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Chrysler patents smarter minivan folding seats

It's frightening to think of how quickly the mice would have overtaken us if we hadn't stayed one step ahead of them with better mousetraps. We'll never have to worry about that in our relentlessly re-engineered world, though. Case in point: Chrysler has been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office for an improved design of the already wondrous Stow 'n' Go seating found in the automaker's Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.
Introduced in 2005, the Stow 'n' Go was improved in 2008, and based on the drawings of this third-generation improvement, the new design appears to allow stowage of the second row of seats without having to move the front-row seats forward as much. It look like it also involves fewer operations and moving parts, with a portion of the seatback being incorporated into the flat floor when the seats are stowed, as opposed to having a completely separate cover.
It's possible that the innovation may appear on the next-generation minivans expected in 2015, but Chrysler isn't commenting on the patent.

Chrysler recalling nearly half a million vehicles with active head restraints

Chrysler has announced that it will recall roughly 490,000 vehicles around the globe due to a potential active head-restraint problem. The problem is being blamed on "potentially faulty microcontrollers" that may keep the vehicles' anti-whiplash active safety feature from working properly. Chrysler says it has no knowledge of any accidents or injuries related to the issue. Models covered under the recall include the 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring, 200 (shown) and Dodge Avenger models, along with 2011-2013 Jeep Liberty and 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro SUVs.
Interestingly, the Pentastar notes that the faulty part came from an (unnamed) supplier who furnished the parts in the wake of Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami, natural disasters which decimated the world's supply of microcontrollers.
Chrysler says of those nearly half a million vehicles affected, around 442,000 of them reside in the US, with an additional 25,000 in Canada and 10,000 units in Mexico. A further 12,000 models were shipped beyond the NAFTA region. The Auburn Hills automaker will begin sending out recall notices shortly, and technicians will upgrade the system software or replace the microcontroller as necessary at no cost to owners.

Mopar opening Custom Shop at Cobo

While other automakers have been streamlining their brand portfolio, the Chrysler Group has shown no such signs. It's got the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands, plus Fiat, and it recently broke out its SRT and Ram nameplates into their own brands. And you can bet each will have its own presence at the Detroit Auto Show this year. But don't forget Mopar. The company's performance parts division is getting its own display at Cobo this year, and it'll be the largest in the brand's history.
The Mopar Custom Shop is poised to take up 5,500 square-feet of Cobo floor space, further expanding on last year's Mopar Garage. If the image above offers any indication, the show stand will include a Dodge Challenger, SRT Viper, Fiat 500L, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Ram 3500 and what looks like (but isn't identified in the press release below as) a Chrysler 200 (which may be replaced by a 2014 model), all augmented with Mopar parts and accessories.
Visitors will also be able to use pre-programmed iPads to configure Chrysler Group vehicles with a wide range of accessories - a portfolio that grows by 1,500 new parts every year and tops over 100 add-ons for every new vehicle Chrysler launches.