Dodge (Page 55)

In February, TorqueNews brought you the news that Ford Racing had submitted a stock car body for the approval of the NASCAR Sprint Cup officials but before the governing body passed judgment on the Mustang race car; Ford has announced that they will stick with the Ford Fusion stock car body for the 2013 season.

Fiat had moved one step closer to their official merger with the Chrysler Group as CEO Sergio Marchionne has unveiled his new managerial plan with includes a group of 22 management members who will form the "group executive council" – including 4 individuals who will head up the company’s efforts in the various geographic regions.

The 2012 SRT models including the Dodge Charger SRT8, the Dodge Challenger SRT8, the Chrysler 300C SRT8 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 are just hitting the streets but an exciting rumor has Mopar lovers looking to next year as it has been whispered by the masses that the SRT brand could offer a supercharged package for the 2013 model year.

We previously brought you the news of the MoVenture – a cross country road rally sponsored by Chrysler’s performance and aftermarket division Mopar and as hump day arrives, the MoVenture teams are halfway through their race from Detroit to Colorado.

The Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is a truly amazing muscle car but when the 2012 models hit showrooms later this year – the brawny street brawler will get even more impressive thanks to a few new additions including the suspension system and shift controls first seen on the Charger SRT8.

Over the past few months, the only product available from Chrysler’s newly formed SRT brand was the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 but for the 2012 model year there will be 4 products in the lineup – with prices announced today for the high performance Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep models.

The Dodge Viper has officially been out of production for over a year now but in the last Viper-less 12 months, the Mopar supercar has continued to set track records around the country – this time shattering the old track record at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Since separating from the newly formed Ram Truck brand, the Dodge brand has gone away from the Ram’s head logo to a bold font logo bearing the Dodge name with two red lines along the back and to recognize the new logo and new era of the Dodge brand, Chrysler Group has re-launched the official Dodge brand blog – RedLineDodge.com.

The good times continued for Chrysler in June, as the company led all major automakers in the US auto industry with a year-over-year growth of 30% - moving them into the third spot in vehicle sales for the month of June 2011 as they jumped over a still-struggling Toyota.

The Chevrolet Camaro has led in the rear wheel drive sports car segment over the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Nissan 370Z from January to May but as June 2011 sales results have trickled in – the Ford Mustang has claimed the top spot in sales for the month.

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.