Chrysler (Page 37)

The Washington DC Auto Show opens next weekend and on the eve of the show’s public opening, Keith Crane and the Automotive News will recognize Mr. Carroll Shelby with their 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award at a charity dinner in Mr. Shelby’s honor.

Chrysler’s Ram brand (formerly Dodge trucks) is the most consistent of the companies under the automakers umbrella and at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Ram showed off their luxury side with the new Laramie Longhorn alongside their sporty side – the Mopar Ram Runner.

Like Bob Lutz, when Chrysler’s CEO Sergio Marchionne appears to speak, a crowd appears and people listen. This time he appeared with the EPA in Ann Arbor to announce a cooperative arrangement to adapt hydraulic hybrid technology for mini-vans.

Since the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 first hit the news, people have been speculating just how much power the new 392 cubic inch Hemi makes and for the second time in less than a month, Dodge is offering up more positive results of a new dyno test.

No brand had more to show off at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show than Dodge, with nearly every model being vastly improved compared to what was shown at the 2010 show, including the gorgeous redesigned 2011 Charger and the all-new 2011 Durango.

Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne had a great deal to say at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show about future products and included in that information was the upcoming Chrysler 300 Hybrid, expected to hit the market in 2013.

Independent lab tests confirm the Scuderi™ Air-Hybrid Engine consumes up to 36 percent less fuel than a conventional engine. Beyond 2016 Federal Fuel Economy mandates, the gains will likely enable the technology to now challenge more expensive electric hybrids shown at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

Once again, the 2011 North American International Auto Show Charity Preview black tie gala continues to be one of the top single-night fundraising events in the nation.

When the popular new video game Call of Duty: Black Ops was released in November 2010, Jeep announced that they would be offering a special Black Ops Edition Jeep Wrangler to celebrate the vehicle being featured in the highly anticipated shooter but at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Mopar accessorized the Black Ops Jeep to really reflect the intensity of the game.

During an impromptu question and answer session with Chrysler head Sergio Marchionne at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the boss commented that either the Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Caravan lineup would be coming to an end in the near future as the company works to diminish redundancy among their brands.

The Mopar Ram Runner was introduced at an Easter event in Moab Utah last year, followed up by a trip to the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas but with the beginning of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the modified Ram 1500 made its “production” debut in the Motor City.