The museum, located in a standalone building on the southeast corner of the Auburn Hills Complex, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

If you can’t make it to the museum, shop online at www.chryslerheritage.com and click “Featured Merchandise” and then “Shop/Order.” The museum takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, and can ship your order to just about any place in the world.

Here’s our Top-10 list of gifts and a few others, most are included in the picture, for the holiday season.
 
1. HEMI® engine Christmas ornament: $12.95
2. 1:18 model Turbine Car: $34.95
3. HEMI muscle calendar: $13.99
4. 1:32 model 1936 Chrysler Airflow: $5
5.  “The Dodge Brothers” by Charles K. Hyde: $45.95
6. Tire tape dispenser: $18
7. Mopar sweatshirt: $34
8. Viper cap: $17.95
9. Jeep® calendar: $13.99
10. Walter P. Chrysler Museum plush bear: $5.95

Here are a few more items to consider this holiday season:

* 1:24 model Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Dirt Rider: $17.95
* 1:24 model Blue Dodge Viper RT: $11.95
* Mopar Mayhem, 1:64 diecast collectible models: $5 each
* Dodge ladies watch (pink): $40
* Dodge men’s calendar watch: $30
* Tire pen holder: $10.50
* 1:18 model Dodge Challenger Concept Superstock (Ramchargers): $69.95–
* “Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Barracuda” by Peter Grist: $50.25
* Challenger cap: $19

'Year-end Wrap-up' incentives includes all-wheel drive at no cost with the purchaseof a Dodge Charger.

Chrysler Group LLC today announced new incentives that offer consumers the choice of a gift for themselves or some extra cash in their pocket as the holiday season approaches.

“Chrysler Group is happy to kick-off our ‘Year-end Wrap-up’ just in time for the holiday season,” Fred Diaz, President and Chief Executive Office—Ram Brand and Lead Executive for the Sales Organization, said. “We want consumers to come into our showrooms and see what the new C+hrysler Group has to offer. With great vehicles like the award-winning Dodge Ram truck, four vehicles that earned the top-safety pick from IIHS, competitive prices and a variety of incentives, Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Ram offer customers vehicles that are fun to drive, and get the job done.”

Effective today, and valid until Jan. 4, 2010, the following incentives are available on 2010 model year vehicles:

Chrysler Brand consumers purchasing select Chrysler vehicles can choose from:

• 0 percent financing for up to 60 months
• Consumer cash of up to $3,000
• All-wheel drive at no cost with the purchase of a Chrysler 300
• A no-cost DVD system with the purchase of a Chrysler Town & Country minivan
• Attractive financing rates and a no-cost service/maintenance program for three years/36,000 miles

Jeep Brand customers can choose from:

• 0 percent financing for up to 60 months
• Consumer cash of up to $4,000 or
• Attractive financing rates and a no-cost service/maintenance program for three years/36,000 miles.

Dodge Car Brand consumers purchasing select Dodge vehicles can choose from:

• 0 percent financing for up to 60 months
• Consumer cash of up to $2,500 or
• All-wheel drive at no cost with the purchase of a Dodge Charger.

Ram Truck Brand consumers can choose from combinations of attractive financing and/or consumer cash including:

• 0 percent financing for up to 48 months or
• 2.9 percent financing for 60 months or
• Consumer cash of up to $2,500.

Ram also is offering consumers 0 percent financing for up to 72 months or up to $5,500 in consumer cash on most 2009 Dodge Ram trucks.

By now, you are familiar with the Business Plan that Chrysler presented to analysts, media and employees. The presentation outlines significant challenges that must be met in order to realize the plan’s full potential. Therefore, the company has evaluated the business impact of a company-wide summer break in 2010 and established the following:

Manufacturing facilities and support staff will continue with the summer shutdown currently scheduled for the weeks of July 12 and July 19, 2010, except where volume demands dictate continued production. The specific schedule for each plant will be evaluated in the coming weeks and a future announcement will be made.

All other functions will work regularly scheduled times with vacation planning at the discretion of local management.

Please take this schedule into consideration as you develop your 2010 vacation plans and benefit elections, including any vacation buying or selling, during the current open enrollment period.

Please contact your HR business partner with any specific questions about the summer break planning process for your organization.

Regards, Nancy Rae

(Click 2010-US-calendar for a copy of the 2010 Corporate Calendar or you can go to “Calendars & Schedules” in the “Workplace” section under the “Corporate Information” tab of Dashboard.)

“We see management with a huge sense of urgency. We see a huge dedication and commitment, working extremely hard,” Ron Bloom, who heads the Obama administration’s autos task force told Reuters on Tuesday. “It’s an ambitious plan.”

Earlier this month, Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Chrysler would break even on a net basis by 2011 in presenting a long-awaited restructuring plan, the news service said. Fiat’s five-year turnaround plan projects that Chrysler can more than double sales as it rolls out a dozen new models built on Fiat platforms, Reuters said.

