Showing posts with label Chrysler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chrysler. Show all posts

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392: Limited Production Model with 470HP Teased Ahead of SEMA


The new Dodge Redline Charger and Mopar-prepped Fiat 500 will certainly grab everyone's attention at the SEMA Show, but without doubt, the most exciting proposal at the firm's booth will be a limited edition run of the yet-to-be-revealed, 2011 Challenger, which will be making its world premiere at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

On a side note, the only thing we know about the standard 2011 Challenger is that it gains a reshaped lower intake up front, a 305-horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 for the base model and new door handles, while it loses the Ram nose emblem on the hood.

Back to the limited edition model which is called the SRT8 392, Dodge will build a total of 1,492 examples of the car. Based on the SRT8, the 392 introduces a -you guessed it- a new 392-cubic inch [equal to 6.4-liters] HEMI V8 producing 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. According to Dodge, that's 90 lb.-ft. more torque at 2,900 rpm compared with the previous 6.1-liter V-8 engine.

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Hyundai wants to be more American than Ford, GM, and Chrysler by Building 80% of its U.S.-sold cars in the States


Hyundai, in another bold move to continue attracting American consumers and impressing the public, will soon be building up to 80% American-sold cars in the US (as long as the Elantra makes as big a splash as the Sonata). That would make the little Korean-that-could as "American" as Ford, GM, and apple pie. While this sounds impressive, the numbers are a bit skewed.

For example, the 80% (or "closer to 70%" if listening to J.D. Power analyst Jeff Schuster) is significant when strictly discussing percentages. If discussing volume, the major US automakers still hold the cards. CNN Money reports that if GM were building 66% of American-sold cars here, the number would triple Hyundai's current volume.

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Alfa Romeo to Stay and Rebuild Under Fiat, Hopes to Move 500,000 Units by 2014


Fiat CEO Segio Marchionne has put the VW-Alfa Romeo rumors to rest...for now. Alfa will officially stay under its Italian parent's wing for at least a little while longer as Marchionne attempts to revive the ever-struggling Italian luxury automaker.

Alfa Romeo, as you may know, is not exactly pulling its weight; it is estimated that Fiat loses over $400 Million a year because of the upscale brand, which Marchionne says will have to move 300,000 units annually to earn money. For the record, Alfa is on pace for ~105,000 units this year, and Marchionne wants to hit 500,000 units by 2014 with the help of new models and the US market (possibly in 2012).

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SEMA Preshow: 2010 Fiat 500 Tuned by the American Way


The Chrysler Group is bumping up the interest on the upcoming U.S. market Fiat 500 with a tuned concept version readied by none other than the Mopar Underground team, which will make its world premiere at next month's SEMA Show.

In what could be seen as a preview of things to come for U.S. buyers of the retro-styled city car, Mopar's team has created a raft of unique styling and performance parts for the 500.

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Viper-powered 300 SRT10 was one man's garage job (and Chrysler should be ashamed they didn't do it first)


It looks like the Viper-powered Chrysler 300 teased on the group's Dodge Youtube channel is nothing more than the dream of one man: David Ekins. The 300 SRT10, it turns out, started as an unsuspecting 2006 Chrysler 300 Touring (which initially came with a V6); now it's got four more cylinders and puts down a claimed 525-550 horsepower.

Mr. Ekins is said to have built the project himself (except for some specialty work), having sourced the 10-cylinder 8.3-liter engine and T-56 Tremec transmission from a wrecked donor car. Other than the power train, a slew of other systems obviously had to be upgraded in order for the car to become a 300 SRT10 and not just a 300 Touring with a massive engine.

This homemade project now rides on Eibach coilovers and gets a new sway bar kit, as well as a little bit of extra cooling up front in the form of a 3-inch thick radiator and "custom" oil filter. Other additions include a new fuel tank mounted in the trunk and the little styling tweaks found throughout.

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Pentastar V6 to Find its Way Into 13 Models Across the Chrysler Group Range, Including 2011 Challenger


The Chrysler Group's new Pentastar V6 gasoline engine will either replace current six-cylinder units or be introduced for the first time on a total of 13 vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep range by 2013, the company announced this week.

