According to figures reported by a Consumer Reports Survey, which studied vehicle qualities of major automobile manufacturers across the globe, Ford Motor Co., has made the most significant progress in ensuring quality improvement in their vehicles. Chrysler, on the other hand, hit rock bottom as it got the lowest rank among all the manufacturers studied.

Pioneering the move from the age-old paper manuals for vehicles to new digital owners' guides, Chrysler Group LLC will introduce digital manuals for its 2010 model Chrysler, Jeep, and, Dodge vehicles.

Jim Press, Chrysler Group's outgoing deputy CEO owes the federal government approximately $1million in back taxes. Confirmed reports have stated that Jim Press Internal Revenue Service officials have placed a lien for $947,409 on his home.

The lien notice, which is filed with the Oakland County Register of Deeds, is against the Press family's home in Birmingham, Mich.

After successfully overseeing the US government endeavors of helping Chrysler and General Motors emerge speedily from bankruptcy restructuring proceedings, Steven Rattner has stepped down as the head of the Obama administration's auto task force.

In an astonishing move, Chrysler Group LLC has announced that it would not sell off its V-10 powered Dodge Viper sports car business and would carry on manufacturing and selling Dodge Vipers.

Earlier in August 2008, Chrysler, the producer of Viper, a high-priced limited production performance car, had put the Viper business up for sale.

The Chrysler Group, the U.S. automaker run by Fiat SpA announced the appointment of five members to its board of directors. Now the Chrysler Group LLC is equipped with nine-member panel.

The first meeting of the board is expected to take place on July 29.

New York - Struggling Chrysler, forced into bankruptcy last week, had shut down all its North American car production by Monday morning.

Factories in Canada and the United States have been closed, a Chrysler spokesman said. Several supply companies had already shut down deliveries leading up to the shut-down.

Washington - Chrysler's best hope for survival is in a partnership with Italy's Fiat SpA, a US government task force has concluded, according to the Wall Street Journal early Monday.

The Journal cited a memo released late Sunday by the auto task force overseeing the US government bail-out of the car industry.

Auto giant Chrysler announced 1,200 layoffs and one of three shifts at its Windsor, Ontario, minivan plant, cutting about 15 per cent of its Canadian work force for the first time in more than 15 years.

With regard to the dire straits the automobile industry is in, there is no overlooking the statement by equity analyst Efraim Levy, of Standard & Poor's: "We are in an automotive depression," full-blown!