Paul Sherry Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513604577140440852581080.html

By JEFF BENNETT

Auto makers capped 2011 with a strong December and forecast the recovery in U.S. sales would intensify as long as a stabilizing economy and improved U.S. job gains continue to encourage shoppers.

Detroit auto makers reported increases in vehicle sales for December, with Chrysler Group LLC posting a 37% rise, Ford Motor Co. citing a 10% gain and General Motors Co. reporting a 4.6% increase. For the full year, Chrysler's sales rose 26%, Ford's 11% and GM's 13%.

All told, auto makers sold 1…

Within this article you see compiled reviews on how reliability is viewed for many all the cars brand with the highs and lows distinguished.  Consumer Reports, who is active in almost every industry, does a very complete look at the car industry for the past years models.  I would wonder how "reliability" is measured.  Is it in terms of repairs or maintenance needed? Or is it a personal feeling of how dependable the car is?  If the rating is an opinion, I think the overall brand image before/during/after the purchase has a lot to do with how the car is measured.  The article does mention part of the rating comes from readers "reported problems" with the cars, but that seems pretty vague.

How important is this rating?
Reliability is an obvious point in the car buying decision, but how much would this type of ranking sway you?  I would say that a very high reliability rating would help me get over the indecision I had about a car purchase but not necessarily convince me to start looking at a car I was not in the first place.  Then again, a low rating in reliability would raise a lot of red flags and would make it very difficult for me to convince myself to buy that car and take that chance.  So I guess how car manufacturers may look at this type of rating is being content with being average or better, or a big wakeup call that this car is not looking good to the public.

Why a company makes a turnaround?
Unfortunately I sometimes think that a company (whether it be cars or anything else) may try and get away with cutting corners and losing quality in an effort to cut costs.  And this may have been happening before when car companies could sell anything they wanted because of the name on the car and the brand they have built.  But post-recession I think the car companies that got burned with these efforts have accepted their mistakes and now focus more on quality.  The article talks about how Chrysler was able to move Jeep up to 13th overall, making it the highest ranked Detroit made car.  But then again, Ford dropped ten spots to number 20 with its poor reviews given recently by their owners.  Companies make mistakes just like the rest of us, but it's up to them to respond with a better effort or give up and move aside.

Automakers seem to have missed the news that the nation was still suffering from a recession last month, as new-car sales continued to swell, with some brands posting record numbers. Concurrently, incentives on some vehicles are becoming slimmer and in many cases nonexistent, particularly among smaller and more fuel-efficient models that continue to be in demand among fuel-price-sensitive shoppers.

This month weâ??re seeing the first real round of model-year 2012 sales incentives, particularly on larger cars and SUVs that have fallen off many consumersâ?? shopping lists. Even better bargains can be found on closeout 2011 models that sit like ticking time bombs on dealer lots racking up financing costs while current model-year rides usurp their positions on showroom floors. As an example, the richest incentive we could find this month was a $10,000 additional dealer discount on the limited production 2011 BMW Alpina B7, which is the ultimate expression of the full-size 7 Series luxury sedan at a whopping $128,900.

Normally we wouldnâ??t necessarily recommend choosing one of what are now last yearâ??s models to save an extra thousand dollars or two, especially since they would be subject to an additional yearâ??s depreciation. But residual/used-car values have skyrocketed in recent years, which flatten out the depreciation curve considerably and make these year-end closeouts better deals. According to Kelley Blue Book, given a shrinking supply of used models in recent years from slow new-car sales and other factors, the average price of a pre-owned vehicle has risen from $15,000 in 2008 to more than $23,000 in 2011, which amounts to an increase of 15.8 percent per year.

With incentives tending to be the richest on larger and more practically minded vehicles this month, and with football season in full swing, weâ??re focusing on models that are not only offering the deepest discounts but also happen to be best suited for tailgating. These include models featuring direct-to-consumer cash rebates, discounted financing promotions and so-called marketing-support incentives, which we call additional dealer discounts. Typically favored by luxury automakers, the latter are cash allowances given to dealers to lower the prices on select models without seeming to cheapen the brand by offering cash rebates. The only catch is that a dealer may or may not automatically pass them on without some hard-nosed negotiations.