The 3.6-liter V6 unit will be offered with different levels of output, the most powerful [for now] iteration being the one fitted on the upcoming 2011 Dodge Challenger, which will be rated at 305 bhp at 6,350 rpm and 268 lb.ft. at 4,800 rpm, representing a 55 horsepower increase over the previous 3.5-liter V6.

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Chrysler and Dodge to Recall More than 26,000 Vehicles in the U.S.


A new recall announced by the Chrysler Group will affect 26,397 owners of Chrysler and Dodge brand vehicles in the USA. The recall includes certain 2010MY Chrysler 300 and Sebring, and Dodge Charger, Avenger, Challenger and Journey, and some 2011MY Ram pickup trucks, because a power steering pressure hose may leak fluid onto a hot engine and cause a fire.

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2011 Dodge Journey Facelift: First Official Photos and Details


The Chrysler Group continues to bombard the U.S. market with new or refreshed products, the latest being the revised 2011 Dodge Journey which has been given a mid-life facelift with a redesigned and retuned suspension, a new V6 engine, a completely new interior and some subtle exterior tweaks.

The big news here, of course, is the Journey's newly crafted interior with higher-quality materials which puts the outgoing model's cabin to shame (not that it was hard..). Just about everything you see on the dashboard is new, including the sporty looking instrument panel with a standard electronic vehicle information center featuring a full-color display backlit.

The makeover is completed with a new multi-functioning three-spoke steering wheel, larger front storage bin with side nets, newly designed seats and controls, as well as an available Uconnect Touch media center with a touch-screen display. Dodge said the mid-size crossover offers six new interior color and trim options.

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Hell Yeah; Dodge Teases Viper V10-Powered Chrysler 300 SRT10 on Video


Dodge has published a video of a current generation Chrysler 300 badged as the SRT10 and fitted with a Viper-sourced 8.4-liter V10 powerhouse on its official Youtube channel. The company did not provide any intel on the car, but it did ask the question, "What happens when you put a Viper engine into a Chrysler 300?". Feel free to post your answers in the comments section below.

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New Chrysler 200 May be Rebadged as a Lancia in Europe


Chrysler's redesigned / facelifted Sebring, which will go on sale in the U.S. later this year as the new 200 sedan, was only just released on Tuesday, yet we already have news that it may be sold in mainland Europe as a Lancia and as a Chrysler in the UK and Ireland (the Italian firm has withdrawn from these markets). The Fiat Group is considering the move not so much for retail sales as to help boost fleet sales in key markets such as Germany and the UK.

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Chrysler Drops the Curtain on New 200 Sedan


After bringing you dimly-lit pics of the Chrysler 200's exterior last week, as well as some hints of the potential jump in interior quality, we now have EVEN MORE official photos from Chrysler.

Finally, we get a glimpse of the post-Sebring in some proper lighting. Although we now have a much better view of what the nose and tail will look like, I'm still waiting for the rear 3/4, profile, and interior shots before an official judgment is thrown out there.

From what I'm seeing, the new front and rear treatments integrate well with the old Sebring's body while adding some decidedly classier (and modern) lines to the chunky mid-sizer.

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Fresh Photos of New Chrysler 200 Sporting Brand's New Grille


Now that Chrysler Group has announced its new European Jeep lineup and revealed the next-gen Dodge Durango and Charger, the most important cars to expect soon are the 200 and 300 sedans. Chrysler has put out some new photos of its redesigned and renamed Sebring replacement, and we finally get a better look at the car's nose plus a peek at the leather interior with contrasting stitching.

You already know the car will get a the 2.4-liter I4 World Gas Engine and the new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 with 283 horsepower. For the rest of all the released info, head over to our previous post. Right now we're here to check out the latest teasers from Chrysler.

With a full, if dim, view of the front end, it looks like the new Chrysler grille will get some styling cues from -wait for the shocker- Hyundai's latest proposals. Hopefully we'll be getting some proper pictures soon that will put any fears to rest.

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First Interior Photos of 2011 Dodge Durango SUV


About a month ago, Dodge released pictures and initial details on its all-new 2011 Durango SUV model. Now that we have had some time to digest the crossover's exterior, the automaker has dropped the first photos of the 7-seater model's interior.

Being that the new Durango is heavily based on the 2011 Grand Cherokee, it comes to no surprise that -for the most part- the cockpit design is almost identical to that of Jeep's flagship model.

There are changes to the color schemes and trim, new steering wheel hub and instrument panel gauge designs, while certain switchgear such as the rotatable knob for the headlamps are unique to the Durango.

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Jeep Launches Mopar Accessories for New Grand Cherokee


The Chrysler Group's Mopar division has released a host of accessories for the recently launched 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Buyers can upgrade and customize Jeep's flagship SUV model with heaps of parts and accessories ranging from a mobile TV and WiFi tech that turns the vehicle into a wireless hot spot, to tubular side steps and a camper trailer. For the complete list of available parts and pricing, follow the jump for Mopar's detailed press release.

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Fiat Explains Under-The-Radar Paris Appearance, will Debut New Models in Late 2011


Fiat has addressed a question at least a few people were asking this year in Paris, explaining its lack of significant presence at this year's Paris Motor Show. According to CEO Sergio Marchionne, Fiat has been building up steam, waiting to release new product until late next year in order to better balance the brand's many companies' funds.

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Dodge Uncloaks Redesigned 2011 Charger, gets New 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar


In what could be one of the less exciting reveals of the year after all those scoop and police car pictures / videos hit the web these past few months, the Chrysler Group today officially unleashed the civilian version of its 2011 Dodge Charger. However, the revelation is still not over as we'll have to wait for the interior shots and the complete details on the mechanical upgrades.

For 2011, the redesigned Charger moves a little bit closer design-wise to the Detroit firm's 1999 concept model of the same name - though, not near enough to get us keyed up. At the front end, Dodge modernized the Charger with its new "split crosshair" grille, a restyled bumper and new headlamps. The aluminum hood design is also new and now features dual "scallops", while the windshield is laid at a "faster" angle.

Moving on to the car's profile, we see that the firm's designers took a good look at the 1999 Concept during the restyling phase adding similar body-side scallops. The big news, however, is at the rear as the 2011 Charger adopts a full-width tail lamp design that incorporates no less than 164 illuminating LEDs and is inspired by the late 60's Charger.

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Chrysler / Fiat US Plans Laid Out, New Dodge Viper on the way in 2012


It turns out Sergio Marchionne brought a gift when he spoke with Chrysler dealers down in Florida earlier this week. Can we guess what it was? No, the rumored Jeep truck was a bonus (and a no-brainer). High fives all around if you said 2012 Dodge Viper. The company showed dealers an early prototype of the next Viper finished in a candy-apple red color. According to one dealer present at the meeting, the Viper concept "resembled the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione with a Viper face." We shall see.

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2011 Dodge Nitro offers New Heat 4.0 Lifestyle Package and Equipment Upgrades


We'll be hearing of more updated / refreshed Chrysler Group models within the next couple of months (if not weeks), but rounding up the changes on the first crop of 2011MYs, the Dodge Nitro gains a new trim level and some modest equipment upgrades on certain grades.

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2011MY Dodge Caliber: Retuned Steering System and Equipment Upgrades


Continuing to chart the changes on the Chrysler Group's 2011MY cars, the Dodge Caliber has received some modest enhancements for the new model year, the most noteworthy being the re-tuned steering system which, according to the automaker, provides in a "more direct and precise feel". Other than that, you'll find new available exterior colors and some trim and equipment upgrades on certain models, which you can check in detail in the list after the break.

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2011MY Jeep Liberty: New Steering Wheel, Media Systems and Colors


After yesterday's news on the US-spec Fiat 500 and the redesigned Chrysler Sebring (renamed to '200') and Town & Country, and Jeep Patriot models, the subtle changes and upgrades on other 2011MY Chrysler Group products, including the Jeep Liberty (named Cherokee in Europe, Australia and other markets), went by somewhat unnoticed.

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