Dodge Dart Shines Light on Future Chrysler-Fiat Vehicles

The 2013 Dodge Dart is the first compact sedan from Chrysler in nearly seven years. That in itself is a milestone, but the car also looks competitive against the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze.

Chrysler's compact car plans are thanks to its new partner, Fiat. In the Dart we get the first real-world example of what to expect from upcoming replacement vehicles for the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler 200 and others in the future.

Chrysler has stated that the Dart's underpinnings are based off a new basic platform originally used to design and produce the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in Europe. Chrysler says the Dart platform — called Compact U.S. Wide — will also underpin most of its upcoming midsize and large sedans, crossovers, SUVs and minivans. The exceptions are the Jeep Wrangler, which will remain body-on-frame, Ram's trucks and the 2013 SRT Viper.

Vote for the Cars.com's Shoppers' Choice Award

Cars.com's annual popularity award is back. We have found the 10 most popular new-car models that shoppers are not only searching for on Cars.com but are contacting dealers about. These models also receive positive consumer reviews.

This fervent interaction delivers a top 10 that might surprise some enthusiasts, but probably not the people who buy and sell cars.

Voting for this year’s Shoppers' Choice awards will be conducted entirely on Facebook, so go vote, share it with your network and get your favorite car the shiny trophy when it's announced Jan. 10 on the eve of the Detroit auto show.

Shoppers' Choice finalists (in alphabetical order):

• Audi Q5
• Dodge Challenger
• GMC Terrain
• Honda Accord
• Honda Pilot
• Kia Soul
• Ram 1500
• Subaru Outback
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Sienna

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: October 2011

Falling consumer confidence hasn't deterred car shoppers, as pent-up demand raised October sales versus a year ago for all but one major carmaker. Chrysler, Hyundai/Kia and Nissan posted big gains, with GM, Ford and Honda growing modestly. Toyota was the sole loser, dropping 7.9 percent in sales. Pickup trucks, typically strong in the fall, saw continued gains, but family sedans made a comeback, taking three of October's top five slots — something not seen since May.

Detroit pickups took the top two spots, with GM's Chevrolet Silverado and Ford’s F-Series posting some sales gains. The F-Series stayed atop the sales pile this month, comfortably outselling the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado. Six-cylinder engines account for more than half of all F-150s sold, Ford sales chief Ken Czubay said in a conference call. It gives shoppers of the soon-to-be-discontinued Ranger a truck with similar gas mileage, he said.

Despite the 2012 redesign hitting dealerships last month, Toyota's popular Camry fell 11.9 percent — dethroned for the moment by the Honda Accord, down 1.1 percent. Accord inventory is only about half of what it was in October 2010, according to Automotive News.

Ram Announces New Lifestyle Trims

Off-roading and outdoorsy types, take notice: Ram has several new models for you come December, according to PickupTrucks.com.

Starting with the Ram 1500, there’s a new Ram Mossy Oak Edition. For those of you not familiar with Mossy Oak, it’s an outdoor camouflage apparel company. As such, the bedcaps, tailgate, center console, door inserts and headrests feature a Mossy Oak camouflage pattern.  The model is available for $38,915, excluding a $995 destination fee, and goes on sale in December.

The other two additions are the ST and Laramie trims for the 2012 Ram Power Wagon. The Power Wagon is Ram’s heavy-duty off-roading model. The ST is the new base trim of Power Wagon, displacing the SLT trim, and starts at $41,625. The Laramie trim features more luxury features than previously offered on the Power Wagon, like leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and wood trim, and starts at $51,000. Both prices exclude a $995 destination fee.

In addition, the 2012 Power Wagon now features the RamBox side-storage system, which previously was available only on the Ram 1500, as well as a new heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission. The new Power Wagon trims also go on sale in December.

For much more on both trucks, head over to PickupTrucks.com.

2012 Power Wagon Gets Upgrades and New Trim Levels
2012 Camo Ram Aims to Deliver a Bull’s-Eye to Outdoor Enthusiasts

Which Automaker Has the Best Pickup Truck for $30,000?

The latest PickupTrucks.com Shootout is a different beast from its predecessors. Instead of choosing between similarly equipped pickup trucks, the focus of this Shootout is pricing. All the trucks in the competition had to stick to a firm $30,000 budget, leading to significant differences between them.

Five trucks participated in the Shootout:

• 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 extended cab
• 2011 Ford F-150 regular cab
• 2011 Nissan Titan King Cab
• 2011 Ram 1500 Quad Cab
• 2011 Toyota Tundra Double Cab

To see how the trucks fared through a vigorous barrage of testing, including four days of back-to-back driving and a long stint at Ford’s Michigan Proving Grounds, go to PickupTrucks.com.

2011 $30,000 Shootout (PickupTrucks.com)

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: August 2011

August was another solid month of sales growth for many popular carmakers, but Toyota and Honda once again remained the exception.

