Chrysler has created a “From Where I Sit Contest” to influence the design of a Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep® brand “Image Vehicle” to be introduced at next year’s SEMA show, and a chance to win $5,000. To enter, create an original video 2 minutes in length or shorter detailing “your favorite place, space, or thing” and submit on YouTube no later than June 23, 2008 11:59PM ET. Use this question to help guide your idea: "What place, space, or thing most inspires me; and how can it enhance an existing Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep® product feature, or inspire a new one?"Program rules | Send your entry

The Hemi Reunion will take place in Salem, Ohio, August 22-24. This is an invitational event featuring Hemi race cars, restorations, and history. For details, see their site at http://www.allhemireunion.com/.

According to this year's Harbour Report, Chrysler has the most efficient assembly plant in North America and is tied with Toyota as the most productive vehicle manufacturer. The "most efficient" plant is the Toledo South factory which produced Jeep Wranglers, taking just 13.6 labor hours per vehicle. The Jeep plant is helped by numerous nearby suppliers, including Magna Steyr, which runs the paint shop; Hyundai Mobis, which is responsible for chassis assemblies; and Kuka Group, which runs the body shop. This may influence the findings.

Chrysler's Jeep brand managed to fall to the very bottom of the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, which, covering just the first 90 days of ownership, has been criticized as capturing dealer preparation as much as quality. Generally, the number of recorded incidents fell. Luxury brands, which tend to have better inspections of new cars, dominated the top places, with Toyota (#5) the only mass-market brand in the top five; Toyota and Mercedes both had 104 reported problems per 100 vehicles. Infiniti was the second best brand, and Lexus, one problem per hundred cars away from Infinity, was #3. Asian manufacturers fell on both sides of the industry average, with Acura, Kia, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki all falling below the average. Companies specializing in four wheel drive vehicles were all below average, with Jeep at 167 problems per vehicle, Land Rover at 161, and Hummer at 132. German brands were distributed across the map, with Mercedes doing well, but BMW, Volkswagen, and Mini all below the average; Mini actually was the second lowest rated brand with 163 problems per 100 vehicles. (smart was not included due to a lack of vehicles in the study.)Dodge beat Chrysler, but neither fared well, with 141 and 142 defects per 100 vehicles, respectively; perhaps reflecting morale issues as Chrysler has been slashing costs and uncertainty about the future has been shown in national media. Dodge and Chrysler did come out ahead of Mitsubishi, Saab, Suzuki, Saturn, Land Rover, Mini, and Jeep, but were far below Chevrolet and Pontiac, let alone Toyota and Honda. The long term study will be of some interest; in the meantime, Chrysler would be well advised to work on its dealer preparation techniques and its own factory inspections.

The Jeep Patriot has made a splash in Europe, with pricing starting at £15,995 and diesel-powered gas mileage of 42.2mpg, but Jeep is hoping to attract more buyers with new accessories including a chrome grille, sport suspension, big 20 inch wheels, and "body kits." Some of these, featuring Startech cosmetic add-ons, are packaged as an SE Exterior pack selling for just under a thousand pounds sterling. The SE Lifestyle interior pack, at a hundred pounds more, provides chrome rings, leather treatments, and other such trim. Numerous other frivolous features abound, as well as a Startech performance module that bumps up the 2-liter diesel by a full 40 hp. That, too, runs to a £999.

Despite the shift in U.S. sales to cars, Chrysler brand cars tended to fall in sales, with the brand as a whole taking a 38% sales cut led by the 300 (59%) and PT Cruiser (18%). Even the Sebring fell by nearly one third. The sole gainer was the Aspen, which increased by 300 units to just over 2,000 sales. The Chrysler Town & Country minivan held its own by comparison, with sales falling just 11% - or around 1,500 vans. At Jeep, the picture would have been nearly as bad had the Patriot not scored a surprising 82% sales gain to nearly 8,200 units. The Compass, based on the same basic parts as the Patriot, actually fell 17%. The Wrangler fell 25%, but was very popular at this time last year; Liberty fell by one fifth; and Grand Cherokee and Commander took hits of 23% and 63% respectively, the latter probably hurt by its higher pricing and larger perceived size. Over at Dodge, the numbers were also discouraging, with all but two vehicles taking a dive. The Caliber eked out a 7% increase to 12,856 cars sold, while the only slightly larger Avenger fell (like the Charger) by one quarter of its sales; the Charger had been Dodge's best selling car, but now it takes a distant #2 to the Caliber. 71 Challengers were reported as being sold, along with 274 Magnums and 126 Vipers (only 27 Vipers were sold last May). Truck sales were down as expected, with Dakota falling 25% and the once hot-selling Ram falling by 37%, which is a serious 12,000 or so trucks. Part of that might be the effect of the new 2009 Rams, which make the current models seem less attractive; but Dodge will have to offer considerable bargains to clear their lots.Caravan fell by 25% again, but still outsold Town & Country, though not by much; Dodge lost nearly 5,000 minivans compared to last May. The bigger SUVs - Durango and Nitro - plummeted as one might expect, with Durango falling by nearly 70% to just 1,360 units; and Nitro falling by 56% to 2,667 trucks. Were it not for Fiat, the Delaware Durango plant's closure would seem inevitable. As buyers seek fuel efficiency, the Sprinter got a little boost, selling 1,781 vans - 32% more than last May. An upfitter bonus of $1,000 should boost Sprinter sales more and clear them off the lots nicely. The increase in gas prices, which is now expected to last until the end of summer, caught Chrysler at a bad time, with new fuel-saving technologies on the way but not here yet, and ill-advised shifts from fuel economy to "big and bold" styling leaving key holes in the product line. There are numerous projects under way to fill the holes, but we don't expect to see anything solid until calendar-year 2009, save for the greater fuel effiency of the 2009 Ram.

