Good news from Chrysler and GM

From Chrysler:

Chrysler Group LLC Reports Financial Results for the Period Ended March 31, 2010

Auburn Hills, Mich., Apr 21, 2010 - Chrysler Group LLC today announced its Financial Results for the period ended March 31, 2010... including a first quarter operating profit of $143 million.

Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler Group LLC stated, “This positive operating result in the first quarter is a concrete indication to our customers, dealers and suppliers that the 2010 targets we have set for ourselves are achievable. We are also generating cash to finance the investments being made in our product portfolio and brand repositioning,” said Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer, Chrysler Group LLC. “There has already been an uptick in customer traffic in our dealerships in Q1 and we are confident that Chrysler sales will continue to increase as we launch new products in the second quarter, beginning with the all-new 2011 Jeep® Grand Cherokee. Moreover, later this year, Chrysler will launch 16 all-new or refreshed products including the all-new Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, E-CUV, the iconic Fiat 500, and the Sebring replacement.”

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About General Motors... from Reuters

DETROIT, April 20 (Reuters) - General Motors Co [GM.UL] has completed repayments totaling $5.8 billion to the U.S. and Canadian governments for loans that helped fund the U.S. automaker's bailout last year, the company said on Tuesday.

GM, which emerged from bankruptcy in July 2009, had pledged two weeks ago to repay the balance of loans from the U.S. Treasury and Export Development Canada "in full by June at the latest."

"Our ability to pay back these loans less than a year after emerging from bankruptcy is a sign that our plan for building a new GM is working," GM Chief Executive Ed Whitacre said on Tuesday in an opinion piece posted on the Wall Street Journal website.

The loans had outstanding balances of about $4.7 billion to the United States and $1.1 billion to Canada after accounting for exchange rates. (more at the link above).

Chrysler announces production start at 7 North American assembly plants, including Brampton and Windsor

Auburn Hills, Mich., Jun 17, 2009 - One week after finalizing its global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, Chrysler Group LLC announced today that it will resume volume production of vehicles with the start up of seven of its North American assembly plants the week of June 29, 2009.

As part of a phased production ramp-up, the following assembly plants are scheduled to resume production at the end of the month:

Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (Sterling Heights, MI) – Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger
Warren Truck Assembly Plant (Warren, MI) – Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota
St. Louis North Assembly Plant (Fenton, MO) – Dodge Ram
Toledo Supplier Park (Toledo, OH) – Jeep® Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Brampton Assembly Plant (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) – Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger
Windsor Assembly Plant (Windsor, Ontario, Canada ) – Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan
Toluca Assembly Plant (Toluca, Mexico) – Dodge Journey and Chrysler PT Cruiser

Chrysler Group’s Powertrain and Stamping facilities that supply these assembly plants will also be operating. Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, which builds the Dodge Viper, resumed production on June 15.

All Chrysler Group plants will be closed during a previously announced two-week Summer Break the weeks of July 13 and 20.

Re-start of production at other Chrysler Group assembly plants will be announced at a later date.

AUTO INDUSTRY NEWS: CAW Ratifies Contract With Chrysler

The Canadian Auto Workers union has ratified a new contract with Chrysler. Here's Chrysler's statement from Al Iacobelli, Chief Bargainer and Vice President - Employee Relations:

"We are pleased that the men and women of the CAW have voted to ratify this contract. We know that these are unprecedented times within the automotive industry and we have the utmost respect for the Canadian represented employees. We appreciate the hard work and dedication that they bring to the job each day."

From Chrysler

Thinking about replacing your vehicle? Here's a Unique opportunity...

About a week ago, I received an email from my friend Sean Gibbs. You may know him as the flagman for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Sean's 'day job' is selling cars at Unique Chrysler in Burlington, Ontario.

To make a long story short, Sean periodically gives some of his personal contacts a 'heads up' on special offers at Unique. My old car was in need of timing belt and had recently started making some new and 'interesting' sounds.

So, rather than spend money fixing it... the cost of several months' car payments, no doubt... I went out to to see Sean at Unique and within the course of a few days, purchased a shiny black Dodge Nitro from Sean (and got a fair deal on my trade-in).

MOPAR and Chrysler do a lot to support my business and Canadian motorsports. Sean is a good guy and I was glad to support him. And has there ever been a better time to buy a new or gently-used vehicle? I still can't believe the deal I got.

Unique is having a special event on Saturday (March 21). They're making no bones about the fact that they've got a lot of vehicles and they're motivated to move them. Take a look at their flyer below and drop Sean an email if you're in the market for a new vehicle and have any questions about what he can offer. You can also call him at 905-631-8100 ext 253.