Chrysler has announced that its senior vice president of design, Trevor M. Creed, is set to retire at the end of the month after spending 23 years with the company. Creed is credited with being involved with the design of some of the carmaker’s most memorable concept and production cars since the late 1980s including the PT Cruiser, Dodge Viper (pictured) and Ram pickup.

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Chase Auto Finance announced today that it will no longer offer leases for Chrysler vehicles, following a similar announcement made on Friday by Chrysler Financial to stop its own leases on August 1. The reason behind the latest decision according to a Chase spokeswoman is because of fears of declining vehicle values.

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Chrysler has confirmed that it will shed up to 1,000 salaried jobs by the end of September in an effort to reduce costs and streamline its business. Chrysler now joins fellow Detroit carmakers General Motors and Ford, both of which have also announced similar cuts to their salary staff.

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Most automakers are struggling with horrible US market conditions right now, but unlike competitors such as Toyota and Ford, Chrysler doesn't have sales in other areas of the world to fall back on. The Pentastar is looking to improve its fortunes overseas while also benefiting from low labor costs by partnering with the Great Wall Motor Company. The young Chinese automaker doesn't specialize in the small vehicles Chrysler needs here in the States, however, as the company's primary focus is on trucks and SUVs.

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Those of you steeped in drag racing lore are undoubtedly familiar with the 1968 HEMI-powered Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas. These limited edition, track-bound '68 package cars brought out some of the biggest names in drag racing and helped solidify the automaker as a force to be reckoned with down the 1320. When Dodge unveiled the Challenger drag race package at SEMA, we knew the Mopar crew had something serious up its sleeves, and we've got an exclusive clip of what's to come.

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At Chrysler's annual "What's New" gathering at its Chelsea Proving Ground, we were able to get a demonstration of the new uConnect Web system, which transforms any vehicle into a rolling WiFi hot spot. The hardware consists of a WiFi router with a built in wireless 3G modem. The 3G modem automatically connects to the internet and allows any WiFi enabled devices, such as a laptop, iPod Touch, Nintendo DS or XBox to connect, as long as you're within range of a cell signal. Chrysler is offering the system as a dealer installed option through it's Mopar parts division starting this August. Initially, it will only be available for 2009 models, but earlier models will be added further down the road.

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It seems as if earlier rumors of the PT Cruiser's death may have been slightly exaggerated. According to PTCruizer.com, the retro-style hatch from Chrysler is still alive, though perhaps on some sort of artificial life support. At least for the 2009 model year, the Cruiser is expected to be built alongside the Dodge Journey, though this could change in the blink of an eye. The plant in Toluca, Mexico where the two vehicles are built is capable of switching at a moments notice between the Journey and the Cruiser. So, if the Journey picks up sales or Chrysler does the unthinkable and launches its own version of the Dodge crossover, the PT could wave good bye for good.

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American automotive companies have been doing rather well for themselves these last few years in China. Still, the majority of manufacturing those vehicles is done in China using locally sourced parts. For this reason, the Chinese government has been facing pressure to ink more deals with American companies for the export of goods there, which is apparently now beginning to take place. Ford, for instance, has announced that it will be sending 30,000 complete vehicles (no word on which ones) to China along with other various auto parts. General Motors has also signed on with about $1 billion in vehicles and parts for export to China.

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Maybe the 'Cuda is alive after all. While we have speculated about the existence of one ever since we first heard a hint of the SEMA show car from last year, all we've had to work with since are rumors and sketches of what might be. Well, today at the weekly Cars and Coffee show in Irvine, a genuine 'Cuda Concept was parked right in the midst of everything. A convertible nonetheless. It just sat there with only a few people really spotting it for what it was.

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It's hard to think of a way to make the Chrysler Sebring or Jeep Compass even less attractive, but a 2% price increase is a good start. It's not like Chrysler has control over the price of commodities, which is part of what's driving the increase that begins June 16th. Dealers will have to cough up extra cash the next time they replenish their inventories, but whatever's already on the lot will be unaffected.

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Toyota is building battery plants as fast as it can to help it meet its goal of putting a million hybrids on the street each year by 2010. GM is considering buying out its troubled battery supplier, Cobasys. Now Chrysler and General Electric are considering teaming up to develop the technology that will underpin a next-generation plug-in hybrid. Built around GE’s dual-battery energy storage system, which has been used at the heart of a hybrid railroad locomotive that generates 6,000hp, the new car would help GE explore the technology’s real-world applications while providing a much-needed supplier for Chrysler, reports Automotive News.

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Times are tough in Detroit these days as each of the Big 3 saw drastic drops in sales for the month of May. It's not surprising, then, to see that Chrysler, Dodge and Ford have increased incentives in an effort to get those cars off its dealer's lots. For instance, prospective buyers for the Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C can now choose either $4,000 cash back or $2,000 plus Chrysler's $2.99 gas promotion, known as Let's Refuel America. Choosing Chrysler's full-size SUV, the Aspen, will net you $4,500 cash back or $1,000 in cash, plus the Let's Refuel deal.

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The customers seemingly the most vulnerable to high gasoline prices—those who buy basic, mass-market transportation like Dodge Calibers and Chrysler Sebrings—are the ones jumping at Chrysler’s recently introduced gas-card incentive, which guarantees they won’t pay more than $2.99 per gallon for most of the gas they use in their new car for the next three years.

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With the way things are going right now, it doesn’t seem likely that Detroit will be able to save itself with muscle cars. Todd Lassa of MotorTrend makes an interesting point saying that the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro and the recently launched Dodge Challenger face very bad timing.

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Looking at the 2008 Chrysler 300, it's easy to say that this car is one of the best things to come out of the troubled Mercedes-Benz/Chrysler relationship. Introduced in 2005, the Chrysler 300 re-introduced Americans to a domestically-built, full-size, rear-wheel-drive sedan. The car was an immediate hit.

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