The Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based Dodge Dart will soon get a sporty SRT variant with close to 300hp.

Dubbed the SRT4, the car will be getting a number of visual upgrades, as well mechanical ones to make it a formidable rival for cars like Ford Focus ST.

The last SRT4 car, the Caliber, had a a very meaty 285 hp and 265 lb-ft turbo engine. So it’s highly unlikely for SRT to give Dart less than that. The question is, what engine would be the best option.

Thanks to the Fiat connection, Chrysler can acquire the new 1750 300bhp engine prepared for the upcoming Alfa 4C, but that would be too expensive for a car like Dart. That’s why they’re pondering the possibility of a turbocharged version of Dart’s own 2.0 liter Tigershark engine.

To complement the power, Dart SRT4 will also get an aero kit with spoilers and stuff, bigger wheels and brakes, as well as uprated chassis and suspension.

SRT has the chance to make a great little car here, they just have to get the pricing right. I mean these days a Hyundai Genesis Coupe offers 350hp for under $30K, so…

via MotorTrend

Ram Truck might be stubborn about the looks of their products, but they constantly refine them in terms of quality and value. They’ve just released a new limited version of the Ram 1500 Laramie.

Set for debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, this top of the line Ram features some very luxurious stuff such as full-leather seating, piano-black interior.

The looks are revised too, with a body-color front fascia with fog lamps and a matching, painted rear bumper, chrome grille surrounds billet inserts, and discrete chrome detailing on body-side molding, mirrors, door handles and tubular side steps. One cool feature of the limited model is the 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with the Ram Laramie Longhorn.

Inside the cabin you get dark slate Natura Plus leather seats and engraved details and graystone leather piping. In addition to 100 percent leather seat coverings, Ram Laramie Limited gets a premium leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter — console mounted on 1500, column mounted on 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty models.

There’s more leather to be found on doors, armrests and center console. Ram Laramie Limited editions receive remote LED lighting at the inside door handles and a full-length light that illuminates the truck’s multi-function lower map pockets, front and rear. The glodd black accents gives it an air of quality.

Features and equipments: navigational radio, remote start, back-up camera, power adjustable pedals with memory, heated steering wheel, front ventilated and heated seats and rear heated seats.

Dodge Dart wins its very first award as Autoweek named it North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) “Most Significant Vehicle”.

Yes, the Honda NSX was a bigger deal and the Lexus LF-LC grabbed more attention, but the Dart is a fully fledged production car that goes on sale in a couple of months and you and I can buy it. It is significant because it is the best American-Italian cometogether since…ever. This is a strategic product that is essential to Chrysler’s growth.

The car has Dodge design with Alfa Romeo Giulietta underpinnings and engines. Its best feature however is the price tag.

The 2013 Dodge Dart will have a starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $15,995 and will be available in five trim levels: SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited and R/T. It will be built in the United States at Chrysler Group’s Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill. Production of the 2013 Dodge Dart will begin in the second quarter of 2012.

“We’re very proud of this award and think the editors at AutoWeek have hit the bullseye by naming the Dart ‘Most Significant Vehicle,’ at the North American International Auto show,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO—Dodge Brand. “With the compact car segment comprising 15 percent of U.S. new car sales and close to 25 percent of new car sales in Canada, we hope many people in both countries looking for a fuel-efficient, powerful, fun-to-drive car loaded with all the latest technology and safety features soon find it a significant part of their lives, too.”

“The Dart gives Dodge a highly competitive entry in the crucial small sedan segment where it hasn’t been a player since the middle of the last decade,” Gritzinger added.

As one of the most strategic new products, Dodge has invested heavily in the 2013 Dart sedan. So it’s only natural for their performance arm Mopar to pay special attention to it.

They have in fact announced a menu with more than 150 Mopar accessories and performance parts for customers to enhance their Dart with. And don’t think it’s all full of rubbish, with stuff like plastic badges, stupid graphics.

Some of the options offered are very clever and very useful. Items like the industry-first wireless charging, in-car Wi-Fi and Vehicle Tracking System, they are all very brilliant. There is also a wide range of Mopar styling features including body kits, wheels, chrome parts, and also interior trims to choose from.

