Featured Google working with FCA to create autonomous hybrid minivan prototypes.

Hahaha... So brutally true.

LG-H901 ?

 

What he says. Folks blamed Mercedes and now Fiat, in general my take is FCA still can't make vehicles. All they are solely interested in is profit, it'll catch up with them soon. This is coming from a "consumer" me, owned a new Dodge back in 2007 and also a new "RAM" in 2015. Same old shit a different day the saying goes....

LG-H901 ?

 

It's more reliable than a 1996 Fiat or Chrysler, and FCA most be doing something right to out sell Toyota in Europe.

 

i don't know about europe, but they are selling a ton of dodge and jeep fossil fuel pigs over here.

 

Slightly off topic, but I often ask myself how comes they still can't get a vehicle right after so many incarnations and models produced. Only thing I can come up with is, corporate greed whereas at least the Japanese have something called honor.

LG-H901 ?

 

i think it's the lack of attention to detail. i once read a story about the william edwards deming, who went to teach the japanese how to build cars. one thing he showed them is that parts are not exact, and have a 'tolerance range'.
when you mate two parts together, they may both be within range alone, but not together. a lot of things like that helped them build production with higher quality and reliability.

he believed that it was cheaper to try and make something right the first time, rather than have to go back and repair it later. that was not an american philosophy in the industrial revolution.
even today, in the rush to market, to be the first, seems to be more important than being the best.

it's also difficult to get american assembly workers on board like the japanese, but that's more of a cultural thing. you're certainly right about honor. but they can go to far with that as well.

the europeans aren't very good at it either.

 

Toyota does built some models in Europe to avoid the import tax, but I am sure nationalism plays a part in buyer preferences.

 

I'm with Bisco. Google is aligning themselves with a car company that was once run by a group of hedge fund managers. Their first order would have been to eliminate all R&D engineering. Their next order would be to pimp the company up and sell it at first opportunity.

Google is most likely working with them because the other automakers want to keep their autopilot intellectual property in-house. Another possibility is Chrysler's ability to pull in the best autopilot talent (into Detroit?!) is far inferior to what Google, Apple, Tesla, and other makers can recruit. Google needs to have a production target for their autopilot technology and that only happens with the cooperation of some major automaker.

Shotgun arrangement based on lack of better options.

 

While the head of Fiat has had no problem voicing his disdain for electric cars, his background is as an engineer, and has had no issue with sharing Fiat's best(engines and platforms) with Chrysler. So they are better of than with the hedge funders and maybe even M-B.

 

fiats best = oxymoron?

 

Prior to unloading the POS .... it was the best thing about the Range Rover dealership .... soft/warm scones - cookies - foofoo coffee's. Only fair they'd treat you so nice, as you spend a LOT of time their, the closer & closer you get to the end of the manufacturer's warranty.

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Hummm, perhaps Google is thinking about buying them ...

Bob Wilson

 

now that would be interesting. i wonder if they have any worthwhile technology? oh yeah, hemi.

 

Fiat 500e ???

Bob Wilson

 

good point i guess, don't hear much about them.

 

Except from Fiat's CEO to not buy them.

If buying Chrysler was Google's plan, it would be for the manufacturing base and dealer network.

 

response is OT too, but here goes, because some here are old enough to remember not all of any one country's people have the same makeup regarding integrity & moral character;

Submarined by Japan and Norway - NYTimes.com

Remember Toshiba and the nuclear sub secrets?: News & Rumors Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
In short, the U.S. had about a $30billion (present day dollars) lead in underwater stealth tech. Poof - Toshiba corporate heads made a few million, that is, prior to their arrests. But as Michael Jackson once sang, "one bad apple (segway!!) don't spoil the whole barrel"
To make a better segway - a question ... isn't google already paired with Tesla? Or is that just their mapping.
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