Responding to all those nasty rumors about Fiat killing Dodge, Ralph Gilles told a bunch of Viper Club members in Europe that “Dodge is here to stay! It may get more focused going forward but not killed!” Thank you Ralph, now we can all sleep better! Via Autoblog
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is in a big fight with the Italian government and Italian labor unions. He wants to build 11 new high-end Alfa Romeo and Maseratis, but strict Italian labor laws are making it very difficult to do it profitably in Italy. So Marchionne is threatening to move production elsewhere:
“The relaunch of Alfa Romeo will continue for sure,” Marchionne said. “Italy should decide if they want it to happen here or not as Fiat and Chrysler have several alternatives.”
Hey, why not build them in the US? Right now Fiat relies on Chrysler for profitability. Chrysler already builds the Alfa-based Dart in Belvidere, Illinois. And the US builds some of the highest quality vehicles in the world, which is something Fiat needs if they want to compete with the Germans:
“The only weapon we have is to get a slice of the high-end market, which we haven’t been able to tackle in the past because of laziness or inability — leaving our German friends alone,” Marchionne said. “We want to disturb the idyllic environment they’ve created for themselves.”
I don’t know about you but I’d love to drive a US-built Alfa Romeo. Maybe one with a Hemi? Via Bloomberg
Not sure this is Mopar news, exactly, but it’s some pretty creative adverting from Fiat. I guess this is the Fiat version of a muscle car. Video on the making of the ad after the jump!
Allpar is reporting that a SRT version of the new Jeep Cherokee is in the works. It will be AWD and with a hopped-up motor and utilize the nine-speed automatic transmission. No word on the engine: could be a Maserati-sourced twin-turbo V6 pushing over 400 hp, or a turbo 3-liter Pentastar V6 producing anywhere from 375 to 410 hp. This would definitely help enhance the image of the new Cherokee and could be a cool little ride if the price was right. Rendering by Suzqo44 at Allpar
The Dodge Charger is the most stolen new car in American according to the NHTSA. In 2011, it accounted for 4.8 thefts for every 1,000 cars produced. According to Automotive News, it is unclear why the Charger tops the list.
Experts are not exactly sure what makes the Charger so popular with thieves, although the car’s ample horsepower might be part of the equation. “If I were a thief I might be able to answer that better,” Moore (Vice President of the NHTSA) said during a phone interview. “They’re powerful vehicles,” he added.”
Still, thefts as a whole are on a sharp decline because of the use of ignition immobilizers. But that might not be enough if someone really wants your Mopar.
For the second month in a row, the Mustang outsold the Camaro in June, with 10,263 Mustangs sold vs 7,326 Camaros. Pony cars sales have been a bit sluggish lately–Mustang sales are down 9.9% and Camaro sales are down 20.7%. But here’s the cool news: last month Challenger sales were up 27.2% with 5,191 cars sold! Watch out for Mopar! Via USA Today
High Plains Raceway in Deer Trail, Colorado is a mile above sea level, which typically accounts for a 15 percept loss of horsepower. But a bone stock 2013 SRT Viper seemed to do just fine here, setting a new track record for a production car. This red car was a base SRT with just the Track Pack, which includes two-piece brake rotors, lighter wheels and Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. SRT engineer Erich Heuschele set a record time of 1:57.69 on the 15-turn, 2.5-mile road course. Take that GT-R and ZR1! Check out the video after the jump! Via SRT
According to Edmunds, Jeep will build a new subcompact sport-utility at a factory in Italy. The new baby Jeep will be based on a Fiat platform and will be about the size of a Ford Fiesta. This will be a global vehicle, sold in the United States, Europe, Asia and beyond starting in 2014.
Dodge started building 2013 Dart GTs last week at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and they are available now for ordering. Base MRSP is $20,995, not including destination. The Dart GT is powered by the 184 horsepower 2.4-liter Tigershark four cylinder and is available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto. 18-inch aluminum wheels and perforated Nappa heated leather seats are standard. The GT also features a sport suspension, unique front fascia, LED taillamps, integrated dual exhaust, an 8.4-inch touchscreen and a 7-inch TFT. It’s not the Dart SRT4 that many people have been waiting for, but it’s still a cool little package. More pics after the jump. Via Chrysler
Allpar has an interesting take on the whole “Is Fiat Planning to Kill Dodge” thing that Ward’s Auto kicked off two weeks ago. Allpar claims that instead of losing Dodge, we instead might be looking at “the first real focus Dodge has had since it was named Dodge Brothers.” Allpar thinks that Dodge should be allowed to take the “‘big muscle’ rep” and run with it. I think that would be awesome. But there are a few problems with this idea.
1) Chrysler would lose Dodge as the bread and butter brand that it has been for a long time and force Chrysler to take that role, when Chrysler has historically been more of the “luxury” brand. And Americans aren’t going to accept Alfa Romeo or Maserati as substitutes in the a luxury area.
2) Chrysler has already invested a lot in the SRT brand.
3) CAFE standards. You can’t build a brand on performance and rear wheel drive anymore, unless you are talking high end, low volume (and that’s SRT).
This discussion reminds me of the whole Pontiac discussion a few years ago, and we all know how that ended… But read the article at Allpar and see what you think.
