / high beltline of the Chrysler 300 with modern styling elements, the 200C is a beautifully penned sedan. Usually we find official statements as being boring and unreal, but we fully agree with Chrysler when it says that the 200C is "a modern product statement that appeals to both luxury and sports car enthusiasts."