Chryslerhas announced to two key appointments to its senior leadership, both of them taking immediate effect. First up isReid Bigland, who has been named head of theAlfa Romeobrand for North America. Bigland has served until now as head of theRam Truckbrand, a portfolio he now hands over to Robert Hegbloom, who had served until now as its director.
As a result of the appointments, both Bigland and Hegbloom will take up seats on Chrysler's NAFTA Leadership Team, and Bigland will also join the Fiat Chrysler Group Executive Council – the highest decision-making body in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire.
As per Sergio Marchionne's leadership style, Bigland will continue to serve in two major capacities, maintaining his role as president and CEO of Chrysler Canada. Other senior executives who hold multiple key portfolios include Harald Wester (who serves as the group's Chief Technology Officer and also overseas Alfa Romeo,Maseratiand Abarth), Olivier Francois (group Chief Marketing Officer and head of theFiatbrand) and Michael Manley (head of the Asia-Pacific region and theJeepbrand).
If safety is a priority in your next car purchase, the2015 Chrysler 200looks like a pretty good bet, according to a recent evaluation from theInsurance Institute for Highway Safety. The new sedan scored top marks in all of the agency's crash tests and a "Superior" score from its optional front crash prevention system to earn it aTop Safety Pick+rating.
In the latest small overlap front crash test (video below), the newChryslernabbed a score of "Good," the IIHS's top rating. In the 40-miles-per-hour evaluation of the front 25 percent of the vehicle, the agency found that there was a low risk of serious injuries. The safety systems kept the dummy's head in position, and the side airbags protected it well. It also beat out the previous generation 200 that only had an "Acceptable" in that test.
As part of its "Superior" score, the front crash prevention system was able to completely stop the 200 in the IIHS 12-mph test and significantly slowed it down from 25 mph.Scroll downto watch the carnage unfold as the sedan gets put through the small-overlap crash and read the official IIHS announcement of its results.