Here’s a list of selected items from the Mopar catalog. You can see a full list of accessories at Mopar website or Dodge dealerships.

Performance Styled Hood: Carbon fiber scooped hood, designed to give the vehicle an aggressive and sporty appearance.

Performance Braking Upgrade: Upgraded calipers, rotors and performance pads provide increased braking power.

B-Pillar Appliqué Polished stainless steel, attaches to b-pillar area to enhance appearance.

Pedal Kit: Bright finish, attaches to gas and brake pedals to enhance driver’s foot well appearance.

Industry-first Wireless Charging: With a higher demand on power from phones and other battery-powered devices, this new wireless charging system allows driver to set electronic devices in a specified charging zone and charge without wires. This is accomplished by creating a virtually invisible charging zone in the vehicle instrument panel or center stack. Energy is then transferred from the charging pad to the device battery, utilizing a compatible device-specific case.

Industry-first Wi-Fi: Allows owners to utilize electronic devices as far as 150 feet from the vehicle. Each passenger may separately access the Web on the go. In-vehicle router receives 3G broadband Internet, allowing access to social media, maps, e-mail, online games, music and more. Works with Wi-Fi enabled device. Subscription required and sold separately.

Industry-first Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): Mopar’s system is powered by Guidepoint Systems, the leader in GPS-enabled stolen-vehicle recovery systems. Unlike other vehicle-tracking systems, the Mopar EVTS offers nationwide tracking without a subscription.

Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
• Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

Detroit Motor Show reveal of 2013 Dodge Dart puts an end to its leakage.

And now we also have the officials details of this Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based saloon. Now we know for sure that it gets a new 160 horsepower Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter engine, a 160 horsepower 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine and a new 184 horsepower Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir 2 four-cylinder engine.

That means whatever engine you go for, you won’t be disappointed. Especially as the Dart also gets six-speed manual, six-speed automatic or six-speed dual dry clutch (DDCT) transmission, and Alfa’s DNA system.

The exterior design might be slightly controversial, but Dodge has every reason to be proud of the interior. Not only it has a cool, sporty design, the fit and finish and the quality of the materials seem to be of the highest grade. OK, so the red ambient lighting might be a bit too much, but still. Dodge offers 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim combinations, seven wheel options for the Dart.

The 2013 Dodge Dart will be available in five trim levels: SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited and R/T. Depending on those trims, you can have the Dart with 7-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) customizable gauge cluster display with light pipe surround, and the Uconnect Touch 8.4-inch touchscreen Media Center.

In terms of safety, you can count on four-wheel, four-channel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake force distribution and traction control system on all models, and stuff like Brake Assist, Brake-lock differential,  Ready Alert Braking, Rainy Brake Support, Hydraulic boost compensation, Electronic stability control (four-channel active handling system ESC), Electronic Roll Mitigation, Hill-start Assist, Trailer-sway Control, ParkView® rear backup camera and ParkSense rear park assist on the options list.

2013 Dodge Dart at a glance:

• World-class aerodynamics
• Class-exclusive integrated dual exhaust
• Class-exclusive “racetrack” LED taillamps
• Class-exclusive choice of either Hyper Black or polished wheels
• Class-exclusive 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect Touch Media Center with built-in radio, navigation, iPod control, climate controls, voice-activated blue tooth, SiriusXM Travel Link, weather updates and points of interest
• Class-exclusive 7-inch reconfigurable gauge cluster display that is easily customizable to the driver’s taste. Choices include: digital and analog gauges, navigation turn-by-turn display, eco-meter, fuel economy, audio, phone, compass and temperature read outs
• Class-exclusive floating island bezel
• Class-exclusive heated steering wheel
• Class-exclusive in-seat storage
• Available 506-watt sound system
• Keyless Enter ’n Go with push-button start
• High-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps
• Dual-zone automatic temperature control with humidity sensor
• Unsurpassed 10 standard airbags
• ParkView® rear backup camera
• Blind-spot Monitoring
• Rear Cross Path Detection
• Best-in-class hip room and shoulder room
• The most diverse lineup of gasoline powertrains in the segment – three new engines and three transmissions:
  • New Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates an estimated 160 horsepower with the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission
  • The technologically advanced Fiat 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo producing an estimated 160 horsepower and an impressive 184 lb.-ft. of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed DDCT transmission
  • New powerful 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2 four-cylinder engine that produces an estimated 184 horsepower with the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission

Not officially, but the first pictures – and a video – of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart have already made their way to the web.

