Marchionne Predicts 2013 Dodge Dart will be Certified at 40mpg, will get 9-Speed Auto

The Chrysler Group gave us our first taste of its sporty looking all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan on Tuesday with the release of a teaser photo gallery and the initial data on the car's specifications.

The Dart may prove to be one of the most important models in Dodge's recent history not only because it is the first Chrysler product to be based upon a Fiat architecture and in particular, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but also because CEO Sergio Marchionne told Reuters that he believes its fuel efficiency will be certified at "40 mpg or more by the end of the month".

The reason why that matters is that, under the deal made with the U.S. government to allow Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy protection in 2009, the Italian company will receive the final 5 percent of stock if it develops a Fiat-based car that will be built in the U.S. and can get at least 40 miles per gallon.

The Italian group currently owns 53.5 percent of Chrysler. If the new 2013 Dodge Dart is certified at 40mpg or more, then Fiat can automatically raise its stake to 58.5 percent. The remaining shares of the company are held by the United Auto Workers [UAW] retiree health care trust.

The new Dart is based on a widened and elongated version of the Alfa Giulietta platform and will be offered at launch with a choice of three four-cylinder gasoline engines, including improved versions of the group's 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter World Gas engines that have been renamed to Tigershark, and the 1.4-liter turbocharged unit from the Abarth 500.

Autonews reports that the Dart will debut with a Fiat Group-sourced 6-speed dual-clutch transmission but in 2013, the range will be enhanced with a new 9-speed transmission currently being developed by the ZF Group.

The Dart will be manufactured at the Chrysler Group’s Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.

Story References: Autonews

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Police Vehicles : 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit Records Fastest-Ever Lap Time at Michigan Evaluation Test

The ongoing bragging war among Detroit's big three and their newly launched police vehicles continues without an end in sight.

Today, the Chrysler Group announced that the 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit V8 with 370HP set the fastest lap time ever reordered at Michigan State Police’s (MSP) annual Police Vehicle Evaluation tests earlier this week at the Grattan Raceway in Belding, at 1:33.70.

Chrysler added that Hemi V8 Charger Pursuit also leads the sedan segment (namely GM's Chevrolet Caprice PPV and the Ford Taurus Interceptor) in terms of pure acceleration with the fastest 0-to-60mph (96km/h) and 0-to-100mph (160km/h) time:

• 0-to-60 mph (5.83 sec)
• 0-to-70 mph (7.38 sec)
• 0-to-80 mph (9.18 sec)
• 0-to-90 mph (11.43 sec)
• 0-to-100 mph (13.65 sec)

The Detroit maker was also quick to point out that 292 horsepower Charger Pursuit V6 models averaged the fastest times for naturally aspirated (1:37.71) and E-85 capable(1:37.57) six-cylinder police cars with four wheels, seats and a steering wheel.

“Achieving the fastest-ever lap time at the Michigan State Police’s annual Police Vehicle Evaluation test reflects the mission of the Dodge Charger Pursuit Team to equip our law enforcement officials with the absolute best combination of vehicle performance and tactical equipment,” said Peter Grady, Vice President of Network Development and Fleet, Chrysler Group LLC.

“Even more impressive is that all four Michigan State Police Vehicle Test Team drivers averaged their fastest times in the Charger Pursuit – reinforcing the driver confidence provided when world-class acceleration, braking, handling and dynamics are combined.”

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Dodge Mulling Super Durango SRT8 with 465HP Hemi V8

Chrysler already a high-performance SUV in its arsenal, namely the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 that comes fitted with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 pushing out 465 HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque and which can complete the quarter mile sprint in the mid-13 seconds range.

But now, the Detroit carmaker it also considering giving the Durango the SRT8 treatment in 2013. This would be an easy task, since both models are based on the same platform.

Therefore Dodge should have no problem shoehorning the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 under the Durango’s bonnet, as well as use the Jeep's lowered active suspension and proceed to some bodywork and interior upgrades befitting the SRT badge.

The only obstacle is that the most powerful model in the Durango line-up, the370HP R/T, has sold only 2,418 units since it launched in March – a meager 7% of the model’s total sales.

As a result, Chrysler’s executives are still understandably cagey about producing a model that would sell in even smaller numbers and wouldn’t justify its development costs.

Story source: Inside Line

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Chrysler Slows Down Production Due to a Lack of Carpets

Chrysler Carpeting

A lack of carpets after one of Chrysler’s suppliers on the East Coast was hit by the tropical storm Lee has forced the automaker to slow down production and cancel shifts this week at three of its plants.

The carpeting shortage has hampered production at the Sterling Heights Assembly in Michigan, Toledo North in Ohio and Brampton Assembly in Ontario.

The models that are affected by this problem are the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Liberty and Nitro, the Chrysler 200 and 300 and the Dodge Durango, Avenger and Challenger.

However, workers at the three plants will not get a chance to rest despite the cancelled shifts as they will be reporting to work as usual in order to receive further training.

Story source: Reuters

Dodge Takes a Stab on the 2011 Ford Explorer with New Durango Ads

Dodge

The Chrysler Group continues to aggressively market the newcomers in its vehicle lineup with new advertisements. This time the automaker has released numerous television and online spots to tout the new generation of the Dodge Durango SUV, all of which will begin airing this week.

While you can check out all the ads in the videos after the break, we must say that four commercials captured our attention including one that refers to Ferrari to show off the Durango's leather interior, another one that depicts seven Stig-lookalikes running to get into Dodge's SUV, and two spots featuring the 2011 Ford Explorer.

For the latter commercials, Dodge used Ford's SUV to demonstrate the new Durango's best-in-class towing capacity. In particular, the Durango V6 can tow up to 6,200 lbs (2,812 kg) while the V8 model up to 7,400 lbs (3,357 kg). That's compared to the Ford Explorer 3.5L V6's max loaded trailer weight of 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg).