The Grand Cherokee is Chrysler's key (and only all-new) vehicle launch this year and it showed confidence in the SUV by already announcing the second shift to boost capacity. The Grand Cherokee is due on sale in June.
2010 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Limited
BASE PRICE: $27,850 for LX; $29,210 for Touring; $32,710 for Limited.
AS TESTED: $37,335.
TYPE: Front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-passenger, small, hard-top convertible.
ENGINE: 3.5-liter, single overhead cam V-6.
MILEAGE: 16 mpg (city), 27 mpg (highway).
TOP SPEED: NA.
LENGTH: 193.8 inches.
WHEELBASE: 108.9 inches.
CURB WEIGHT: 3,959 pounds.
BUILT AT: Sterling Heights, Mich.
OPTIONS: Power retractable hard top $1,995; upgraded radio package (includes 30-gigabyte hard drive, navigation system, U-Connect communications system, automatic-dimming inside mirror and free, one-year Sirius radio service) $1,200; electronic stability control $425; Inferno Red exterior paint $225; engine block heater $40.
DESTINATION CHARGE: $740.
Chrysler's Sebring convertible, with rear seats that can accommodate two adults and a generous trunk, languished in recent years as its manufacturer went bankrupt and was sold.
But the Sebring is still around, with nicer front styling for 2010 and other minor revisions such as a new instrument cluster and anti-whiplash front-seat head restraints.
In fact, the Sebring convertible and Sebring sedan posted impressive, triple-digit sales gains in the first four months of this year compared with the 2009 period.
The Sebring was supposed to be phased out this year. But Chrysler — now owned by the federal government and Italian carmaker Fiat — is reportedly sprucing up the car for 2011.
Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $28,590 for a 2010 Sebring soft-top model with 173horsepower, four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission.
The starting retail price for a 2010 Sebring convertible with power retractable hard top is $35,445. This includes 235-horsepower V-6 and automatic transmission.
Note that it is unusual for a four-seat convertible to offer a choice of roofs.
The competing, four-seat, 2010 Volkswagen Eos, which comes standard with power retractable hard top, has a starting retail price of $33,140 with 200-horsepower, turbocharged four cylinder and manual transmission.
A 2010 Eos with automatic has a starting retail price of $34,240.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a Web site posting today it is looking into the pedals made by CTS Corp. for Chrysler’s 2007 model year Dodge Caliber, which includes about 161,000 vehicles. The agency said it received five complaints by consumers saying the pedals stuck while they were driving their vehicles.
“The company’s initial examination of customer complaints finds they are limited to a small group of vehicles built during a five week window in March and April of 2006,” Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said in an e-mailed statement. “It appears to be a supplier manufacturing concern, which is mechanical in nature and not a design or electronic issue.”
About 10,000 vehicles out of the 2007 model year were made with the batch of pedals containing the mechanical defect, Cappa said in an interview. The vehicles have brake-override technology, which is intended to stop a car if both the accelerator and brake are applied.
