Chrysler Alliance To Build A New Small SUV, The Jeep In Its Mirafiori Factory In Italy

We have more news from the Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC, the field. After the announcement of the new Alfa Romeo 1.8 liter turbo engine, the group said it had completed plans to build a new small SUV, the Jeep model for its Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy.

The company said that the development of infrastructure of Mirafiori production began in 2012, and the production of a new model Jeep child is expected to start the second half of 2013, alongside an updated version of the Alfa Romeo MiTo supermini.

, So that Fiat and Chrysler have declined to give details, Coop cars recently in terms of production of Jeep 2012-2014, pointing to a new model of small Jeep that will sit under a common substitute for the Compass and Patriot . The new Jeep is an SUV segment B / Crossover similar in size to Nissan Juke.

"This is an important step in our plans to re-industrialize the backbone of the Italian manufacturing view of current market trends and increased distribution reach offered by the Chrysler Group," said Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Group and Chrysler .

"This innovative architecture allows us to provide the most current platforms for the development of our brands, and more importantly, allow us to access the full range of engines of both Fiat and Chrysler," said Marchionne.

 

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Toyota to Build Hybrid Drivetrains Outside of Japan in Four Years

Toyota has chosen to focus most of its resources on its hybrid models, and more specifically on the Prius “family” and Lexus lineup, in order to recover from this year’s earthquake and the subsequent, and quite substantial, decrease in global sales due to parts shortages.

Until now, Toyota manufactured all components of hybrid drivetrains, such as battery packs, electric motors and inverters only at its Japanese plants. The recent disaster has shown the vulnerability of the decision to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Therefore, the company has decided to change its policy and manufacture them not only in Japan but also in overseas factories.

“Right now, hybrid component production is too biased toward Japan”, Toyota’s executive vice president in charge of global purchasing, Shinichi Sasaki, told Automotive News. “We have to devise a tactic roughly within a year –that means this may be implemented in three or four years’ time.”

According to Mr. Sasaki, Toyota’s revised plan calls for the production of Toyota and Lexus hybrid components at global production centers that will then ship the parts to assembly plants worldwide. He added that the most likely choices would be Toyota’s North American, Southeast Asia and China plants.

 

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