And just to prove that you can park a suitable tailgating vehicle thatâ??s small enough to leave enough room in the allotted slot for a table and chairs, we include the diminutive and fuel-efficient Suzuki SX4 Crossover hatchback.

Read on for the 6 new car deals that can help make even a losing season enjoyable.

The Fine Print: Additional incentives may apply, such as those often offered to recent college graduates and members of the military and/or owners or lessees trading in same-brand or competing models. Offers may vary by region and are subject to subsequent modification or termination by the manufacturer; cited financing rates are typically open only to qualified buyers with top credit ratings and may vary based on eligibility. And no matter how great a rebate deal you may be offered, keep in mind that the final transaction price is always open to negotiation. We expect dealer discounts on any of these vehicles will be substantial for hard-nosed hagglers.

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/best-new-car-deals-for-october.html

*Bold design of award-winning Chrysler 300 inspires owners to create videos showcasing their customized vehicles *Louisville, Ky., woman wins contest and trip to Los Angeles to have her vehicle displayed at Los Angeles International Auto Show in November

Auburn Hills, Mich. â?? In addition to marking the return of the "Great American Car" when it was first introduced, and earning the distinction of being the most-awarded new car in automotive history*, the Chrysler 300 also proved to be a canvas for owners to express their passion and style through customization.

To capture and share this creativity, the Chrysler brand encouraged owners to "Spin it Your Way" by creating and uploading a short video to the Chrysler 300 YouTube channel. Each video showed how owners brought out their individuality by customizing their Chrysler 300.

The public voted for their favorite video and Lisa Marie Varon of Louisville, Ky., was named the "Spin it Your Way" contest winner, earning a trip for two to Los Angeles to see her customized Chrysler 300 displayed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November 2008. Varon's video shows the transformation of her 2006 Chrysler 300C into her fun and aggressive "Black Widow." The vehicle is customized with 24-inch rims, air suspension, indoor/outdoor lighting kits, 7-inch visor and headrest video screens, Lambeau doors and a whole lot more.

"We have found from our owners like Lisa that the Chrysler 300 is not just a sedan, it's a passion, an expression of emotion captured in bold design that empowers and engages them to show their individuality," said Ralph Gilles, Vice President â?? Jeep® Truck and Advance Interior Design, Chrysler LLC and lead designer of the 300. "â??Spin it Your Way' was an interactive opportunity for owners to show how they put their own signature on the Chrysler 300 and to share their creativity with a wide audience."

More than 317,000 people visited the Chrysler 300 channel where they watched the owner-testimonial videos nearly 1.7 million times and voted on the top 25 entries from passionate Chrysler 300 owners nationwide.

About Contest

Chrysler launched the "Spin it Your Way" contest on Jan. 1 at www.youtube.com/chrysler300. Consumers were encouraged to upload videos of their customized Chrysler 300 by Feb. 14 --not exceeding 2 minutes in length â?? and provide information including the make, model and year of the vehicle plus an explanation of how their vehicle was customized. The YouTube community voted for their favorite video from Feb.15-March 6. Public online voting plus scoring by Chrysler judges â?? based on the criteria of originality/creativity, feasibility/functionality and the entrant's demonstration of passion captured in their customized vehicle â?? determined the grand prize winner.

About Chrysler 300

Loaded with premium features, stunning Chrysler design, fuel-saving Multi-displacement System technology and abundant standard safety features, the 2008 Chrysler 300 makes everything else on the road seem ordinary. The dramatic exterior design of the award-winning Chrysler 300, along with sophisticated interior amenities and technologies, establish a new large-car formula not easily copied. Learn more about the Chrysler 300 at www.chrysler.com.

• Based on automotive awards won within initial year of model introduction.

As I scan the car company's websites over the last month or so you can't help but notice the news they are projecting on us that they are seeing "record sales" or other drastic increases in sales numbers from this same time a year ago.  It would be hard to convince us that the success is from a drastically improved economy, because of the still depressed economy we see still.  But instead I have to credit the car dealers and manufactures on these successes because of how they are marketing and designing their cars around what people want.

Welcome to our new blog here at Paul Sherry Chrysler Dodge Jeep & RV's!