NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Chrysler Group unveiled its much-needed new small car, the Dodge Dart small car at the Detroit auto show Monday. The car is expected to go on sale later this year at prices starting at about $16,000. Official fuel economy estimates aren’t available, yet.

The Dart is based on engineering shared with Italy’s Fiat, Chrysler’s parent company.

It will be built in Chrysler’s Belvidere, Ill., factory. It will go on sale with a base price of $15,995.

Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne conceded at a press conference later Monday that the company won’t make a lot of money at that price for the stripped down model. But he’s betting that buyers drawn in by the low price will add options. “You start shopping there and by the time you finish, maybe you’ll pay more,” he said.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — Chrysler Group wants to show the world that it’s serious about mid-size sedans.

After years of disappointing sales, the company on Monday launched production of the revamped Chrysler 200 — which replaces the Sebring — and the Dodge Avenger. The cars have a new look, new engines and hundreds of other changes designed to lure back customers who have fled Chrysler in recent years, scared off by its financial troubles and its reputation for poor quality.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said the company spent $300 million revamping the cars. Both go on sale this month, starting at $19,995.

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — General Motors and Chrysler, two companies that nearly died last year before getting government bailouts, showed further signs of recovery Tuesday as each announced plans to hire 1,000 engineers and researchers.

GM’s hiring will begin immediately and run through the next two years as it adds staff to work on the next generation of electric vehicles. Chrysler said it will hire during the next four months to help handle global growth as well as expansion of its small and midsize vehicle lineup.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — One year ago, the U.S. auto industry faced the worst crisis in its history.

Chrysler Group filed for bankruptcy on April 30, the same week that GM announced a plan that put it on the path toward its own bankruptcy a month later. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) had just reported huge losses.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — In the next few years, we’ll be seeing more Italian cars on American roads as Fiat and Alfa Romeo return to the states after a nearly two decade absence.

Fiat and Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne says we’ll also be seeing more Italian vehicles sold under the familiar American brands of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep.

NEW YORK – Chrysler Group LLC is on track to break even on an operating basis in 2010 and is ahead of its turnaround targets, Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Tuesday.

Chrysler, which emerged from a U.S. government-supported bankruptcy in June under the management of Italy’s Fiat SpA, has been battling to stabilize sales in the United States while working to improve its vehicles.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The car company that is off to the worst start of 2010 isn’t Toyota. It’s Chrysler Group.

Industry experts say that even though Chrysler’s overall sales are down only 3% during the first two months of the year, estimates show more than half of Chrysler’s sales have been to fleet customers, such as rental car companies.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — About 900 General Motors and Chrysler dealerships that got the ax as the Detroit giants went through bankruptcy have filed notice that they will appeal their shutdown, according to the American Arbitration Association.

The nearly 3,000 dealerships the auto manufacturers scrapped have until Monday to file with the AAA for an independent arbitration of their case. But applications from dealers are still rolling in, so it’s hard to tell what the final count will be, said India Johnson, senior vice president of AAA.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Three months after coming through a federally-financed bankruptcy, the new Chrysler Group still faces serious trouble with no quick solution in sight.

The carmaker may have been given a sleek and shiny new balance sheet, but the products on the showroom floor are the same stale cars and trucks from before and there’s not much new to look forward to.

In the hyper-competitive American car market, that empty product pipeline is potentially disastrous. Newly designed and engineered cars and trucks are what keep automakers in the game.

DETROIT (Reuters) — Chrysler Group LLC. has sued Daimler AG, saying the German automaker has failed to honor supply contracts for parts essential for the production of key 2010 Chrysler vehicles.

Chrysler, which emerged from bankruptcy in June under new management led by Fiat SpA, said in the lawsuit filed Friday it would be forced to halt production of several 2010 model year vehicles if it does not get the components.

CNNMoney.com) — After filing for bankruptcy, Chrysler in May notified almost 800 dealers around the U.S. that they would lose their franchise licenses and be kicked out of the restructured automaker’s dealer network. Steve Biegler, who runs the dealership his grandfather started, was one of those targeted. Last week, Chrysler sent out representatives to finish dismantling his store’s branding.

When they took down the sign last week, my emotions were up and down. One minute I was okay with it and the next I was mad as hell. It brought me back to May 14, when we received the letter from Chrysler saying we would no longer be permitted to sell Jeeps.