Chrysler (Page 9)

Among the major announcements at this week’s launch of the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit was the North American Truck of the Year with the heavily decorated 2013 Ram 1500 taking the top honors for the truck and utility vehicle segment – joining the Cadillac ATS in an all-American sweep of what is arguably the biggest award issued each year in the US market.

The big news from the Chrysler Group at today’s start of the 2013 North American International Auto Show was the formal introduction of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and while this high performance SUV is best known for going fast – some new features will help the 2014 SRT Jeep tow more while offering better fuel economy and performance.

Today at the Chrysler Group’s Connor Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, the company held a celebration to official introduce 2013 SRT Viper GTS VIN #001 to the lucky owner – with the future owner of the first SRT branded supercar joined by the built team, SRT boss Ralph Gilles and company CEO Sergio Marchionne.

It is well known that the Chrysler Group will soon unveil the high performance Dodge Dart SRT4 but the company has done a fine job of making sure that no one gets a look at the new high performance compact sedan – until the image on the right surfaced online this week – showing what could be our first look at the SRT variant of the sporty Dodge Dart.

The 2013 Ram 1500 has been busy over the past few months scoring awards from all sorts of automotive authority but today, the Chrysler Group announced a new towing capacity for the 2013 Ram Heavy Duty that makes the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 the most capable trucks on the market today – with a maximum towing capacity of 30,000 pounds.

As the 2012 calendar year drew to a close, the Chrysler Group did in December what it had done throughout the year – being among the strongest of the automaker groups in terms of sales growth while also closing out the year as the best of the Detroit Big 3 in year over year growth.

While many expected that the first performance package for the new Dodge Dart would be the same R/T trimline featured on the rest of the Dodge lineup – this morning the Chrysler Group introduced the first performance oriented trimline in the form of the 2013 Dodge Dart GT.

The Ford Mustang trailed by less than 1,100 units going into December as the pony car attempted to prevent the Chevrolet Camaro from winning its third straight segment sales title but the bowtie-clad muscle car managed to claim its 6th monthly win of the year in December and in doing so – General Motors has the bragging right of offering America’s bestselling muscle car once again.

Elementary, middle and high school teams from around the U.S. and Canada have received grants totaling $147,000 to compete in the FIRST robotics season that started this weekend.

The Chevrolet Volt did in December 2012 what it did in 9 of the first 11 months of the year – soundly pummeling the Nissan Leaf in monthly sales en route to what amounted to a massive landslide victory in the 2012 electric vehicle segment sales battle after the Leaf claimed the title in 2011.

The 2013 SRT Viper might not be reaching the hands of happy new owners until next month but that didn’t stop Edmunds from taking a preproduction Viper GTS to the dyno to see what the newest Mopar supercar puts out at the wheels – with the results being 558 horsepower and 528lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels.

The Chrysler Group has been making good use of an 8-speed automatic transmission for some time now in their Pentastar V6-powered vehicles including the Dodge Charger, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the new Ram 1500 but starting later this year, the versions of those vehicles powered by the mighty 5.7L Hemi will also feature the fuel-friendly 8-speed automatic transmission.

The Fiat 500 Abarth might not be the fastest or the most high tech sports car in America but with a price starting just under $23,000, fuel economy measures in the 30-34 mile per gallon range and driving characteristics that make it just as much fun to drive as far more power and far more expensive sports cars – it is my belief that the Fiat 500 Abarth is not only the most engaging compact car sold in America but it is also the most exciting car sold in the US with a price tag under $25,000.

While it did not come with the amount of publicity and fanfare that we have come to expect when a new model begins production, the 2013 SRT Viper assembly began building new Mopar supercars earlier this month with the first units expected to reach consumers sometime in February 2013 – only after the initial production units are meticulously inspected to ensure the highest level of quality.

Here are three cars that Ford, GM, and Chrysler could create using existing technology that would shake up the market.

The folks at Motor Trend recently took the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the 2013 SRT Viper GTS to Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway with the bowtie-clad supercar coming away the winner – but it comes with a bit of controversy due to their driver choice according to the people at Chrysler.

Following the success of the Blacktop package for the rear wheel drive Dodge Charger, the Chrysler Group has announced a new All Wheel Drive Sport package for the 2013 Dodge Charger lineup with the new Charger AWD Sport package is being offered with multiple trimlines – meaning that both the V6 and V8 engine options are available.