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C hrysler Group News Update is published by Chrysler Group Communi-cations. It is intended to highlight company news and should not be dis-tributed externally. It includes third-party news sources that may not reflect Chrysler Group views or policies.

Wall Street Journal writer Dan Neil declared that the Chrysler 300's new Luxury Se-ries model is "a ridiculous amount of car for the money."

Titled, "Chrysler's Global Me-lange Yields True Luxury," Neil's review said "Chrysler might as well have called the Luxury Series the Content Pro-vider." Among the car's list of features are front heated/ventilated seats and rear heat-ed seats, heated wood-and-leather steering wheel, heated/cooled cup holders, 20-inch polished alloy wheels, LED in-terior lighting and "a huge pow-er sunroof borrowed from Cow-boys Stadium," the Wall Street Journal said.

The Journal said the rede-signed 300 "dials back the goth froth in favor of a more practi-cal, mature and aerodynamic design." Yet the car retains "its from-a-mile-away profile: the big and bluff hood, the bling-tastic grille, the pillbox roof, the chopped deck," his Wall Street Journal piece said.

The Ram 1500 Tradesman Heavy Duty was smooth, quiet, comfortable, and fast, thanks to its 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 that was a corral for 390 horses that wanted to run, wrote Tom Berg of Heavy Duty Trucking maga-zine. Those horses were har-nessed to a silky 6-speed auto-matic transmission that kept them controlled and mannerly, Berg added.

Top Gear Rules declared that the Tradesman is the Ram Truck brand's "toughest and strongest 1500."

"The Ram 1500 Tradesman Heavy Duty is a job-rated truck with the features commercial truck buyers want at a price they can afford," said Ram CEO Fred Diaz, in the Top Gear Rules article. "The com-mercial truck segment is all about total cost of ownership and that includes being able to tow and haul more. It's a simple matter of economics. More tow-ing and payload means fewer loads. And fewer loads mean lower fuel bills."

Delivering per-formance, tech-nology and han-dling capabilities that are among the world's best, two Chrysler Group products ? the Jeep® Grand Cherokee SRT8® and the Dodge Charger ? earned Winding Road's "Best Car of the Year Awards," an annual honor that recognizes the best driver's vehicles in the market.

"SRT and Dodge are two brands that stand to make 2012 a ban-ner year for driving enthusiasts," said Seyth Miersma, Editor-In-Chief of Winding Road. "Taking over where the last generation left off (somewhere in the middle of a cloud of smoking tire rubber), the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 manages to be one of the most brutally fast and easy-to-live-with super-SUVs we've ever tested.

CBS "Sunday Morning" fea-tured the revival of Detroit au-tomakers, with correspondent Lee Cowan singing the praises of a city and an industry that was "nearly given up for dead a few years ago" but is "in the fast lane once more."

The Detroit automakers are "hardly recognizable" now from their previous selves, Cowan reported on "Sunday Morning."

New York Times Detroit Bu-reau Chief Bill Vlasic explained to CBS, "I think they're more competitive. They're certainly leaner, but they're determined to prove that Detroit can build cars and trucks that are as good as any in the world."

"Product is key; everything else is nonsense," Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said in the "Sunday Morning" report as he showed off the 2012 Chrysler 300. "People buy cars, and they experience them, live in them. And if you give them a less than satisfac-tory experience, and a non-competitive product, they'll leave you."

The show also highlighted the Jeep® brand's sales suc-cesses as well as its ranking as "the most reliable domestic brand" by Consumer Reports.

Ward's Auto World called it a "one-of-a-kind oasis of advanced technology designed to promote the kind of thoughtful analysis that triggers innovation." The academy, where hourly and salaried em-ployees learn the finer points of WCM, represents Chrysler's gradu-ation to a new level of integration with Fiat, Ward's said.

"WCM is a way of life within all of the Chrysler facilities," General Holiefield, head of the UAW's Chrysler department told the Detroit Free Press. "It will drive the quality right through the roof."

At the academy, Chrysler workers are using tools normally found at film animation studios -- such as 3D videos and computerized motion sensors -- to reshape the way they assemble a car or build an engine, the Detroit Free Press said. The automaker and the UAW have created an amusement park-like atmosphere to teach problem-solving skills that workers apply back at their plants, the Free Press said.

The system relies on the input of line workers to suggest ways to improve their jobs and their plants, Automotive News said. To date, Chrysler workers have made over 200,000 suggestions, most of which were implemented, the magazine said.

Have you thought about a Chrysler 300?  Well, here are just a few things to consider...

Beats by Dr. Dre®. Brought to
You by Detroit.

The Beats by Dr. Dre® sound system is a top-of-the-line audio system tuned by the Dr. himself. With specialized speakers fully integrated on all new Chrysler 300 S models, you don't just hear the music ? you feel it. This is the redefinition of mobile audio technology, the way the artist intended. And it's available exclusively through Chrysler.

Stay Connected.

The Uconnect Touch™ system is Detroit know-how and intuitive technology on display. This 8.4-inch interactive touchscreen display allows you to access your cell phone, SiriusXM Satellite Radio⁺ , MP3 player, HVAC and more. It's luxury at the touch of a finger. And it comes standard.

• Phone. Talking on the phone while driving has never been easier ? or more responsible. Uconnect® Phone is the in-vehicle, voice-activated communication system that allows you to pair up to seven Bluetooth®-compatible phones and then talk virtually handsfree. This system is also clever enough to synchronize with your phone's address book ? up to 1,000 entries ? every time you get into your vehicle.

Push to Start Luxuriously.

Standard on all trims, the Keyless Enter 'n Go™ ignition system technology automatically unlocks doors when you pull the handle. Just leave your key fob in your pocket, instead of fumbling for a key. Once inside, a simple press of the Start-Stop button brings the Chrysler 300 to life.

Backup for when you back up

Available in the Chrysler 300 Limited, 300C, 300 S and 300 SRT8®, the ParkSense® Rear Park Assist System⁺ offers front and rear park assist sensors which detect the presence of objects up to 3.9 feet from the front of the vehicle and 6.5 feet from the rear. Then, the system gives you an audible and visual warning in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). So whether you're in drive or reverse, the Chrysler 300 helps you advance, safely.

Motor City Technology with Street Smarts.

Available in the Chrysler 300 Limited, 300 C, 300 S and 300 SRT8®, Blind Spot Monitoring⁺ technology uses radar sensors to help the driver when changing lanes or if being passed by an unseen vehicle. The system lets the driver know of a vehicle in their blind spot via illuminated icons on the side-view mirror and a programmable audible warning.