Will 'Fast and Furious' Accelerate Dodge Dart Sales?

The return of Michelle Rodriguez as the ostensibly back-from-the-dead Letty Ortiz in "Fast & Furious 6," roaring into theaters May 24, has been a key element in the film's prerelease marketing. Similarly, the resurrected-for-2013 Dodge Dart is ready for its close-up in the latest edition of the immensely popular Vin Diesel-fronted street-racing saga. But will the movie spark sales of the slow-selling compact?

While "Fast & Furious 6" is likely to be quick off the line on its way to box-office success — its predecessor, 2011's "Fast Five," bowed to a reported $86 million — early sales of the 2013 Dart have proved neither fast nor furious in its crowded segment. The automaker is no doubt hoping the Dart's prominence in both the film and a cross-marketing campaign will help raise its public profile, as similar product placement in "Fast Five" did for the Dodge Charger two years ago. A fleet of Chargers will return for some more screen time in the new film, along with the current SRT Challenger and a vintage Charger Daytona, according to the Wall Street Journal.

2013 Dodge Challenger Wins Cars.com Shoppers' Choice Award

America loves its muscle cars, and Cars.com's Facebook fans once again proved as much by selecting the 2013 Dodge Challenger as this year's winner of the Shoppers' Choice Award. We can't say we disagree; as we stated on our Facebook page: "We think the Challenger's classic muscle-car styling, refined ride and handling, and spacious interior make this an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a fun, surprisingly practical coupe."

More 2013 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The Challenger beat nine finalists and was ultimately selected based on the amount of activity generated by millions of shoppers on Cars.com, including how many people researched and reached out to dealers to check out the car. From all that activity, combined with the Facebook voting, we've determined that the Challenger best represents the voice of our users.

Dodge received its Cars.com Shoppers' Choice Award this week during the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Congratulations, Dodge, and thanks to the millions of Cars.com users who made this award possible.

2013 Cadillac ATS Joins NHTSA's Five-Star Club

Cadillac's new luxury sedan, the ATS, is the latest vehicle to be awarded the top rating of five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2013 Cadillac ATS earned a perfect score in NHTSA's crash tests.

The composite score for the ATS comprised across-the-board five-star ratings in the different areas of crash testing. Those test categories include: overall vehicle safety, frontal crashes, side crashes and rollover.

The long-awaited ATS gives GM's luxury brand a competitor to America's best-selling luxury car, the BMW 3 Series. Both the all- and rear-wheel-drive versions of the ATS received five stars in all crash tests.

Also joining NHTSA's five-star-rating club was the 2013 Dodge Challenger, which earned mostly five stars in the different crash-test categories; the Challenger scored a four out of five in its rollover rating.

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Dodge Challenger Sees Red With New Trim

Dodge's muscle car is getting a little more attitude this year. Joining the 2012 Challenger lineup is the Rallye Redline trim. It adds a performance-tuned suspension and brakes, sport-themed red exterior accents and a unique interior.

The new model joins base SXT, SXT Plus, R/T and SRT8 versions and uses the SXT's 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel paddles.

The Challenger Rallye Redline rides on Pitch Black 20-inch wheels with a Redline Red-colored lip, which matches the Redline Red body stripe. It has a body-colored painted deck-lid spoiler and is available in four exterior colors: Bright Silver Metallic, Tungsten Metallic, Bright White and Pitch Black. Interior colors include standard Dark Slate Gray or optional Radar Red leather.

Standard on the Rallye Redline trim is the Super Sport Group package. It includes performance-tuned suspension and shocks, larger front and rear sway bars, and performance-calibrated steering.

The 2012 Dodge Challenger Rallye Redline goes on sale next month starting at $28,745, excluding the $925 destination fee.

Dodge Chief Talks 40-MPG Darts, Reliability

The 40-mpg figure is all the rage these days, but it's not as clear-cut as it may sound.

Marketing last year from Hyundai takes on some of the new compacts from Ford and GM, whose 40-mpg EPA highway ratings apply only to certain drivetrain variations. For example, only about 1% of Ford Focus or Fiesta listings on Cars.com's national inventory carry the 40-mpg SFE designation. Could the 2013 Dodge Dart, whose 40-mpg variant comes with Fiat's 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder and a dual-clutch automatic, have the same problem?

Reid Bigland says no. Bigland, head of Chrysler's U.S. sales and president of the Dodge division, says the 40-mpg Dart will be "findable" at dealerships. The first Darts arrive this spring. Dodge will offer three engines and three transmissions, but Bigland says he doesn't expect shoppers to have a problem finding 40-mpg versions of the Dart once production ramps up.

Other versions of the Focus — and the Honda Civic — hit close to the 40-mpg EPA highway mark, and Bigland expects "very competitive" figures for the other Dart drivetrains.

Through Ian's Lens: 2009 Muscle Car FaceOff

If your ear is to the ground concerning all things automotive, you’ll already know Detroit now offers up three V-8 muscle cars. Per my wishes and dreams, the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 2010 Ford Mustang GT and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS showed up at the office last week. As my colleagues at Cars.com decided to put these three to the test on the road, I decided it was time for a proper photo showdown. After two years of gawking at them individually, I finally put them all in the same pasture just to see how they looked together. And, oh man, did they look pretty.

As an homage to the era that spawned the original muscle cars (the 1970s) — and a tip of the cap to the newly departed late, great film, Kodachrome — these photos were color-corrected to match the bright cyans and saturated oranges that made Kodachrome ISO 64 film and its prints so spectacular. Enjoy.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

2009 Dodge Challenger Video

In its second year as Chrysler’s spot-on-styled retro muscle car, the Challenger finally adds a manual transmission to complete the true muscle car experience. Cars.com’s David Thomas takes you through the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in this video review and shows you this hot rod isn’t just fast – it has some practicality as well.

Deal or No Deal: Cars That Impressed at Road America

Last week, Cars.com’s editors took part in a rally at the Road America racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wis. There were dozens of new cars on hand to take on the track or local roads. More so than in past years, we were surprised by many new models, and not always in good ways. Here’s what resonated most.

Secret to Saving Chrysler Found

This morning, I discovered the secret to saving much-maligned automaker Chrysler. It’s very simple, and it’s staring the company right in the face. What is this magic bullet, you may ask?

Why, the six-speed manual transmission with a pistol-grip shifter that’s found in the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8, of course.

V-6 Dodge Challenger Gains Five-Speed Automatic, New Trim

While the rebirth of the Dodge Challenger happened just last summer, the coupe is already facing stiff competition from a new Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. To keep up with the Joneses, Chrysler has added a new trim level and a five-speed automatic transmission to all V-6 models. They will still be called 2009 models, so make sure to check the car’s sticker to see if it’s equipped with the new five-speed.

Previous V-6 models are stuck with a dated four-speed automatic. The new five-speed automatic — the same one available on the Challenger R/T and SRT-8 — offers better performance and comes with manual-shift functionality. The new transmission doesn’t enhance gas mileage, which remains at 17/25 mpg.

The new trim, called SE Rallye, essentially adds the retro styling package available on V-8 models to the V-6, with seven new color choices. It also features pronounced dual body stripes, a rear spoiler, 18-inch wheels with black-painted pockets, a retro-styled fuel door and micro carbon interior accents.

The SE Rallye will cost $25,765, not including a $725 destination charge. The five-speed SE and SE Rallye will go into production in the next few days. As of now, there’s no announced price increase for the $22,220 base SE with the new transmission.