As part of a plan to end duplication in dealer showrooms, Chrysler Group will offer only one minivan in the future. The Dodge Caravan will be replaced by the Chrysler Town & Country. The Dodge Avenger midsize will be replaced by a crossover in 2013. Chrysler and Dodge subcompacts will not be offered in the future. Four Chrysler Group brands will be consolidated under the same dealer, eliminating almost all dealerships with fewer brands.
The quality of medium-duty trucks has improved considerably during the past five years, but overall customer satisfaction has declined during the same period, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction StudySM. With a score of 807, Hino ranks highest in customer satisfaction within the conventional truck segment for a second consecutive year. Freightliner (762) and Ford (757) follow in the product index rankings.
National Private Truck Council and Instructional Technologies, Inc. have plans to launch a new interactive training curriculum for transportation managers called Private Fleet Management Online which contains a comprehensive resource guide to private fleet management. The training focuses on finance, fleet operational management, safety, security, compliance, human resources and workforce development, and equipment and maintenance strategies. The training will launch in the second quarter of 2012.
Auto industry officials say the Environmental Protection Agency is discouraging the industry from using Start-Stop, a technology that can briefly shut down a vehicle's engine instead of wasting gas by idling. The Feds say the fuel economy test cycle results make it difficult to justify the added cost of about $300 - $500 per vehicle. Some makers have decided not to wait for the EPA to act and plan to introduce the technology to the American market.
TrueCar has completed its acquisition of auto leasing expert ALG, which will operate as an independent subsidiary and continue to be headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif. Larry Dominique comes from Nissan North America and is joining TrueCar as executive vice president of the data solutions group.