A replacement for the frankly awful Caliber, the new Dart is developed jointly by Chrysler and Fiat, and is based on a widened version of Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform. It will also benefit from Fiat’s MultiAir engines.

The car doesn’t look particularly pretty, but it’s by no means boring to look at. It has an interesting design with Dodge’s signature grille dominating the front-end and Challenger-like taillights at the back.

Dodge is really proud of the interior, which is a far cry from the typical American car interior we all know and hate. It is built with high quality soft-touch materials and has great fit and finish. Its party piece is a glowing red ambient lighting, and the Uconnect infotainment system with an 8.4-inch display.

As for the engines, the Dart will get two MultiAir engines an one Tigershark. All of them are fuel efficient four-cylinder units. The car will also get Chrysler’s new 9-speed automatic transmission.

Official details should be released soon, probably before Detroit Motor Show opens its doors to the public tomorrow.

The next car to benefit from Chrysler’s partnership with Beats by Dr.Dre is the 2012 Dodge Charger.

They will unveil a Charger fitted with Beats audio system at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Detroit Motor Show.

The 10-speaker audio system complete with an 8-inch Beats Audio trunk-mounted dual-voice coil subwoofer with sealed enclosure is linked to the car’s UConncet system, which is enhacned with a bespoke “Beats by Dr. Dre” start-up screen for its 8.4-inch display.

The system also controls the 12-channel amplifier that integrates the heart of the Beats proprietary equalizer algorithm, creating the high-definition sound Beats Audio founders Dr. Dre, and Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, require in their professional recording studios. Other features include:

• Three 3.5-inch speakers located in the instrument panel
• Two 3.5-inch speakers located in the rear doors
• Two 6 x 9-inch front-door woofers provide bass
• Two 6 x 9-inch speakers and a center-mounted 8-inch speaker located in the rear-shelf area provide full-range audio

This kinda explains why Dr. Dre is yet to drop the Detox. He’s too busy making speakers and headphones.

Mopar is really raising the bar for American sports saloons at this year’s Detroit Motor Show. After the Chrysler 200 Super S now check this out, the Doge Charger Redline.

The new special edition Charger is a 426 HEMI-powered showcase of new Mopar performance kits. If you’ve already ordered a Super Bee maybe it’s time to call your dealer and start negotiating again.

The Redline treatment for the Charger is devided into three stages. Stage I deals with the aesthetics, and provides items like full-width Mopar carbon fiber chin, Redline Tri-coat paint, the two-piece grille features a body-color painted-grille surround with black signature “crosshair” insert. Large 20 x 8-inch Mopar Black Envy Wheels feature a Pitch Black-painted wheel face with polished accents.

Other features include Mopar carbon fiber door scoops highlight Dodge Charger Redline’s signature body-side scallops and include heritage “R/T” badging to pay homage to the historic 1970 Charger model, plus three-piece Mopar carbon fiber rear spoiler and Mopar’s vinyl roof graphic in matte black.

After the rather substantial visual package, we get to the performance parts of Stage II, including Mopar’s cat-back performance exhaust system, a front-tower cross-brace and front tower brace caps, and high-performance Mopar brake linings.

Finally the Stage III provides many upgrades for that massive V8, such as a stout, balanced lower reciprocating assembly that features a forged-steel crankshaft with six-bolt mains at 2, 3 and 4, and cross-bolted 4-bolt mains at 1 and 5. H-beam style rods are made from forged steel and coupled to forged 11:1 compression ratio aluminum pistons.

The result is an output of 590 hp, 220 more than the standard Charger R/T. What a machine!

The next generation Viper will be built at Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, under the SRT brand. So it’s not a Dodge anymore.

The Conner facility was idled when production of the Dodge Viper ended in July 2010 but it now it’s back in business creating 150 new jobs, and fully prepared to give life to the ultimate American supercar.

