Dodge (Page 53)

Chrysler's redesign of the Dodge Durango SUV and Charger sedan earn "most improved" awards from Consumer Reports, but other updated models are still not up to snuff.

Some folks are born to the racetrack and others find themselves there by a less direct route. Driving the latest automotive models about a track designed by, operated for and maintained in the interests of regional car and motorcycle-racing clubs is a rare opportunity for many in the automotive media. High Plains Raceway is just such a place under an hour East of Denver, where the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press provided track time for those attending the second annual Rocky Mountain Driving Experience this week.

Even though American models like the Ford Focus and Chevy Cruze are flourishing in the US market, the Dodge Caliber has never received a great deal of respect – a problem Chrysler hopes to fix that when they unveil the next generation of the Caliber at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The folks from the Chrysler Group and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced of a wide variety of 2011 model year vehicles from the Chrysler Group, affecting 12 vehicles across the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

Today the folks at General Motors posted a video on YouTube of the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 on the famed Nürburgring race course in Germany – a video in which the ZR-1 turned a stunning lap time of just 7:19.63, effectively destroying the record held by the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR since August 2008.

According to Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, when the next generation Chrysler minivan hits the market it will feature the return of the popular all wheel drive system along with a new crossover variant – building on Marchionne’s comments at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show that one of the two top-selling minivans from Chrysler would be seeing a significant redesign in an effort to end inter-company redundancy.

What kind of animal would you expect to find on the hood of a Dodge?

According to the folks at USA Today, the Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang outsold all hybrid models sold in May by a margin of almost 10%.

Chrysler has just announced that the Street and Racing Technology division will be split off into its own cross-brand unit, moving former Dodge brand CEO Ralph Gilles to the head the new high performance brand but along with this move, Chrysler has made a handful of other management changes with an impact across North America.

Due to some legal sour grapes by some California Chrysler brand dealerships, the Chrysler Group may be forced to sell their stake in the spectacular Motor Village dealership in LA which features the company’s plans of having all five brands under one roof with salon style accessory and aftersales offerings joining the sales, service and parts for every vehicle under the Chrysler umbrella.

May 2011 was not a month of great sales as nearly every major automotive group showed a decline compared to May of 2010 but the Chrysler Group was among those showing growth – making them the only American manufacturer to show positive growth in May.

The numbers from the major players in the rear wheel drive performance segment and even though numbers are down across the board, for the fifth straight month the Chevrolet Camaro has posted a comfortable lead in the segment over the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger and the Nissan 370Z.

If you want to turn your Ram Truck into a desert racer, Mopar's new Ram Runner kit boasts it will provide performance on a par with dedicated off-road racers, give you superior shocks and suspension and do it all while looking drop dead desert gorgeous. You too can have a Mopar-powered desert racer.

While the 2011 Dodge Avenger Heat features a revised interior and a subtly altered exterior, the biggest news for the new midsized Dodge sedan is the improved suspension system and the new premium engine option.

I recently had the pleasure of spending a week behind the wheel of the 2011 Dodge Avenger Heat, which included a nice long road trip to the Mecum Indy Spring Classic along with the duties of daily driving tasks – all of which clearly displayed the improvements made to the Avenger compared to the previous model year.

Chrysler’s Mopar division has announced the MoVenture - a cross-country road rally and scavenger hunt pitting 10 teams of hardcore Mopar enthusiasts head to head as the groups race from Detroit to Golden Colorado in 2011 and 2012 Chrysler vehicles.

The Kurt Busch Foundation has announced a raffle with an incredible grand prize – a customized 2011 Dodge Charger R/T featuring upgrades and styling based on Kurt Busch’s #22 Penske Charger race car and the Mopar Redline Charger that debuted at the 2010 SEMA Show.

Chrysler’s Mopar division unveiled their factory-modified Mopar ’11 Dodge Charger and now they have introduced a Mopar-modified version of their Dodge Caliber hatchback – but it doesn’t look like it will be available to those Dodge lovers in the US as the special edition Caliber has been launched for the South African market.

Jalen Rose is best known for being a member of the University of Michigan’s “Fab Five” but Rose is also an avid car collector and among his collection is an original 1969 Dodge Charger “General Lee” from The Dukes of Hazzard – a car which Rose is auctioning off for charity on May 24th.