The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fiat Chrysler

  • Fiat Chrysler chief denies emissions cheating

    Fiat Chrysler chief denies emissions cheating

    Sergio Marchionne has rejected accusations of emissions cheating in the United States a day after officials reached a settlement with Volkswagen.

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Fiat Chrysler used illegal software.

    Fiat Chrysler Chairman Sergio Marchionne said his company has done nothing illegal and that it was not involved in diesel emissions testing fraud.

    Marchionne said US government accusations of cheating against the Italian-American automaker had been “blown out of proportion.”

    He said it would be “sheer speculation” to predict how the incoming Trump administration would handle the matter.

    Fiat Chrysler shares plummeted more than 16 percent in European trading after the EPA issued a notice of violation for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. It said the company had secretly installed software in diesel engines in 2014 to 2016 model year vehicles to circumvent emissions testing.

    The charges cover about 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 trucks, all with 3-liter diesel engines. The EPA said it was working in coordination with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which also took similar action.

    “Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle’s engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe,” said Cynthia Giles, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance.

    Cheating software works by detecting when a vehicle is undergoing laboratory testing. It puts the engine into a low-emissions state that produces unrealistically low pollution levels compared to those emitted during normal driving.

    The accusation comes one day after German carmaker Volkswagen admitted guilt and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil settlements to the US government over a similar scheme.

  • Fiat Chrysler chief denies emissions cheating

    Fiat Chrysler chief denies emissions cheating

    Sergio Marchionne has rejected accusations of emissions cheating in the United States a day after officials reached a settlement with Volkswagen.
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Fiat Chrysler used illegal software.
    Fiat Chrysler Chairman Sergio Marchionne said his company has done nothing illegal and that it was not involved in diesel emissions testing fraud.
    Marchionne said US government accusations of cheating against the Italian-American automaker had been “blown out of proportion.”
    He said it would be “sheer speculation” to predict how the incoming Trump administration would handle the matter.
    Fiat Chrysler shares plummeted more than 16 percent in European trading after the EPA issued a notice of violation for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. It said the company had secretly installed software in diesel engines in 2014 to 2016 model year vehicles to circumvent emissions testing.
    The charges cover about 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 trucks, all with 3-liter diesel engines. The EPA said it was working in coordination with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which also took similar action.
    “Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle’s engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe,” said Cynthia Giles, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance.
    Cheating software works by detecting when a vehicle is undergoing laboratory testing. It puts the engine into a low-emissions state that produces unrealistically low pollution levels compared to those emitted during normal driving.
    The accusation comes one day after German carmaker Volkswagen admitted guilt and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil settlements to the US government over a similar scheme.

  • Trump praises Ford, Fiat Chrysler for U.S. investments

    Trump praises Ford, Fiat Chrysler for U.S. investments

    United State President-elect, Donald Trump has praised Ford Motor Co ( F.N) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCAU.N) on Monday for announcing new investments in the United States after he made U.S. auto production a key part of his campaign.

    Ford announced last week it would abandon plans to build a 1.6 billion dollars plant in Mexico and would invest 700 million dollars in a Michigan plant over four years.

    Meanwhile, Fiat Chrysler said Sunday it would invest one billion dollars and add 2,000 jobs at plants in Ohio and Michigan to build new SUVs and pickup trucks.

    Both companies have said they made the decision for business reasons and not because of pressure from Trump but praised Trump for seeking to improve the climate for businesses to operate in the United States.

    Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has repeatedly singled out companies in the auto sector and other industries for not doing more to keep jobs in the United States.

    He also criticised Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) last week for shifting production of its Corolla from Canada to Mexico.

    The company has said there is no impact on US employment as a result of the

    change.

    “It is finally happening – Fiat Chrysler just announced plans to invest $1BILLION in Michigan and Ohio plants, adding 2000 jobs,” Trump said in a tweet.

    In a follow-up tweet, he added: “Ford said last week that it will expand in Michigan and US instead of building a BILLION dollar plant in Mexico. Thank you Ford & Fiat Chrysler).”

     

  • UAW leaders send Fiat Chrysler pact to workers for vote

    United Auto Workers’ leaders has approved a tentative four-year contract with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI) (FCAU.N), sending the proposed pact to 40,000 workers for a ratification vote. The move followed Fiat Chrysler workers’ rejection last week of a previous tentative contract. A new tentative agreement was reached last Wednesday night, averting a call by the UAW to have its members strike Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. operations.

    Several hundred of the UAW’s local leaders from its branches, mainly in the U.S. Midwest, met in Detroit to take the formal step to send the contract on to a worker vote.

    The new deal would reshape the way in which UAW workers at Fiat Chrysler are paid, gradually eliminating the contentious two-tier pay structure. However, it will take eight years from hiring to top pay rather than a shorter period for UAW workers prior to the 2007 creation of the two-tier structure when all three Detroit automakers were struggling financially.

    The deal is richer for second-tier workers than the one rejected by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in that it raises the top pay for newer second-tier workers to about $29 from about $19 currently, and from the top pay of $25 proposed in the rejected contract.

  • Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.7m Ram trucks

    Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling about 1.7 million Ram pickups.

    According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the company is recalling recent-model trucks to check or repair wiring harnesses, steering components and airbags.

    The recalls affect the Ram 1500 as well as larger trucks.

    Three separate recalls were issued, the largest of which involves around 1.1 million pickups sold in North America, according to the report. The recalled trucks could have a wiring harness in the steering wheel that wears out, causing the truck’s airbag to go off.

    The wiring issue affects 2012-2014 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups and 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs, according to the report.

    FCA has said they’re aware of two injuries caused by the issue.

    About 190,337 Ram heavy-duty trucks were recalled for steering component issues. That recall affects 2013 Ram pickups, 2014 Ram 2500/3500 pickups and 3500 Chassis Cabs.

    The third recall is for 2014 and 2015 Ram 1500 Quad Cab pickups to check the side-curtain airbags.

    Repairs to recalled vehicles will not cost the owners.