Conner Avenue will begin building the new Viper in late 2012, but employees began reporting for training and orientation this fall. Over the course of 15 years, Conner Avenue employees built about 12 vehicles a day for a total of 22,070 Vipers.

The new Viper shares very little with the first-gen 90s version. That brutal monster was an amazing car, but to drive it was akin to a tractor, with a jet engine. It was like chugging down a very strong whisky straight from the bottle.

The second-gen became more sophisticated and softer. It hid its sheer lunacy under a rather thick layer of common sense. It was like a very fine cocktail served on the rocks.

The new one, apparently, is more like an energy drink. It will be the first Viper to feature traction control and other electronic controls the Viper has never been familiar with. They are of course mandatory these days.

“The next generation Viper will make its return to the product lineup in late 2012 as a 2013 model,” said Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “We’re extremely excited that our ultimate American sports car will continue to live on and be produced exclusively here in the Motor City.”

Dodge reveals a bit further on the new 2013 Dart mid-size sedan ahead of its Detroit debut.

This time they give us a sneak peek of the interior. But just like the exterior they release a couple of practically useless teaser images showing the cars instrument binnacle and the infotainment system.

This way they boast two of the greatest features of the car, the customizable 7-inch gauge cluster, and 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. The high-tech instrument cluster has digital readouts, plus a satnav screen right in the middle. Very handy feature that. The 8.4-inch touchscreen multimedia center is also the largest touchscreen in its class.

The Dart is a highly customizable cars, available with 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim combinations, six wheel options, three engine options and three transmissions. Dodge is also pretty confident about its quality and used materials. Class-exclusive features are other plus points for the new American sedan.

Dodge Dart comes with exclusive interior lighting. Available “racetrack” lighting surrounds the floating island bezel. Ambient lighting for the door handles, map pockets, foot wells, glove box, storage bin and illuminated cup holders is both useful and provides a warm atmosphere inside the vehicle.

Other notable features include heated steering wheel, surround sound system, 10 standard airbags, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path Detection.

New details have been revealed on the all-new Dodge Dart compact sedan by Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The Dart is designed to rival cars like the Hyundai Elantra so first and foremost it has to be just as efficient. Dodge has taken care of that and promises 40 mpg or about 5.8 liter per 100 km. That’s good for the next two or three years.

Another great feature of the car which is also good for publicity is a 9-speed automatic ZF gearbox available as an option. It might sound like an overkill for a car of this type, but it contributes to the car’s fuel economy by up to 15 percent.

At launch Dodge Dart will be available with a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter engine, a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine, and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir four cylinder engine.

To catch the first glimpse of the car’s looks we are going to have to wait for 2012 Detroit Motor Show.

Autonews.com

Dodge released the first teaser shots of the new Dart compact car ahead of its Detroit Motor Show debut.

The Dart is an Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based compact four-door sedan to replace the Caliber. What you get is Alfa engines, Alfa chassis and Alfa suspension, and a brand-new Dodge body on the top. Sounds like a nice blend.

The Alfa Romeo bits have proven themselves and they are good. So the only thing remain to speculate about is the design. Dodge says they wanted something with iconic Dodge style, while evoking emotion, efficiency and fluidity of movement.

Dodge signature features are clear to see all over the body, including the split-crosshair grille, projector headlamps and fog lamps and accentuated fenders, as well as the full-width LED ‘racetrack’ tail lamps and the dual exhaust borrowed directly from the latest Charger.

The powertrain lineup for the 2013 Dart includes a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter engine, a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine, and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir four cylinder engine.

If you were gearing up to visit the 2012 Detroit Motor Show to see the new generation Dodge Viper, you might get disappointed.

New reports suggest that Chrysler might skip their hometown motor show in Detroit, in spite of all the hype their created with Imported From Detroit campaign, and reveal the new Viper in concept form at the next New York Auto Show.

One might argue that’s because the car’s not yet ready. But sources close to Chrysler say New York  more of an International event and provides a wider audience. Seeing as the new Viper is a global supercar, it makes mroe sense for it to make its debut in that city.

As for the car itself, all the evidences suggest it’s become softer and safer. It will have traction control for Christ’s sake, can you belive it! It certainly will be faster than the old Viper but it won’t have that car’s party piece which was unforgiving brutality and raw simplicty.

via: MotorAuthority

Yellow Jacket is the latest special edition of the 2012 Dodge Challenger 392 inspired by the the 1970 Challenger.

