Autobytel has awarded the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee their SUV of the Year award. In their words, “The Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year category had a clear winner since day 1.” Their choice for the 2014 Pickup Truck of the Year? Ram 1500. Again. Details at Autobytel. It may be time to buy a new trophy case.
And one of them is reported to feature Bob Dylan. So who are you rooting for? Denver or Seattle? Via Allpar
Dodge is sponsoring Motley Crue’s “The Final Tour” of 72 US and Canadian cities followed by international stops in 2015. Fast cars and rock ‘n’ roll children! In other news, Ford is sponsoring American Idol. More on the tour at Cars & Parts.
Boy, FCA is gonna take some getting used to… Anyway, Alfa Romeo, also a part of Fiat, is close to rolling out a new rear wheel drive platform that will find its way under Chrysler and Dodge vehicles and is said to be competitive with sedans from BMW and Mercedes. There’s also talk that this new platform may be the basis for the new….wait for it…. SRT Barracuda (that rumor won’t see to die). The LX platform that Chrysler developed with Daimler sure worked out well. Here’s hoping. More info at CarBuzz.
This supercharged 6.4-liter Hemi is predicted to produce as much as 600 horsepower. Check out the video of a Hellcat-powered Charger doing testing after the jump!
The new name of the combined Fiat/Chrysler entity is… drum roll… Fiat Chrysler Automobiles! And here’s the logo. Oh, and the company will now be based in… the Netherlands? Read the full press release at Chrysler
Do you want to personalize your Ram truck with every available Mopar option to decide what works (and looks) best? You can now do so with a new app from Mopar that was introduced recently in Detroit. Using your iPhone or iPad, you can configure your truck from the large list of accessories, view it from different angles and, if you wish, bring it to your dealer and tell them that this is what you want. Get the details at Mopar.
Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that the new Wrangler will be lighter with a new updated architecture. Purists fear this means no more live front axle. Sales are extremely strong so if it were to adopt an independent front suspension, the reasoning may be to increase Chrysler’s corporate average fuel economy standard. Possibly for the same reason, there are rumors of a diesel option. We’ll know for sure at the unveiling in approx. ten weeks. Read more at Car Buzz.
Despite strong rumors that the Hellcat would debut at the NAIAS, such was not the case. The next appearance rumor? Spring Fest 9 in Irvine CA in March. Here’s hoping! Read more at Street Legal TV.
Yesterday we decided to hit the other Arizona auctions that do not have a lot of Mopar stuff but still have some interesting cars. RM is a very high end auction with mostly European cars, Ferrari’s and older cars. Gooding has a nice mix of stuff as well and is similar to RM but the cars are not as high end. Gooding had an “as found” theme going on with three cars still covered in dust and grime going up for auction.
These cars were from RM and includes a couple of Imperials, a Hemi powered Facel Vega, and a Chrysler 300B. More pics after the jump!
