By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos

Did you really expect all those Chrysler dealers, who spent loads of dough creating all-new Fiat facilities, to get by with just selling one model, the lone 500 city car? Of course not. So without much surprise, Fiat has formally released images of an all-new 500L—as in “Large”—due for its world debut at next month’s Geneva auto show.

By AutoWeek

OK, here's a first glimpse of the redesigned SRT Viper. The full reveal of Chrysler Corp.'s new sports car is set for the New York auto show in early April.

Chrysler has been coy about the new Viper but has said that it will have stability control. Prototypes spotted last summer included a Bilstein Sport button on the center console.

The next generation Viper is expected to be run in international GT racing, and Chrysler has signed Riley Technologies to analyze the potential.

By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek

If it's possible to have a favorite factory for enthusiasts, the Viper plant in Detroit would definitely rank among the top five. And preparations will soon begin to ready the plant for the relaunch of the SRT Viper in late 2012.

That's right: The famous Dodge supercar will officially be badged the SRT Viper, a move that breaks from the car's 22-year heritage. The car was first seen as a concept at the 1989 Detroit auto show and was a pet project of then-Chrysler president Bob Lutz.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Fiat currently sells versions of the Dodge Journey and Chrysler 200 in Europe as Fiats and Lancias, and we've known for a while that some smaller cars and vans would be headed back in the other direction. We now have confirmation that the first product will revive the name Dart and will be an Alfa Romeo-based compact sold in Canada and the United States.

We've got a couple early teaser photos for you here that show off some real stying ties to the updated Charger, including a 'racetrack' rear light cluster. Dodge says the Dart will come with three engines, including the 1.4-litre turbocharged version of the company's MultiAir four-cylinder engine. Could we finally see a small turbodiesel there too? Might be worth it.

This also will mean the Caliber will finally bite the dust... Few are shedding tears over that call.

Let's just hope that the Dart is a more thorough polish job than the Fiat 500.

By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

Chrysler is taking more than 30 Mopar-modified cars to the 2011 SEMA show, all of which will be sitting in the company's 28,400-square-foot display area. More than 500 Mopar parts will be displayed.

The Mopar “image” vehicles include the Chrysler 300 SF6, the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR, the Dodge Durango Tow Hook, the Fiat Titanium, the Fiat Carbon and the Ram 392 Quick Silver.

Bing: What does MOPAR stand for?

By Luca Ciferri and Bradford Wernle, AutoWeek

The Ram brand will get a commercial van based on the Fiat Ducato large paneled van, supplier sources said at the Frankfurt motor show.

Chrysler plans to build 30,000 a year in Mexico, the sources said. Chrysler already builds Ram heavy-duty pickups in Saltillo, Mexico.

The van will fill a hole in Chrysler Group's commercial vehicle business that was created when the company stopped selling the Dodge Sprinter vans, produced by Mercedes-Benz, after the DaimlerChrysler divorce in 2009.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Canadians love minivans. Maybe its our more practical nature, our lower relative take-home income and our gear-heavy national obsession that means we respect excess cargo capacity. But there has been a huge shift towards large SUVs and taller crossovers as the stigma of minivan moms became too great.

With the latest offerings from Honda, Toyota and now Nissan being better than ever, and the ubiquitous Dodge and Chrysler models getting key updates to become highly competitive, it's almost the golden age of minivans. Even more telling are the 'mini' minivan, led initially by the Mazda5 - and sorta the Kia Rondo - but now facing stiff competition from the upcoming new Chevrolet Orlando and Ford C-Max. 

By Bradford Wernle, AutoWeek

The Chrysler and Lancia brands will be joined at the hip in the coming years. The two brands will sell similar versions of large, mid-sized and compact sedans and possibly a minivan.

Chrysler will be sold predominantly in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland; Lancia will be sold in continental Europe.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Having spent some time behind the wheel of most of Chrysler and Dodge's new and revamped product line, they are for the most part, definite improvements on poor or middling products. Kudos to the engineering and design teams that spent 12 months of solid overtime to get those updates out the door while that whole bankruptcy/Fiat sale thing was going on.

Anyway, Consumer Reports has given its verdict on ChryCo's products. It said that the Durango and Charger were "very good" and that the Town & Country was much improved, but that the remainder were simply "mediocre." 

So what do you think? Have the Chrysler 200 (nee Sebring), Dodge Avenger and Journey, Jeep Compass and Patriot changed enough to consider purchasing one? Are you a current owner who thinks Consumer Reports should get stuffed? Let us know.

By Rhoda Miel, Plastics News for AutoWeek

A few years ago, auto supplier Visteon Corp. graded Chrysler's interiors.

It was simple to understand, a color-coded list, said Ralph Gilles, senior vice president of product design for Chrysler Group LLC -- green for good items, red for bad and yellow for areas of caution.

"The cup holders worked, and that was about it," Gilles said. "They were worried that we were asleep at the wheel."

The Visteon report wasn't really that far off, Gilles admitted during an industry conference May 17 in Dearborn, Mich. Back then, the struggling Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler had put an emphasis on ergonomics above design, materials and fit.

"It was a festival of polypropylene," Gilles said, pointing to Chrysler's past. "You can make plastic look good, but we made plastic look even harder than plastic."