General Motors (up 18%), Ford (up 11.2%), Nissan (up 19.2%) and Hyundai (up 9.1%) all recorded strong growth. Chrysler grew by 31%, which the automaker says is “well above the industry average.” Stable truck sales buoyed GM, Ford and Chrysler: The Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado are firmly the top-selling vehicles of the year thus far, and Ram sales have grown nearly 25% compared with 2010. 

The Chevrolet Cruze was the third-best-selling car of the month, and it was the best-selling compact car. It’s also GM’s best-selling car, beating the Chevy Malibu and Impala year-to-date.

Toyota and Honda were a different, yet familiar, story. Both companies saw double-digit declines compared with a year ago. Toyota was down 12.7% while Honda fell a whopping 24.6%.

Despite the slump, the Toyota Camry remained the top-selling car in August, with more than 30,000 of the family sedans reaching customers. The Honda Accord returned to the top 10 best-selling list, finishing in ninth place. The once-venerable nameplate was absent from the list in July.

It's Time To Buy 2011s, But Incentives Are Hard To Find

Around this time every year, dealers are hard at work trying to sell the remaining cars on their lots as new-model-year vehicles start to roll in. This year is no different, and while some 2012s haven’t arrived yet, it’s still the best time to buy a 2011 … as long as you know what to look for. That’s where we come in.

We diligently report on even the slightest changes between model years as soon as possible. Sometimes this means a car will look the same but get an all-new engine and transmission like the upcoming 2012 Mazda3 sedan that’s expected to get 40 mpg highway. Other times, nothing significant has changed between model years, and then there are the all-new cars that have been redesigned from the ground up.

You’ll find the best deals in that second group of vehicles that go from 2011 to 2012 without much change. It’s been a challenge this year to find bargains because manufacturers are making more significant model-year changes and incentives for these older models just aren’t that alluring.

Here are some of the best deals we could find:

PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: Hurt Locker Edition

PickupTrucks.com has done heavy-duty Shootouts before, but with manufacturers increasing their vehicles’ capabilities all the time, there always seems to be a new top-of-class claim.

Editor Mike Levine and his staff put three trucks — the 2011 Ford F-350, 2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD and 2011.5 Ram 3500 — through a grueling 2,200-mile test measuring every conceivable metric buyers of these haulers would want.

These work trucks can haul 19,400 pounds according to their specs, so that’s how much PickupTrucks.com put on their beds across the American Southwest. Check out the full report to see which one came out on top. [Hint: If you read the last Heavy-Duty Shootout, it’s the same winner.]

PickupTrucks.com 2011 Heavy-Duty Hurt Locker

Chrysler Incentives Focus on Minivans

Chrysler has shifted around some of its incentives for the month of April, deemphasizing trucks but placing more cash on the hood of more models from Chrysler and Dodge.

Chrysler has decided to bring back its 60-day guarantee program for the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2011 Chrysler Town & Country for April. The “Minivan Pledge” works the same way it has in the past — you can return your van back to the automaker within 60-days, no questions asked. While the program may alleviate some buyer’s remorse — few people ended up changing their minds during past promotions — the pledge doesn’t really offer much in terms of cash back or financing incentives compared with March. 2.9% financing for 60 months is the same as last month. Last month Chrysler offered $2,000 — $4,000 in lease bonus cash on its minivan pair, which helps to reduce the capitalized cost of the lease. Those lease deals might turn out to be a better compared with current lease offerings, depending on your credit worthiness.

The new 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible gets its first suit of incentives, just in time for the winter’s thaw. Chrysler is offering $1,500 cash back or $750 back and 2.9% financing for 60 months with Ally Financial on the drop top. The all-new 2011 Dodge Durango now has some retail customer cash on the hood: $1,000 on the base Express trim.

Continue reading below for all the highlighted deals available for April. Most deals expire on May 2nd.

Chrysler Continues Free Hemi Upgrade and Leasing Push for March

For March, Chrysler’s incentive structure stays pretty much the same as the one we reported in February.

The company decided to extend its “No Charge Hemi” incentive, which gives the buyer the option of upgrading from a V-6 to a V-8-powered Hemi on Ram trucks, free of charge. If you don’t want the Hemi, there’s extra bonus cash — $500 on the V-6 models and $1,000 for the diesel powertrains.

For the month, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan now have cash-back incentives of $750 each.

Chrysler also increased its leasing incentives. The company’s “Bonus Lease Cash” can be used to reduce the capitalized cost of the lease, Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said. In other words, the incentive helps reduce your monthly payments but won’t reduce the initial fees, deposited or money-down expenses. For more on leasing terms, check out our glossary.

If you’re into leasing and have a family, Dodge is offering a whopping $4,000 in capitalized cost reductions on all Grand Caravan trims. Lease bonus cash of up to $2,000 is available on the 2011 Dodge Avenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Journey, Chrysler Town & Country or Chrysler 200.

Most of these incentives are available until the end of the month. Continue reading below for a detailed chart: