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Whether it's the tried-and-true Butterball, the more enigmatic Tofurkey or pricey "pastured" birds, turkey is simply what we eat for Thanksgiving. But we've come to know another type of turkey--vehicles that, for some reason or another, have been problematic or simply haven't found their place in the market. Most have make-or-break issues with shoppers: recalls, reliability, resale value and safety. In compiling our fourth annual list of "Automotive Turkeys," we looked at four factors, all pertaining to 2007 model-year vehicles: number of recalls to date, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database; reliability ratings from Consumer Reports;...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- DaimlerChrysler moved to undo the most expensive and one of the least successful mergers in auto industry history Monday as it agreed to essentially pay to dump the money-losing Chrysler unit which it paid $37 billion for nine years ago. DaimlerChrysler (Charts) announced it will sell an 80 percent stake in its U.S. brand to Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity investment firm that will pay $7.4 billion. But the German automaker, which will be renamed simply Daimler, will not actually get most of the money that Cerberus is paying for the once proud automaker. Instead...

* Ford cuts its own path with bold designs, more standard safety features, straightforward pricing and now the best warranty and roadside assistance packages of any full-line manufacturer. * No-deductible, fully transferable powertrain limited warranty on 2007 Ford and Mercury vehicles is now five years or 60,000 miles - 66 percent better than all Chrysler Group and most GM nameplates. * Lincoln's 2007 powertrain limited warranty is now six years or 70,000 miles - up to 20,000 miles and two years longer than Cadillac's. * Ford to offer complimentary roadside assistance, including towing, fuel and lock-out service for the entire...

MOSCOW - Russia's OAO GAZ automaker agreed to buy DaimlerChrysler AG production lines in Sterling Heights and move them to Russia, where it will produce DaimlerChrysler cars under license. (snip) The Sterling Heights plant will get new equipment to build the company's next generation Sebring and Stratus, the Chrysler Group said, and will have the ability to produce a second, small-vehicle line as well. (snip) The Sterling Heights plant still is building cars and likely will wrap up production in May, Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff said Friday. The company hasn't announced a date for when it will reopen with the...

Another auto plant is closing in Michigan. This time it's a Chrysler assembly line moving to, of all places, Russia. A Russian automaker says it's buying the Sterling Heights assembly line from Daimler Chrysler. That line builds the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus. The company will now produce the cars in Russia under license from the German-American automaker.

Zetsche's Wife Fined For Role In Hosting Party Judge Says Woman's Behavior Sent 'Pathetic Message' To Young PeoplePOSTED: 3:39 pm EDT October 5, 2005 BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Gisela Zetsche, the wife of incoming DaimlerChrysler AG Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, was fined $500 and ordered to pay $2,500 in court costs Wednesday for her role in hosting a party at which more than 20 underage drinkers were ticketed. Had Bloomfield Township police taken the case to Oakland County prosecutors, Gisela Zetsche could have been charged with providing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - Gisela Zetsche, the wife of incoming DaimlerChrysler AG Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, was fined $500 and ordered to pay $2,500 in court costs Wednesday for her role in hosting a party at which more than 20 underage drinkers were ticketed. Had Bloomfield Township police taken the case to Oakland County prosecutors, Gisela Zetsche could have been charged with providing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and as many as 60 days in jail. Instead, she pleaded no contest on...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. INDIANAPOLIS - DaimlerChrysler AG will close its Indianapolis foundry and eliminate 881 jobs by Sept. 30, reducing the automaker's once formidable Indiana manufacturing presence to just the city of Kokomo. DaimlerChrysler recently notified the Indiana Department of Workforce Development of the closure under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act. The law requires employers to give 60 days notice before certain plant closings and layoffs. The loss of 881 jobs is the largest in Indiana under WARN this year. A provision in the four-year labor agreement struck by the...

Mercedes-Benz car group plans to launch several diesel-powered vehicles in all 50 states as early as 2008, perhaps signaling a broader move to diesels by the industry. At least two Chrysler group vehicles, the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, also could get diesel options. Four Mercedes models - the E-Class sedan, M-Class and G-Class SUVs, and new R-Class sport wagon - are expected to be offered with diesel power. Just five diesel-powered car models, including Mercedes' E320 CDI and two small diesel SUVs, now are available in North America. But as gasoline prices soar, automakers are taking a close...

DaimlerChrysler says it will become the first manufacturer to unveil a diesel concept car that will meet more stringent pollution rules and get higher mileage than diesels now on the road. ... Some environmentalists reacted with skepticism to the Daimler car, noting that manufacturers often introduce flashy concept cars that never make it to the production line. They also said the country would be better served by companies making more gasoline hybrid vehicles because they pollute less than cleaner-burning diesels. "The auto industry is trying to convince the car-buying public . . . to reject better technology like hybrid cars,"...

Report: Military buying Chrysler minivans, Pacificas to ferry troops in non-combat zones.NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The U.S. military has ordered 24,000 Chrysler minivans and Pacifica crossover SUVs for use as light-duty vehicles in Iraq and other places, according to a report in a Canadian newspaper.DaimlerChrysler, Chrysler's parent company, builds the Pacificas in Windsor, Ontario and makes minivans there, as well as at other locations.The order is for 19,000 minivans and 5,000 Chrysler Pacificas, according to the story. The Pacifica is not designed for off-road use and resembles a large, tall station wagon.The military has complained about the use of fuel-thirsty...

DUBAI — Dubai Holding, through its entity Dubai International Capital, has acquired a stake in the world’s second largest automaker DaimlerChrysler, said Mohammed Al Gergawi, chief executive officer, Dubai Holding. Al Gergawi, said: "Dubai International Capital has acquired the stake valued at $1 billion, making it the third largest shareholder in the automobile manufacturer.

Cup Bud Pole Qualifying FSN Fri. SPEED Fri. 4:30 p.m. Cup Bud Pole Qualifying FSN Fri. 6 p.m. PRN Fri. 5:45 p.m. Sam's Town 300 FX Sat. 3:30 p.m. PRN Sat. 3:30 p.m. Happy Hour Practice FX Sat. 6:30 p.m. UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 FOX Sun. 2:30 p.m. PRN Sun. 2:15 p.m. * All times are EST 6 p.m. PRN Fri. 5:45 p.m. Sam's Town 300 FX Sat. 3:30 p.m. PRN Sat. 3:30 p.m. Happy Hour Practice FX Sat. 6:30 p.m. UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 FOX Sun. 2:30 p.m. PRN Sun. 2:15 p.m. * All times are EST

The following letter was sent today to Chrysler Group President and CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche by Peter Flaherty, president of the National Legal and Policy Center: The purpose of this letter is two-fold. We ask that remarks attributed to DaimlerChrysler senior vice president Frank Fountain be withdrawn, and that DaimlerChrysler cease financial support for Jesse Jackson and his organizations. According to CNSNews.com, Fountain stated during Jackson’s Wall Street Conference last week, “Most of [Jackson’s] critics are conservatives. They have a rather myopic view of the world.” Even more surprising, Fountain allegedly stated, “From my fairly close knowledge of [Jackson’s] operation,...