Chrysler (Page 24)

There are a great many cars and trucks on the floor of the 2011 SEMA Show that are powered by the mighty Chrysler Hemi V8 but none are quite like the “Maxi Cooper” shown on the right – a Mini Cooper converted to rear wheel drive and powered by a 650 horsepower 6.4L Hemi.

Among the many high performance models at the Mopar display at the 2011 SEMA Show was the Ram 392 Quick Silver - a Ram 1500 equipped with the 6.4L Hemi from the current SRT8 lineup and while this truck is just an “image vehicle“, Mopar points out just how easy it was to make this truck, perhaps suggesting how easy it could be for Ralph Gilles’ SRT Group to offer a new high performance pickup.

Among the news of new crate engines and all of the sexy high performance show cars, the folks at Chrysler’s Mopar division used the 2011 SEMA Show to announce some massive racing news - that Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr would be making a return to a factory backed Mopar racing team after several years behind the wheel of a GM race car.

Last week we brought you the news that WD40 and the SEMA Cares charity group would be offering up a new vehicle that would be auctioned off with the help of the good people at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction to benefit children’s charities and yesterday, the new 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 WD40 SEMA Cares vehicle met the world.

Chrysler cars and trucks sold mad crazy last month, up 27% over year-ago numbers and good enough to be the best October for the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker since 2007. Impact players: The Jeep Compass, Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 and 300. Sales of the Compass rose an astounding 566%.

Who knew that details of an automaker’s lease program and transfer policies could have a significant impact on brand retention? And online car lease website LeaseTrader.com has the stats to prove it.

All Michigan Secretary of State branch offices and the Office of the Great Seal will be closed on Friday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Licenses and plates that expire that day can be renewed the following day without penalty

The Chrysler Group has done a masterful job of keeping the 2013 Dodge Viper under wraps, with just a few spyshots and some teaser releases about upcoming technology but according to the Mopar aficionados at Allpar.com, when the 2013 Dodge Viper hits the streets next year it could pack a new 8.7 liter version of the V10 engine.

Just one day after the United Auto Workers announced that their workers had voted (sort of) to ratify the new 4-year labor contract with the Chrysler Group, Chrysler has announced their financial results for the 2011 Q3 – showing revenue of $13.1 billion and a profit of $212 million while moving almost a half million vehicles around the world.

Earlier today we brought you the news that the two main groups within Chrysler’s assembly of UAW workers – the production workers and skilled trade workers – had split on whether or not to ratify the new 4-year deal between the labor union and the Chrysler Group but after a brief period of discussion among union officials, the UAW has approved the new contract.

The UAW has been careful to not publish any sort of official results of the current voting process under way for the new 4-year Chrysler contract but reports suggest that with nearly all local branches around the US having turned in their results; production workers have voted in favor of the new deal while skilled trade workers have voted against the new contract.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to speak with SRT CEO Ralph Gilles about the possibility of seeing an SRT-powered Ram in the future and while he couldn’t offer any future product plans, the Ram 392 Quick Silver coming to the 2011 SEMA Show could be a preview of “what could be” if Gilles’ SRT engineers were to build a Ram 1500 of their own.

Chrysler’s Mopar performance parts division always has a massive presence at the SEMA Show and 2011 will be no different, as the Mopar Underground team will unveil their Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR – built almost entirely with parts from the Mopar catalog to pay homage to the incredible Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR that recently reclaimed the production car lap time record at the famed Nürburgring.

The Ram Truck brand’s Power Wagon package for the 2500 models has been one of the most critically acclaimed trucks in the US over the past few years and for 2012, there are two new trimline options for the most capable off road truck on the market.

Imagine if you had five more computer operating systems than just Windows, and in order to get a new job, you had to be fluent in all of them, not to mention proficient. Then you get the scope of the problem still plaguing many within Detroit's unemployed engineering and design community, while the auto industry cries that it cannot find skilled designers.

In February of this year, TorqueNews brought you a look at the a pair of Jeep Grand Cherokee models clad with diesel engine badging testing in the Detroit area and now, it looks as though the diesel-powered version of the premium Jeep SUV will hit the US market in 2013.

Now that the new contracts between the UAW and Ford/General Motors, the United Auto Workers union can turn their attention to the pending deal with the Chrysler Group but as the results of the first wave of voting has hit the internet – there are mixed results as several major locals have voted “no” while some other groups have given the thumbs up to the new deal.

The folks at WD40 have worked with the SEMA Cares group each of the last two years to build show cars-turned-Barrett Jackson Auto Auction vehicles, raising over $275,000 for children’s charities and this year, WD40 has worked once again with the companies of SEMA Cares along with automotive design legend Chip Foose to create an ultimate sports car.

This morning, a group of workers put the finishing touches on a new window dressing at their Auburn Hills headquarters, showing off a 70-foot tall likeness of the incredible new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 with the bold statement “Autobahned. 0-60 MPH in 4.8 seconds”.