The car features Stinger Yellow or Pitch Black and unique visual elements such as the contrasting stripe all over the body.This limited run production model also gets 20 x 9-inch, five-spoke cast-aluminum wheels with black painted pockets, and exclusive Stinger Yellow accent band with embroidered Yellow Jacket logo and silver accent stitching on the inside.

The Challenger 392 is powered by the 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque 392 cubic-inch HEMI V-8 and has the Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission and a dual-disc high-performance clutch, or an optional five-speed auto.

The 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 accelerates from 0-60 mph in the high 4-second range; runs the quarter mile in mid-12-second range with the automatic transmission (high 12-second range with the manual); goes from 0-100-0 mph in the low 15s, reaches a top speed of 182 mph with the manual transmission (175 mph with the automatic).

A limited number of 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket models will be built for the U.S. market. It will be available for ordering in December at Dodge dealerships nationwide and will be arriving in U.S. dealer showrooms in the first quarter of 2012.

Michigan State Police’s Vehicle Evaluation Test revealed the performance figures for the new Dodge Charger Pursuit. And boy is it fast!

The HEMI-powered 370 hp Dodge Charger Pursuit V8 set the fastest lap time ever recorded (1:33.70) — at Michigan State Police’s (MSP) annual Police Vehicle Evaluation tests earlier this week at Grattan Raceway in Belding, Mich. It is the only Police car that can make 60 mph in under six seconds. Here’s the preliminary performance figures:

• 0-to-60 mph (5.83 sec)
• 0-to-70 mph (7.38 sec)
• 0-to-80 mph (9.18 sec)
• 0-to-90 mph (11.43 sec)
• 0-to-100 mph (13.65 sec)

Dodge also offers this car with a more economical V6 Pentastar engine, but now that they announced the V8′s might power and speed, officers are not going to settle for the V6. Hell, I would join the force just to cruise the town in that V8 monster, secretly praying for a chase!

Continuing to build on the Charger’s high-performance heritage and the 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit debuting at last year’s MSP tests, the 2012 model features new performance improvements, including:

• Optional 3.07 rear-axle ratio for increased acceleration with Pentastar® V-6 (2.65 standard)
• Optional 3.06 rear-axle ratio for increased acceleration with HEMI® V-8 (2.65 standard)
• Recalibrated engine controller (including a 151 mph max-speed rating) with HEMI V-8
• New heavy-duty and higher performance brake pads with new silicone brake caliper boot to reduce brake fade and deliver improved performance and durability (late availability)
• All-new police-specific designed front seats provide additional comfort, accommodate the equipment on the officer’s duty belt, and provide the lateral support for performance driving
• Full-color Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) with an engine-hour and engine-idle hour meter
• 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with 100,000 mile spark plugs
• New wheel hub for minimized deflection and less vibration when braking

Law enforcement customers too can customize their Dodge Chargers with accessories from Mopar catalog!

Unlike the accessories that you get for your Charger to make it look cool, these Police packages are designed to provide law-enforcement officers with the best combination of tactical equipment and performance. These police-equipment packages feature emergency lighting, audible warning, communications and safety equipment.

Dodge Charger Pursuit is available with either the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine, which delivers 292 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, offers E-85 flex-fuel capability and up to 27 highway miles per gallon (mpg), or the full-fat 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with Fuel Saver Technology delivers 370 horsepower, 390 lb.-ft. of torque and up to 25 highway mpg.

If you saw this thing in your rear view mirror, you better pull up at once!

