This Day in Auto History:

9.3.1892 Theodore V. Houser, a Sears, Roebuck & Company executive 1928-1958 who was responsible for the Allstate marque, a badge-engineered Henry J, is born in Kansas City, MO 9.3.1903 Danish automobile pioneer Albert Hammel dies at age 68 9.3.1925 Chrysler Corporation purchases the American Motor Body Company of Detroit, MI to eliminate body shortages on the assembly line 9.3.1936 Reo officially leaves the automobile business and turns exclusively to the manufacture of motor trucks 9.3.1946 Cisitalia makes its racing debut at the Coppa Brezzi, the first post-World II closed circuit race in Italy - Piero Dusio wins driving the D.46 1100-cc monoposto of his own design

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick

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1997 DODGE VIPER GTS COUPE

1997 Dodge Viper GTS. 2 Door Coupe, LIGHT left side/right rear damage, Lot Drives. Exterior: Red, Interior: Black Leather, Mileage: 11,114 Transmission: 6 Speed Manual, Engine: 8L 10-Cylinder Warranty:As Is - No Warranty Title:Salvage. Stock#:1889 VIN: 1B3ER69E8VV300720Price: $23,500

Price: $23,500.

Kuwait to Take Delivery of 150 Dodge Charger Police Cars

<http://www.theautochannel.com/F/news/2008/09/03/098432.html>

Autochannel (press release) - USA
Selection of the 2008 Dodge Chargers was a natural choice; Charger is the number one volume vehicle for Chrysler LLC in the Middle East. ...

Chrysler cuts 300 hourly jobs at Saltillo plant

Chrysler LLC (Chrysler), a United States-based automaker, is reducing 300 of its 1700 hourly positions at its truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico, effective September 12,2008, according to Automotive News.

2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Road Test

Call it a retro wagon, a tall-bodied hatchback or even a ‘30s style “sedan” as Chrysler

It's now a classic (sort of). (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

does, no matter what descriptor it goes by, the PT Cruiser is nothing less than distinct. The pointed nose, prominent fenders and sloping backside helped to make it one of this decade's most iconic designs, not to mention a polarizing one. People either love the PT Cruiser, or they hate it - there's no middle ground.

I certainly can't call it nostalgia (I'm not old enough), but seeing a PT Cruiser like this one, painted in glittering bright Surf Blue Pearlcoat, with its shiny chromed 17-inch wheels, I feel kind of warm inside. It somehow manages to convey a sense of California; it would look perfectly at home on a beach with a pair of surfboards on top. From some angles, particularly from the front, it also harks back to Plymouth's Prowler roadster, a modern-day retro hot-rod. Squint and you can see it in the grille, and the headlamps.

Perhaps I'm the only one that thinks of the PT in this light. The arrival of the Chevrolet's PT-lookalike has certainly taken away some of Chrysler's exclusivity in the compact retro car segment,

Limited trim level means leather and plenty of toys. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

though the passing of eight years since its arrival have no doubt dull some peoples' reactions to it. Still, there's one aspect to the design that customers haven't grown tired of - its practicality.

Open up the PT's tailgate and you'll find a rather tall cargo bay with a fairly deep well, allowing tall, bulky and otherwise awkward objects to be carried with ease. A removable, adjustable plastic parcel shelf doubles as a tonneau cover, keeping objects out of site, as well as a second loading floor for stowing more stuff or just keeping things separated. Cargo capacity behind the rear seats totals 21.6 cubic feet, which is a little bit less than the 23.7 cu ft offered in the HHR. Keep in mind that the PT Cruiser is over seven inches shorter than an HHR, which should give you an idea of how well Chrysler's designers optimized the body for practicality.

2009 Volkswagen Routan: Hop on the bus: VW taps Chrysler, and the Routan is no microbus

The problem with the 2009 Volkswagen Routan isn't so much what it is as what it's not. What it is is VW's restyled version of the newest-generation ...Full Article @ Autoweek - Vehicle Reviews

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2009 Chrysler Loaded With Gentex Features

CNN- MONEYLINE - Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX), the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry, has announced that it is supplying exterior and interior auto-dimming mirrors with advanced electronic features for the 2009 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which is sold in North America.

The 2009 minivan will offer Gentex's SmartBeam® Headlamp Assist technology as a stand-alone option. SmartBeam uses a custom, miniature, camera-on-a-chip manufactured by Gentex that is combined with algorithmic decision making to automatically turn a vehicle's high-beams on and off according to surrounding traffic conditions. The system is designed to maximize a vehicle's forward lighting and to eliminate the repetitive and sometimes burdensome task of turning the high beams on and off.

A base feature Gentex interior auto-dimming mirror is standard equipment on the Limited trim level and is available with a built-in microphone for the optional UConnect® Hands-Free Communication System on both the Touring and Limited versions.

An exterior driver's-side auto-dimming mirror with a side blind-zone indicator comes standard on the Limited and is available on the Touring trim level as part of a Security Group package. The side blind-zone indicator alerts drivers when a vehicle is traveling in their blind spot by using alternating radar beams (provided by a supplier designated by the auto manufacturer) to sweep adjacent lanes of traffic. The information is relayed to a module located in the driver's side mirror. The module illuminates a symbol displayed prominently in the mirror.

Gentex auto-dimming mirrors darken automatically in response to the headlamp glare of rearward-approaching vehicles.

"This is the first SmartBeam program for the minivan class of vehicles and we are pleased that Chrysler has recognized its value for drivers," said Gentex Senior Vice President Enoch Jen. "With interior and exterior auto-dimming mirrors, microphones, side blind-zone detection, as well as other additional safety and comfort features, the 2009 Town & Country offers the most current technology available today."