The Future Dodge Lineup

In a marathon session with reporters and analysts today in Michigan, Chrysler officials announced their plans for the future of the company and its U.S. brands. They started things off with Dodge, which will be separate from Ram pickup trucks going forward. The logo (above) will no longer feature the Ram head, just the word Dodge.
 
The company also plans to have 11 new or thoroughly redesigned models on the road by 2014. The company currently has 10 non-truck models. We detail the future products below with some images from the presentation.

Recall Alert: 12,674 Chrysler, Dodge Cars

Chrysler has issued a recall for 12,674 vehicles, including the 2009-2010 Chrysler 300, 2009-2010 Dodge Challenger, 2009-2010 Dodge Charger, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These vehicles may have been built without a front-wheel spindle nut.

The spindle nut is a rather large and obviously important part of the wheel assembly that keeps the wheel attached to the axle. Without one, it’s possible that the tire and wheel could separate while driving, endangering the vehicle and others on the road. Chrysler made the determination after a new supplier, SMW Automotive, began supplying the front corner modules for the 2010 model year, according to the automaker. The previous supplier went bankrupt. Less than a hundred 2009 models are included in the recall. Affected models were built between Aug. 4 and Sept. 28, 2009.

Dealers will inspect the tire; if there is no spindle nut, they will make the repair free of charge. Owners may contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

2010|Chrysler|300

2010|Dodge|Charger

2010|Dodge|Challenger

Fiat to Gut Chrysler Lineup

Update 11/5/09: Fiat and Chrysler have officially announced lineups for the future which directly counter the claims made in the Wall Street Journal story mentioned in the below post. Click on the following links for the formal lineups.

The Future Chrysler Lineup
The Future Jeep Lineup
The Future Dodge Lineup

The Wall Street Journal reported today Fiat’s future plan for Chrysler, a full week before the company is to meet in a closed-door session with analysts and media to reveal its intentions.

The article is striking in its detail and scope of Fiat’s restructuring. Nearly the entire Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineups will be replaced in five years by not only Fiat technology and products but also the return of Alfa Romeo as a luxury marquee slated above Chrysler.

We break down the product shifts below.

Prius Sales Outmuscle Muscle Cars in August

It would probably be best if while reading this blog post you listen to something clichéd like Bob Dylan’s “The Times They are A-Changin’.”

While muscle-car enthusiasts will comb over the meaning behind the Chevy Camaro beating the Ford Mustang in sales for the third straight month, we couldn’t help but notice that the Toyota Prius beat the August sales for the three staple muscle cars — including the Dodge Challenger — combined.

With an assist from Cash for Clunkers, the 50-mpg Prius moved 18,886 units in August compared to 8,680 Camaros, 6,289 Mustangs and 1,132 Challengers (a total of 16,101 units).

The Prius also outsold the reliably robust Dodge Ram (17,514 units in August).

Overall, the market share of hybrids reached 4.5% in August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s up from 3% of all vehicle sales for June 2009 before Clunkers began.

2010|Toyota|Prius

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.

Cars.com Faceoff Takes on New Mustang, Camaro, Challenger

Could there be a better way to head into the Fourth of July holiday than with a three-way horse race — excuse the pun — between new yet classic American muscle cars? Cars.com lined up the 2010 Ford Mustang GT, 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS to see which pony car would come out on top. We compared them in every category, from styling and performance to exhaust sound (and you can listen to recordings of each). Check out the story to see which muscle car drove off the winner in all the categories. If you want to see how they stack up as daily drivers, watch the video above.

Cars.comparison: American Muscle Cars (Cars.com)

Mustang, Challenger Coming to NASCAR

It seems hardcore NASCAR fans have the same complaint as casual fans: The cars being raced don't resemble the nameplates they represent. That's about to change, at least in the sport’s Nationwide Series for 2010. The Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger will be submitted to the NASCAR Rule Book for approval later this month.

That doesn't mean the cars will be the same as what you get from a showroom, but the designs will be much more in tune with the real thing, unlike the generic cars in the top-tier Sprint Cup division.

GM is not joining in on the act with its Camaro, so it and Toyota will run their current Malibu and Camry in the Nationwide Series next year.

Pony cars coming to NASCAR (Fox Sports)

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.