To the surprise of no one, cash-strapped Chrysler LLC won’t be performing any global premieres at next week’s Geneva Motor Show. Instead, the American automaker will showcase its electric vehicle future (that is, if it makes it through the economic crisis) with the European premieres of the Chrysler 200C EV concept vehicle and Dodge Circuit EV prototype, both of which made their debut at January’s Detroit Auto Show.

The 1980’s: Chrysler’s heyday. Lee Iacocca said, “If you can find a better car, buy it.” Nowadays that’s one hell of a dangerous ad campaign to try. Counting the number of manufacturers presently building cars better than Chrysler involves counting toes… not a good sign. Chrysler; My God, what happened? For the past thirty years the smallest of the Big Three has endured a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures. Looking at the Cerberus-owned Chrysler of today and the Chrysler of 1979, not much has changed.

Just a word to the people… The auto industry, along with the rest of the economy, is in shambles. Obviously the big-wigs cannot be trusted to make the right decisions. Everyone (be they layman, enthusiast, or insider) needs to voice their opinions, not only on finished products but on job standards, engineering developments, and the quality of the buttons on the dashboard.

Along with the world debut of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler also announced the introduction of an all-new line of V6 engines called ‘Pentastar’ at the New York Auto Show. The American automaker said that the new engine which will replace a total of seven V6 units found in various current-generation Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models, is the most advanced six-cylinder engine in the brand’s history.

The crew over at ‘Kicking Tires’ were quick enough to snap this picture of the next-generation Chrysler 300’s interior that was shown during the media presentation of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the New York Auto Show. The image hints at a more upscale look - hopefully, along with higher quality materials- for the new 300s cabin with a ’swoopier’ dashboard design and plenty of decorative wood inserts.

In an interview with Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail that was published on Wednesday, Fiat Group’s CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the Italians are going to abandon talks with Chrysler LLC unless the American automaker’s unions agree to perform deep cuts in costs. “Absolutely we are prepared to walk. There is no doubt in my mind,” he said. “We cannot commit to this organization unless we see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Those ‘jolly old’ folks down at Chrysler never cease to amuse us with their government loan tactics. Today, Chrysler LLC showed off four all-electric Town & Country minivan concepts to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as part of the USPS Earth Day celebration. The catch? Well, Chrysler said that in conjunction with the USPS and select energy service providers, it intends to apply for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Transportation Electrification stimulus program for a federal grant.

A tentative agreement between Chrysler LLC, the Fiat Group and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) on a new labor contract intended to cut costs by CD$240 million per year was reached late Friday night. Though far from complete, the new deal with CAW helps Chrysler LLC move closer to a partnership with Fiat and avoid bankruptcy. Under the new tentative agreement, Chrysler LLC would leave hourly base pay intact but cut a series of benefits.

Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has reached an agreement with Cerberus to let go of its remaining 19.9% stake in Chrysler LLC and write off a $1.5 billion loan that went to the American automaker in 2007. The new agreement will help Chrysler LLC’s partnership talks with the Fiat Group as it clears out the ownership problems. However, Cerberus is in a tight race with time as the U.S. government imposed deadline for the firm’s restructure is April 30.

Citing inside sources, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra reported Thursday morning that Chrysler LLC and Fiat have signed a deal to forge an alliance. However, according to Automotive News, Fiat later denied this. We’ve yet to see any official announcement from any of the two involved parties, so we’ll keep a close watch on the story throughout the day. Chrysler is a battle with time as the Obama administration is aiming for the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as today.

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