The Marchionne plan hinges on the view that Chrysler can recover market share lost as the automaker slid toward bankruptcy and that the U.S. market will gradually recover, the story said. Bloom told the news service that it was likely that an initial public offering of Chrysler shares would come after GM’s IPO and probably not earlier than 2011. (Reuters)

“It’s different now,” Doug Betts, senior vice president in charge of quality at Chrysler, told the News. “People are talking openly about problems now and how to fix (them.)”

In an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Detroit News, Betts said changing Chrysler’s culture to collectively attack quality problems has been as difficult—and essential—as making better cars. Uneven product quality has been Chrysler’s Achilles heel for decades and addressing the problem a top priority under a series of corporate owners and chief executives, the paper said.

Most recently, Cerberus Capital Management LP pledged change and two years ago recruited Betts from Nissan Motor Co. to get it done, but Chrysler ran out of money and ultimately into bankruptcy, the paper said. Today, he says, there is company-wide support for doing what it takes to improve quality and everything from management structures to manufacturing processes has been overhauled, the story said. (The Detroit News)

Peters, who represents Auburn Hills, where Chrysler is headquartered, took issue with the comments made Sunday by McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, who said helping Chrysler and General Motors Co. was a bad political decision, the paper said. While serving as grand marshal of a NASCAR race in Arizona, McCain said, “Anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I’d like to meet them.”

Peters has accepted the offer and sent McCain a letter in which the congressman said he “will meet with you at your convenience to discuss the future of Chrysler and the contribution they make to our nation’s economy,” the News said.

“Better yet, I’d be more than happy to bring you to my district to meet with thousands of Americans who are working hard every day to design new and exciting vehicles and ensure the continued future of the American automobile industry,” Peters wrote. “Hopefully then you might choose to be a partner in the continued success of an industry critically important to our country.” (The Detroit News)

Chrysler’s Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance LLC (GEMA) plant in Dundee makes a family of four-cylinder engines, the smallest being a 1.8 liter, the paper noted. Fiat is looking to build fuel-efficient 1.4-liter four-cylinder engines in North America, one of the agreed-upon criteria when the government approved the partnership of Chrysler and Fiat after the Auburn Hills automaker emerged from bankruptcy. Adding engine production allows Fiat to increase its stake in Chrysler from 20 percent to 25 percent, the News said.

Yesterday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced a state tax credit valued at $4.6 million over 10 years in Dundee as incentive for Chrysler to invest $179 million to add the new engine, the paper said. The move will create 155 Chrysler jobs and another 418 spinoff jobs to make as many as 250,000 engines annually, as well as the production of engine block, head and crank components, the story said.

A Chrysler spokesman told the News that he did not know when Chrysler would make a final decision on where to build the Fiat engine. Approval of the tax credits clears one obstacle to proceeding in Dundee if that is the chosen site, the spokesman told the paper.

“Chrysler Group LLC appreciates the actions of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority in support of the company’s efforts to bring new business and jobs to Michigan. Several steps remain in the process, however, and we look forward to working with state and local officials to make this project a reality,” the company said in a statement. (The Detroit News)

The 2010 Dodge Journey, 2010 Chrysler Sebring (when equipped with available Electronic Stability Control [ESC]), 2010 Dodge Avenger (when equipped with available ESC) and 2010 Jeep® Patriot (with available seat-mounted air bags) were named top safety picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Sebring, Avenger and Journey also were awarded IIHS top safety picks for both the 2009 and 2010 model years. The 2010 Patriot joins the trio in receiving the highest possible rating from the nonprofit research organization.

For the 2010 model year, Chrysler Group products comprised almost 15 percent of the total vehicles awarded top safety pick status by the IIHS to automakers. The award recognizes automobiles with ESC that perform well in the safety group’s front-impact, side-impact, rear-impact and new for 2010, roof-strength evaluations.

“With the addition of the Jeep Patriot, the Chrysler Group has received four top safety picks in the 2010 model year—a great accomplishment for our company,” Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President—Engineering, said. “IIHS’ recognition of our products underscores the Chrysler Group’s engineering capability and leadership in occupant protection.”

The 2010 Patriot, Sebring, Avenger and Journey use a two-fold approach to safety—passive features combined with accident-avoidance features. Available safety and security features on all four vehicles include ESC with traction control, Brake Assist and anti-lock braking system (ABS), driver and front-passenger active head restraints, front seat-mounted side air bags and advanced multi-stage front air bags.

“Chrysler showed the most improvement of any automaker for 2010,” IIHS President Adrian Lund said. “These Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models are part of an elite group that afford the best overall crash protection and have electronic stability control, which can help keep drivers out of crashes altogether.”

The Chrysler Group’s four top safety picks all feature the company’s new active head restraint system for front-seat occupants. This new system aids the head restraints ability to minimize neck injuries caused by rear-impact accidents. In the event of a rear impact, the head restraints deploy to remove the space between the occupants head and the restraint to help minimize whiplash-type injuries.

Here are the top stories from Chrysler Group LLC for the week of Nov. 9. Stories include a glimpse at the new Jeep® commercials, the reveal of the new Dodge Challenger that will race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next year and a look at Dodge Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch’s win last weekend at Texas International Speedway.