Dodge today announced a $1,000 allowance towards the purchase of an upfit body for installation on all Sprinter chassis cab models.  The term program runs from June 3, 2008 to January 2, 2009.The program is not a retail incentive and is open to all approved Sprinter dealers nationwide.  The allowance applies to all upfits valued at more than $1,500.  Participating upfitters must be members of the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA).  Recreational vehicles (RV) upfits, limousine upfits and shuttle bus upfits are excluded.Eligible models include all 2007, 2008 and 2009 Sprinter chassis cabs.  For more information, visit www.dodge.com/business.

Even as Chrysler's American sales continue to fall, the company is thriving in Canada with a 7% increase compared to May 2007 (May 2008 sales were 27,325 units); Chrysler has now had 22 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases. The Dodge Journey is now the most popular crossover in Canada, while the minivans increased in sales by an astounding 52%. Chrysler’s “Thank You Canada” pricing program will be extended through June. The program positions 13 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles under $20,000.“Our minivan business is remarkable in Canada,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of Chrysler Canada. “With rising fuel prices, Canadian consumers are struggling with the costs associated with large SUVs, but do not want to forego the functionality. As a result, they are getting back into our minivans in record numbers. The minivan provides exceptional fuel economy, outstanding functionality and is available for the first time ever at a starting price of under $20,000.”With sales averaging 4,300 units per month, the minivan is Chrysler Canada’s top-selling vehicle, Canada’s third-highest selling vehicle in 2007 and the No. 1 minivan in the country for 24 consecutive years.While it is Canada’s best selling crossover, the Dodge Journey sold just 1,581 units; it starts at just under C$20,000.Sales of the Dodge Ram, Chrysler’s second-highest volume vehicle, held steady in May with 4,034 units sold.Combined Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Caliber sales were up 36 percent (5,771 units) compared to May 2007. Jeep Patriot and Dodge Caliber are among Chrysler’s top-five selling vehicles.

Chrysler LLC today reported total May 2008 sales of 148,747 units, 25% (not adjusted for daily sales rates) below May 2007. The drop reflected a 40% cut in fleet sales, an industry-wide downturn in truck and SUV sales.The Dodge Caliber posted sales of 12,856 units, up 7% from May 2007, while the Dodge Journey hit 7,520 units in its fourth month of sales. The fuel-efficient Jeep® Patriot posted record monthly of 8,199 units, an 82% increase. Chrysler finished the month with 412,009 units of inventory, or a 75-day supply, is down 14% compared with May 2007 when it totaled 479,501 units. Buyers were most likely to choose the gas guarantee incentive option versus cash back or 0 percent financing when purchasing the Dodge Journey, Dodge Caliber, Chrysler Sebring Sedan, Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Town & Country. (more to come when Chrysler releases specific figures)

The Honda Civic is now America's best selling vehicle with over 53,000 sold, followed by the Toyota Corolla and Camry (nearly 53,000 and just over 51,000 sold, respectively), with the Ford F-150 following at #5 (the Accord was #4) - beaten by a car for the first time in 17 years.GM reported a gain in retail car sales, led by the Chevy Malibu and Aveo; fleet sales fell 36%, partly due to planned reductions, and partly due to the American Axle strike. Truck sales fell 39%, while total sales fell 30% (DSR adjusted). GM sold 130,115 cars and 138,777 light trucks in May 2008, compared with 150,979 cars and 220,077 light trucks in May 2007. Each division of General Motors fell, including Saab and Saturn, by between 23% and 36%, except for Hummer which plummeted by 60%. Looking at just cars, Chevrolet fared best and Saturn worst; while looking at trucks, Saturn did best and Saab and Hummer did worst. GM's best seller was as usual the full sized pickup line. The little, efficient Cobalt was the best selling GM car with under 27,000 units - while Impala fell by one third to be the #2. Of note, no two GM cars combined could match the Corolla or Camry. Ford just announced a fall in sales of 16%, comparing May 2008 to May 2007. SUV sales at Ford fell 44%, while trucks fell 29%; the company also cut sales to daily-rental fleets by 30%. The Ford Focus shot up in sales by 53%, the Fusion by 27%. Toyota announced a sales drop of 8% in the same period, on a daily selling rate basis, despite increases in small car and hybrid sales. Toyota Division lost 6%, while Lexus dropped a full 20% with trucks actually suffering less than passenger cars. Toyota passenger cars were down just 1%, while Corolla posted a record sales of 52,826 units (just for May), a 12% rise. Camry, including hybrids, posted combined sales of 51,291 units. At 15,011 units, the Prius beat the Yaris in sales, despite a record for the latter. Toyota light truck sales fell 15%. Scion posted a 28% gain but all the Scions together did not match Prius sales.Honda, known for its small cars, reported a 15% sales gain. While Honda has sold trucks and hefty SUVs, sales of these vehicles stalled, which, in the long run, may have been good for the company.

Before GM's annual meeting, CEO Rick Wagoner said that four plants are slated to be closed, reflecting shifts in the market from trucks and truck-based SUVs to cars and lighter crossovers. Plants to be closed are Oshawa (Ontario), Moraine (Ohio), Janesville (Wisconsin), and Toluca (Mexico).According to Wagoner, the Hummer brand may be sold, even as a Wrangler competitor is readied for market. While the Hummer H1 is, as it has always been, engineered and produced by American General as a civilian version of its military vehicles, other Hummer models are based on standard General Motors trucks and are built by GM.

The private equity firm declared in a statement today that "Cerberus has not reduced or made any changes to its equity stakes in GMAC or Chrysler since the closing of either transaction... It is common knowledge, and has been widely reported, that Cerberus made these investments side-by-side with its co-investors at the time of closing."