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Share price falls on skepticism of Chrysler-Fiat five-year plan

Following this week's Fiat Chrysler extravaganza, where the Italian-American manufacturer announced its plans for the next five years, the Autoblog staff was cautiously optimistic of the company's future. Investors? Not so much.
Fiat saw its shares tumble 12 percent in Wednesday's trading, falling from 8.67 euros ($12.06 at today's rates) to 7.44 euros ($10.35) as of this writing, with blame partly going to the Italian half of the FCA marriage, which recorded a pretty significant drop in profits during the first quarter of this year.
The plan, which will cost around $77 billion over the next several years, is facing criticism from investors thanks in part to a 1.4-percent drop in Fiat's first-quarter profits, to 622 million euros ($862 million). That figure is also short of Bloomberg analysts' projections, which predicted $1.18 billion in profits before taxes, interest and one-time items.

Chrysler recalling 278,222 trucks and SUVs over bad rear axles

Chrysler has issued a recall of 278,222 light trucks and sport utility vehicles here in the United States. The reason: bad rear axles. Specifically, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rear axle pinion nut may lack a necessary adhesive patch, which could cause the nut to loosen. If this happens, the axle can lock up, which could cause all sorts of havoc on the road.
This is an expansion of the rear axle recall announced in October of last year, where 44,300 Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota models were being called in. At that time, 12 accidents had been reported due to the faulty axle pinion nut.
Affected vehicles include Ram 1500 trucks from the 2009 to 2012 model years, Dodge Dakota models from the 2009 to 2011 model years, and both the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUV twins, both from the 2009 model year only.

2014 Chrysler 300S gets all black and blue

Outside of the SRT variant, if you want the sharpest-looking Chrysler 300, you'll probably want the 300S trim. This showy variant has traditionally sported larger wheels and some subtle body changes to set it apart from the herd, along with its own unique take on the big sedan's interior.
For 2014, the S will be set apart even further. A number of exterior items will be blacked-out, including black chrome around the grille and Chrysler badges finished in a liquid-chrome finish with a black center. Black moldings are standard, while owners can get an extra dose of style by opting to have the roof painted Gloss Black. Hyper Black 20-inch wheels are standard on the rear-drive model, while 19s are fitted to the all-wheel-drive variant. Smoked tail and headlights round out the package.
The cabin, meanwhile, gets a new trim option - Ambassador Blue. The pale, blue Nappa leather features contrasting, silver French stitching found on the seats and the door armrests.