Fiat today exercised an option to raise its stake in Chrysler by 3.3 percent. The move is part of CEO Sergio Marchionne‘s step-by-step purchases intended to lead to full control of Chrysler and the creation of a merged company that would be able to compete better with industry leaders Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen. Fiat has been exercising options since mid-2012 to buy holdings of about 3.3 percent from the VEBA, a medical-benefits trust for the U.S. carmaker’s retirees. Including today’s purchase, Fiat has exercised three of its six-monthly options, increasing its stake to 68.49 percent. Fiat has said it wants full control of Chrysler, which would give it access to some of Chrysler’s cash flow for investments in new models. Chrysler has become Fiat’s most reliable profit generator as the Italian company struggles to end losses in Europe that totaled 704 million euros [...]

Today we had the pleasure of getting to know a family who recently bought a Chrysler Town & Country van from us. Sharon, Darlene, Alex, Emily and Gavin took a few moments to share their experience with us.  We give you … the Riesselman Family. How did you find Runde Auto Group and this Chrysler Town & Country? We found you guys on the internet. Your website was very easy to navigate and we easily found what we wanted. I really like how you can narrow by the year, model and mileage, it makes it really easy to find what you are looking for. Where is the first place you’ll take your new Chrysler Town & Country van? Darlene: Home to see if [...]

For those of you who think that social media is just a fad that will disappear in the years to come, well … uhhh … you might have another thing coming.  In the car business you often get a mixture of old school thought vs. new school.   Yesterday, this really seemed really apparent when we asked one of our senior salesmen to help provide us with a customer of his that we could interview for the blog.  His response was: “No.  Actually, I can’t wait ’til that thing (the blog) goes away.”  In the past couple years, social media has become what it is and at Runde’s we have tried to embrace it for the positive.  We run a good business and word of mouth has always been one of the cheapest and best forms of advertising.  So we figure, we’ll interview customers and ask them what they thought of their experience at Runde’s.  It’s [...]

American auto makers have been thrown under the bus quite frequently over the last few months by members of the media and by members of Congress.  However, Runde Auto Group urges you to seek out factual information about the American auto makers before casting judgment.  Please take a few minutes to look over this brief quiz to see how much you’re actually aware of! QUESTIONS: 1. What country builds vehicles that occupy two of the top three spots for long-term reliability? Germany Japan Korea United States 2.  As of August ’07, which manufacturer had the most recalls in the U.S. that year? Chrysler Ford GM Nissan Toyota Volkswagen 3.  What brand in this group has the highest initial quality?                 Acura  Chevrolet  BMW Mazda 4.  Which of the following mid-size sedans has the highest initial quality? Accord (Honda) Altima (Nissan) Camry (Toyota) Malibu (Chevrolet) 5.  Which of the following pickups has the highest initial quality? [...]

Chrysler buyers and the American Auto Industry got a shot of adrenalin earlier this week.  Because of the U.S Treasury’s recent move to provide Chrysler Financial with up to $1.5 billion in loan dollars, the lender will now offer 0% financing on select Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models. Qualified new vehicle buyers can apply for 0% interest for up to 60 months on ’08 and ’09 model-year Jeep Grand Cherokee, Commander, Wrangler, Chrysler Town & Country, 300,  Dodge Grand Caravan, Charger, Magnum, Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram HD, and Challenger. Chrysler vice chairman and president Jim Press had this to say about the announcement, “From both a customer and dealer perspective, it is exciting news that the Treasury Department is providing funding to Chrysler Financial. Now our customers, including those with scores in the 620 range, will be able [...]