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As Chrysler went through bankruptcy procedures and then finalized details for a merge with Italy's Fiat SpA, Deputy Chief Executive Jim Press was the only top official who stayed on with Chrysler's team. His main role in sticking around was to be a special adviser to Sergio Marchionne, Fiat CEO.

Today, however, reports have cropped up stating that Press will be leaving Chrysler by the end of November, according to unnamed people who have been informed of Chrysler's management changes. When reached for comment by the Wall Street Journal, Press said, "I don't think anything has been released about management changes," and then declined any further comment.

Jim Press has been with Chrysler for two years, seeing the company through very hard times. Before that, he served as a top executive for Toyota, where he was often credited for the automaker's strong growth over the past decade.

No official word has been released as to what plans Press has after leaving Chrysler, but we'll keep you posted when more official details have been released.

+ WSJ.com: Chrysler's Press to Leave Company

Chrysler announced today that it is going to match the governments Cash for Clunkers program.
 
Chrysler states that with the start of the Government Cash for Clunkers program from July 23, 2009, it will be giving consumers up to $4500 when they trade in their old cars for eligible 2009 Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge Vehicles. Chrysler is offering up to $4500 consumer cash or 0 percent financing for 72 months through GMAC Financial Services on most of its vehicles as part of its incentive program.

Chrysler Vice President of Sales Operations, Steven Beahm states, “Everyone shopping for a new car or truck qualifies for an incentive of up to $4,500 – even if they don’t have a vehicle that qualifies under the U.S. Government’s program.”
 
A quick calculation shows that the Chrysler Town & Country has a starting MSRP of $27,160 and can be bought for $18,160 after receiving the consumer cash from both programs. In the same way the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Ram 2500/ 3500 start at a MSRP of $31,230 and $30,385 can be bought for $22,230 and $21,385. Cheapest of all, a Dodge Caliber at an MSRP of $ 17,090 can be bought at $8090.
 
Click on the links below to read the Chrysler Press Release and to see the cars that are eligible for the Chrysler Incentive Program.
+ Chrysler Media Site: “Double CA$H For Your Old Car” Incentive Program

+ Dodge: Incentive Program List

To read the Government Cash for Clunkers policy click on the link below

+ NextAutos: Cash for Clunkers Pending Senate Approval: Do You Qualify? 

Sales Figures for June 2009 have been released and it looks like Ford is on the right track.

Ford Motor Company states that its sales have increased and it is now only 10.9 percent in the negative as set against its sales in June 2008. Sales for GM and Chrysler on the other hand have not picked up as much as Ford. GM has seen a drop of 33.6 percent and Chrysler has seen a drop of 41.9 percent compared with June 2008.

BMW, Nissan, and Honda are all down by 20 percent and more compared with last June and Toyota is down by over 30 percent. Subaru and Volvo are the only two companies that have seen an increase in sales since June 2008. Subaru’s sales are up by 3.4 percent while Volvo has just squeaked into the green with a 0.6 percentage thanks to its new XC60.

 
Automakers    Percentage of Decrease in Sales    Cars Sold in June 09    Cars Sold in June 08
Ford                   -10.85                                        155,195                       174,091
General Motors    -33.60                                         176,571                      265,937
Chrysler              -41.85                                          68,297                       117,457
Nissan                -23.14                                           58,298                        75,848
Honda                -29.55                                         100,420                      142,539
BMW                  -20.29                                           20,849                        26,155
Toyota                -31.87                                         131,654                      193,234

+ Autoblog: By the Numbers: June 2009: Bankruptcy a Bad Idea Edition

Looks like we can stop salivating now. The inner workings of the Chrysler and Fiat alliance means that little Italian cars will start to make their way to America, the first of which will be the diminutive Fiat 500, slated to arrive in American showrooms in as little as eighteen months.

Fiat's vice president of communications, Richard Gadeselli, says that the 500 is the only vehicle which will come to America without any significant changes. Future U.S.-spec Fiats will be very different from their Italian counterparts, but we're happy to know that the 500 won't change too much.

Us? We're looking forward to flogging a Fiat 500 against a Smart ForTwo and Mini Cooper sometime in the not-so-distant future.

+ Autoblog: Fiat confirms 500 at Chrysler dealers in about 18 months

An alliance between Chrysler and Fiat could mean that the U.S. would receive the Fiat 500, Grande Punto, and Panda, as well as the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Milano, Edmunds reports. Chrysler's bankruptcy documents also indicate American access to Fiat’s 3.0-liter diesel and 1.4-liter engines.

With these vehicles, Chrysler hopes to offer a lineup of vehicles in a segment currently underserved by the automaker. The alliance could also mean more production in underutilized plants in the U.S.

View the Alfa Romeo MiTo in the gallery above, or follow the link below to the source article.

+ Edmunds Inside Line: Which Fiat Products Are Bound for U.S.? Details Emerge

General Motors may be putting their many brands on the chopping block, but things are infinitely worse over at Chrysler. The White House announced today that Chrysler LLC will be forced into bankruptcy protection. President Barack Obama is still scheduled to make an official announcement regarding a signed deal between Chrysler and Fiat, so stay tuned for more details.

An administration official told The Detroit News, "Their [Chrysler's] failure to act in their own economic interest or the national interest does not diminish the accomplishments made by Chrysler, Fiat, and its stake-holders, nor will it impede the new opportunity Chrysler now has to restructure and emerge stronger going forward." Chrysler's original restructuring plan was not accepted by the government and after failure to come up with something more substantial, it looks like bankruptcy is the best option for the American automaker.

We'll keep you posted as more details emerge.

+ The Detroit News: White House plans bankruptcy for Chrysler as talks fail

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne expects to see Chrysler enter into Chapter 11 bankruptcy very soon--or so says CAW chief Ken Lewenza.  The union boss told Leftlane News that he conversed with Marchione and the Italian exec stated, "...if I was a betting man, I would suggest Chrysler is going to fall into Chapter 11."

We have a 2009 Chrysler 300C SRT8 in the Ann Arbor test fleet this week, and while the 300 is an aging car with a refresh right around the corner, there's a lot to like about the SRT8 model. After all, what's so bad about having rear-wheel drive and a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 under the hood? Aside from the fuel economy of 13/19 miles per gallon, anyway.

We'll be tacking on quite a few miles to the bad-boy Chrysler this week, so it only seems appropriate that we offer it up in our Ask It forums. Head on over to the forum thread and post whatever questions you may have about the 300C SRT8 and we'll do our best to respond.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2009 Chrysler 300C SRT8

Our spy photographer sent us these shots of the new 2010 Alfa Romeo Milano Mule hanging out in the snow. Built on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Bravo, the 5-door successor of the 147 will come standard with Q2 front-wheel drive, but will also have an optional Q4 four-wheel drive system. It will also have feature the same line of T-jet and Multijet engines included in other Alfas. We can expect a saucier GTA version some time after its release.

Due to a careful camouflage job, it is difficult to see the form of the Milano, so we’ll have to wait to get a peek at the front-end styling that characterizes many Alfa Romeos.

Questionable Good news, hatch fans: Chrysler includes the Milano in its viability plan.

Click through the gallery above to view the Alfo Romeo Milano, or scroll down for the photographer’s own words.