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Fiat shareholders green-light Chrysler merger, end of an Italian era

Fiat has just taken a major step away from its Italian heritage, as shareholders officially approved the company's merger with Chrysler. That move will lead to the formation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, a Dutch company based in Great Britain and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, according to Automotive News Europe.
The company captured the two-thirds majority at a special shareholders meeting, although there are still a few situations that could defeat the movement. According to ANE, roughly eight percent of shareholders opposed the merger, which is a group large enough to defeat the plan, should they all exercise their exit rights outlined in the merger conditions.
Meanwhile, Fiat Chairman John Elkann (pictured above, right, with CEO Sergio Marchionne and Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo), the great-great-grandson of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, reaffirmed his family's commitment to the company beyond the merger. Exor, the Agnelli family's holding company, still maintains a 30-percent stake in Fiat.

Chrysler 100 hatchback caught cruising around Santa Monica

A coming hatchback said to be called the Chrysler 100 has been caught on video traipsing around Santa Monica by Autoblog reader Zach Dillman. Still wearing the scrapyard assemblage of Alfa Romeo Giulietta body panels as it was when spy photographers began capturing it last summer, its arrival date is still a question mark: some outlets have reported that it will go on sale this year, others have said it won't be in showrooms until 2016.
In fact, quite a few questions remain. Based on Fiat's Compact US Wide (CUSW) platform that supports the Dodge Dart and expected to be about the same size, the 100 is thought to be a small premium hatchback that will be priced above the Dart and below the Chrysler 200, with the idea that it can challenge the Ford Focus and Hyunda Elantra at the value end and the Buick Verano and Acura ILX at the premium end. Word is that there will be no sedan version.
It looks like there'll be plenty of gewgaws inside, with buttons for Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning and a button to toggle the traction control.

25,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango SUVs recalled over brake feel

Chrysler has announced that it is recalling over 25,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs from several markets over concerns about brake feel under hard braking. The affected models are from the 2012 and 2013 model years, although the actual dates of production aren't available. 18,700 are in the US, while 825 are in Canada, 530 are in Mexico and a further 5,200 outside of North America.
According to a statement, Chrysler was informed of the issue by a component supplier for the Ready Alert Braking system, which primes the brakes in anticipation of an emergency stop. A component in the system was restricting the flow of brake fluid too much.
As Chrysler is quick to point out, the way the brakes functioned was in compliance with regulations and there are no reported cases of drivers losing braking power. Instead, the issue rests with what Chrysler calls a pedal feel that "was not consistent with customer expectations." So it would seem Chrysler is being proactive and fixing a problem not because there's a legal issue at work, but simply because it doesn't feel the way the manufacturer wants it to. Well done.