Here’s the list of Dodge Charger Pursuit features, including the new Mopar packages:

• Emergency Equipment Electrical System Wire Harness
• Power Distribution Center (PDC)
• Slide-out Trunk Tray
• Trunk Air-circulation Fan
• Siren Speaker

The 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit’s available police-equipment packages include six quick-order package options:

• Base Prep Police Package (AYE): includes front and rear wire harness, power distribution center, siren speaker with bracket, trunk tray and trunk cooling fan
• Patrol Package 1 (AYF): includes police floor console, front-corner LED lamps, rear-corner LED lamps, front and rear wire harness, power-distribution center, siren speaker with bracket, trunk tray and trunk cooling fan
• Patrol Package 2 (AYH): includes police floor console, push bumper, front and rear wire harness, power-distribution center, siren speaker and bracket, trunk tray and trunk cooling fan
• Patrol Package 3 (AYM): includes push bumper, police floor console, front corner LED lamps, rear corner LED lamps, front and rear wire harness, power distribution center, siren speaker with bracket, trunk tray and trunk accessory cooling fan
• Slick Top Police Package 1 (AYN): includes police floor console, front and rear wire harness, power-distribution center, siren speaker with bracket, trunk tray and trunk cooling fan
• Slick Top Police Package 2 (AYP): includes front-corner LED lamps, rear-corner LED lamps, front and rear wire harness, power distribution center, siren speaker with bracket, trunk tray and trunk cooling fan

In addition to the six packages, 24 Mopar parts may be ordered separately:

• Push Bumper
• Siren Speaker and Bracket
• Grille Lights
• Front Corner LED Lights
• Rear Corner LED Lights
• Side Lights
• Visor Lights
• Overhead Light Bar- Full Feature
• Overhead Light Bar – Limited Feature
• Rear Deck Lights, Full Width
• Rear Deck Lights
• Police Floor Console
• Can-Com Siren System
• All-weather Floor Mats
• Trunk Tray
• Trunk Cooling Fan
• Spare-Tire Relocation Bracket
• Front Wire Harness
• Rear Wire Harness
• Power Distribution Center
• Front Splash Guards
• Rear Splash Guards
• Hitch Receiver
• 7-Way Trailer-Tow Harness with 4-pin Adapter

Here’s Edmunds’ take on the new 2012 Dodge Charger, America’s Mercedes E63 AMG. They took the high performance sedan out to the open roads to see what it’s really made of in the real world. The car might work brilliantly on the track, but a four-door saloon should also be good as, well, a four-door saloon! The 2012 Charger SRT8 is powered by the new 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 developing 465 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. We are just not sure about its looks.

Video after the jump.

As we have already reported Dodge has started a new advertising campaign for the Durango, in which this big seven-seat SUV is a self-claimed king of  performance! In this ad called ‘Bad News’ they emphasize on this fact by showing seven fake Stigs – symbol of professional driving – racing each other to get behind the wheel. Only one can drive the car, but because the car has seven seats, the others can come along for the ride. We liked that tug of war commercial better, this one sounds like a … well… a big lie! The real Stig would have never liked such a car.

Watch it after the jump.

Chrysler launched a new TV commercial for the 2011 Dodge Durango, emphasizing on the car’s good qualities such as best-in-class driving range, power and towing capacity, seating for seven. They try to prove their point by playing tug of war against the car’s main opponent, Ford Explorer! The message is simple, with other SUVs going all weak and soft, the Durango still has the toughness and performance. If only it looked a bit better…

Watch the ad after the jump.

“With its perfect blend of fuel efficiency and driving dynamics, spacious seating for seven, and best-in-class power and towing capacity, no other sport utility on the road compares with the all-new Dodge Durango,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “Durango customers are looking for the perfect balance of functional versatility and luxury at an outstanding value, a vehicle that is spacious and flexible enough to haul three rows of passengers and their gear, but powerful and agile enough to keep it fun. It is these capabilities and features that are the focus of the new ad campaign.”

Dodge Caliber has been around for a while now but no body never really took this car seriously! Now with some help from Mopar, Chrysler hopes to change things for the better.

Mopar provides the Caliber with some macho, sporty looks to it can grab more attention. But they decided to play it safe and first release the car as a special edition for South Africa. Mopar Caliber is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine which is tweaked with a old Air Induction system and sport exhausts to make 156PS (115 kW) and 190Nm (140 lb-ft) of torque.

You can clearly see the telltale signs of the exhausts system once you look at the back and come across those two pipes sticking out of the rear bumper. The looks is further enhanced with 18? black powder-coated alloy wheels, suspension lowering kit, some stripes, and Mopar decals and graphics.

The car will cost nearly 38,000 USD in Africa. Still not interesting though!