Showing posts with label Dodge News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dodge News. Show all posts

NY Preview: SRT releases final teaser of new Viper


Below is a rendering of the Next Gen Viper....

By Mark Kleis
Chrysler’s SRT division has released its fourth and final teaser of its 2013 Viper, giving us our first look at the car’s overall shape. The 2013 SRT Viper will debut in just a few days at the NY auto show.


This latest teaser isn’t in high-resolution, but gives us a basic idea of what to expect when SRT finally pulls the sheet on the new Viper this week. From what we can see in the photo, the Viper will come with a far more sculpted body than the last version of the car.


Set to become the first vehicle marketed under the SRT banner, the 2013 Viper has been a long time coming. Its Dodge Viper predecessor has been out of production since mid-2010, but a fifth-generation snake will bring the nameplate back sans “Dodge” for the first time in its history.
Our illustration is based on information culled from a number of sources, one of which is rather unusual, to say the least. While information gleaned from insiders, including those few members of the public who have been allowed to see the car, and photos of cleverly disguised test mules form the basis of much of the illustration’s details, a leaked image of a Hot Wheels 1/64-scale toy car helped put the finishing touches on our rendering.


That Hot Wheels model made its way online last week when it was posted on a Viper forum.

We expect the Viper’s proportions to remain mostly unchanged, but its rear end is more aggressive and angular than the one seen on the last generation. As predicted by spy shots and previous reports, the car features a high-sculpted hood fitted with two big air vents.


Those vents will be needed as the SRT Viper is expected to arrive with an 8.7-liter V10 engine that will send over 600 horsepower to the rear wheels. Early rumors suggested the car would share some of its architecture with the voluptuous, if slightly un-engaging Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but SRT chief Ralph Gilles has been quick to dispel those rumors by stating that “The new Viper is not based on anything else.”


As previously reported, Chrysler is reopening its Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit to build the Viper. The automaker has offered jobs to all 150 workers it once employed at the facility, which it uses exclusively to hand-build Vipers.


“The next generation Viper will make its return to the product lineup in late 2012 as a 2013 model,” said SRT Brand & Motorsports President/CEO Ralph Gilles in a statement released to the media. “We’re extremely excited that our ultimate American sports car will continue to live on and be produced exclusively here in the Motor City.”


Source;

Dodge pulls the plug on the Caliber this coming November 2011

Last year's update to the Dodge Caliber, which saw the high-riding small car get a revised interior and little else, will likely be its last.



Reports have circulated for some time that a replacement for the small crossover is on the way, and according to Chrysler enthusiast website Allpar, dealers in the US have been advised to get final orders placed before November.



The report follows talk earlier this year of Chrysler and Fiat developing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based Caliber replacement, with a debut planned for January's Detroit Auto Show.



Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, has previously confirmed that a new Dodge small car will be built on the Giulietta's underpinnings, known internally as the C-Evo platform.



“The new architecture, which debuted with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, is the most advanced mass-produced car Fiat has ever had. At Chrysler, Dodge will use it first,” he said.



Marchionne's comments and the new reports are in line with the company's roadmap, pointing to a Fiat-based model replacing the current Dodge Caliber in 2012.



While little else is known, Marchionne promised the new model will deliver fuel consumption figures of around 5.5 to 6.0 l/100km - suggesting power will come from one of Fiat's smaller-capacity MultiAir engines.



The new model's styling remains shrouded, although concept art that surfaced online last year (above) offers a glimpse at what could be the sportiest compact car to wear a Dodge badge in a long time.



Source;

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/52365/dodge-caliber-retiring-in-november-report

Cult Motorsport's Custom Challenger SRT8 Looks Evil

Wow.... just when I thought the Challenger couldn't get any better looking....This Dodge Challenger built for Cult Energy drinks is set to debut in November at SEMA. Built with a one-off, hand-fabricated widebody kit, some Mopar forum fan-boys claim power output's in the 1000 horsepower range.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5671734/cult-motorsports-custom-challenger-srt8-looks-evil

Source for pic's, check it out, way more photo's; [Not Bland Photography]

Dodge Could Get New MPV

Interesting....C'mon Honda, bring the Honda Stream to North America! Listen to what people are asking for!
In April, Fiat rolled out its latest strategy for the revival of the Chrysler Group and loosely outlined the products the automaker is expected to roll out over the next several years both in Europe and the U.S. One interesting tidbit in the presentation was the announcement of a new seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) being developed for the U.S. market that is slated to roll into showrooms sometime in calendar year 2012.

The new MPV, which will reportedly be built on the Fiat Group C-compact platform, and is said to be positioned to do battle with the Mazda5 and Ford's coming Grand C-Max. While it's conceivable that the vehicle could be badged as both a Chrysler and a Dodge, a Dodge-branded vehicle makes more sense -- especially when considering the recent news that Fiat plans to fuse Chrysler and Lancia at the hip.

A Dodge MPV would also mean that Fiat could arguably take a more expressive approach to the vehicle. It's no secret that the Journey and Grand Caravan aren't exactly reflective of where Fiat wants to take Dodge, and a sport-themed MPV along the lines of what is depicted above could be just the ticket to help transition the brand away from its bland people-mover offerings.

It would also allow Dodge to go after younger buyers looking for a vehicle with a blend of practicality and efficiency on top of a sporty character. Any U.S.-market MPV would have to have flexible packaging and offer room for bicycles, snowboards and the like. We'd expect any small MPV to be powered by one of Fiat's efficient MultiAir engines. Of course at this point it's hard to say which brand will actually get the vehicle outlined in the plan, but the addition of the coming MPV to the Dodge stable certainly makes sense. We'll know more over the next year as the Fiat plan begins to take shape.

Source (via autoblog);
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1006_dodge_could_get_new_mpv/index.html