Chrysler has posted a $143 million operating profit for the first quarter of 2019. This is a huge increase for the company who not too long ago was facing massive cost cutting measures after its 2009 bankruptcy.

Still, on a net basis, Chrysler lost $197 million in the first quarter. The automaker lost nearly $4 billion in the months following its June 10, 2009 emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

First-quarter results confirm ” 2010 targets we set are achievable,” declared Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. He is overseeing a day-long meeting in Turin, Italy to lay out Fiat’s five-year goals much as he did at Chrysler in November. Fiat, which now owns 20 percent of Chrysler, has a goal of breakeven for the U.S. automaker in 2010.

In announcing the results, Marchionne further noted that Chrysler is generating cash so it can finance its future product portfolio and its brand repositioning, which included making Ram trucks a separate division from Dodge.

The Fiat 500 will go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to Dodge Car Brand CEO Ralph Giles in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago.

Ralph stated that the Grand Cherokee will be on sale within the next three months. Given how desperate Chrysler is for new products before they run short on funding and FIAT runs short on patience, it could be a great step forward for the automaker.

Source: Jalopnik

Ford uses Navistar, General Motors has worked with Isuzu Motors and Chrysler has Cummins. Of all the automaker diesel offerings, Chrysler’s pact with Cummins has lasted the longest (since 1989), and word from Chrysler’s official blog is that the two companies will continue to play nicely together into the future. According to a new post on the website, Cummins and Chrysler have agreed to extend their cooperation on a multi-year basis.

Cummins currently builds the 350 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque 6.7-liter diesel, which is optional on the Ram 2500 and 3500 and standard on the Ram 4500 and 5500 commercial trucks. Chrysler brags that the very capable powertrain is the only big diesel in the US without a selective catalytic reduction system that requires the owner to add diesel exhaust fluid. The Cummins 6.7 has been able to pass 2010 EPA emissions standards since its 2007 introduction.

Since the merger of Fiat and Chrysler we have been expecting some major changes in terms of leading executives. Recently Lancia chief executive Olivier Fancois was named as the head of the Chrysler division. Now similar reports have placed Abarth, Maserati and Alfa Romeo under common leadership. That leadership is by Harald Wester. In his new role, Wester replaces Sergio Cravero, who himself was recently promoted from the brand’s communications directorate to serve as a replacement for the departing Luca de Meo who will change to a new role as head of product planning for the entire Fiat Group.

As a result, we can expect to see a deeper level of collaboration between these performance-oriented brands within the expanding Fiat empire. Details in the press release after the jump.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is giving his closing address after his leadership team finished outlining the automaker’s five-year plan.

“It’s comprehensive, it’s ambitious and it’s a serious plan,” he said. “It’s a plan for which this leadership team ultimately wants to be held accountable.”