Dodge News

Like a stunned rabbit transfixed by oncoming headlights, you could see what was going to happen. So it was with the crash of 2008.But it’s time to look at the future and considering the cars at the Detroit Motor Show the future doesn’t seem too bad. Chrysler just roll over…. let us move on.It is simple maths really. There are hundreds of manufacturers; many with multiple brands and each of those brands make many models. The trouble is many look exactly the same. They have been designed by committee and have had focus groups (6 people with lives so boring they are happy to sit in a room with marketeers and useability experts discussing the name Aurion or the placement of the intermittent widescreen wiper speed controller).  The cars that result are packed with soul destroying usability and are so mind numbingly boring…. Do the opinions of these six really constitute a good cross section of what the broader buying public really care about in a car…. I like design by individual, Sergio knew so much more about what I would like than I ever did before he showed me.Except for the boutique and designer Marques, manufactures are all trying to build as many cars as possible and grab as much market share as possible. With the cycle that this puts in place there will be points in time where naturally occurring adjustments happen to re-balance the cycle and let it continue  So it was last year.Cars are not as disposable as other product lines such as TVs, MP3 players and computers. A car has a much longer life and people in most cases are happy not to replace it as regularly as they do their mobile phones. The other simple fact is that cars have a second paying market after their life with the original purchaser. Unlike the vast majority of mobiles, MP3 players, computers and TVs they get sold-on rather than handed down or put in a cupboard to be forgotten about until the next clean-up.So back to the simplicity of this problem. The big manufacturers have been building too many boring cars too well for too long. Simple.The second-hand market has started catching up with them. For many people a three-year -ld car is a great alternative to a new car. I for one would much rather buy a five-year-old Merc than a new Legend. (the likelihood of me buying a Legend is less than me winning Lotto. And if I were to win Lotto my Legend would be a true one in the form of a 250GTO).Again the maths is simple and obvious. How many used car lots are there in the world, how many do you yourself drive by daily. How many cars are in those lots. Now how many people do you know that are in a position to buy a car that haven’t already got a reasonably good car with a continuing life. That is without even the new cars being pumped in to the market place. I also catch a train past a new car dealership storage lot, literally football fields full of new white Camrys and Aurions.This whole problem was always eventually going to happen even without the financial sector issues. It boils down the type of CEOs being employed by the big manufacturers. A number have been run by Gordon Ghekos and what they have needed is a Steve Jobs or a Luca Di Montezemolo. Managers that know their market, know their brand and know the limits associated with both. Mulally though through this whole mess is gaining my respect with his management without hand outs and therefore keeping independence from the Car Tzar.Except for the personal cost to thousands of people whose income has been affected by the mess created by incompetent CEOs such as Wagoner, I am not overly unhappy about the situation. Holden looks OK, which is important to me. Ford globally looks pretty good and they have always consistently built the most interesting cars, they have kept the Mustang going continually. Chrysler is as good as dead, - oh well, As long as the Viper brand finds a good home I will be happy. Jeep can shrivel up and die as there are just too many SUVs.And I really don't care what happens with Toyota and Honda. Sorry however to all you Toyota factory workers that live in the Toyota-owned housing. Life on the street in Japan is going to be harsh for some time.Rod Halligan

If it wasn't for the fact that our environment and financial institutions are falling apart, and the current big 3 CEO’s can’t manage their way out of a paper bag, we car enthusiasts would currently be in 7th heaven.Every car manufacturer and model type that matters is currently available, or about to be. For the first time since the 70's the Chev Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger are in the showrooms at the same time. For those of us that grew up watching Moffat and Geoghan race against Bob Jane, the potential of another race series such as the re-introduction of Trans Am is just too good to be true.Staying with the American theme, we also have the Viper, Corvette and Ford GT. Actually the GT has just ceased production and who knows what's in store for the Viper, but they were recently all available. What a missed opportunity for the big two and a half to do a three way GT race series. Forget the GT3 and GT2 series, what we needed was an original 1950's style "Drive the car to the track series". It only requires three rules, the race driver has to drive the car to the track from the registered base, the engine should be sealed from the time it leaves the workshop until the end of the race and the car must be able to be registered in California. Imagine the dealer show rooms with the Shelby, Saleen, Yenko and Callaway derivatives for sale the day after the race. But as usual the big two and half’s CEO’s did not have the foresight to push for anything as exciting as this. Forget that NASCAR rubbish the manufacturers support, it’s just so not relevant.Moving to Europe we have Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati and Lamborghini all building their best cars ever. Spyker is staying afloat, Bizzarini is on the way back and Alfa has just built the 8c, a worthy successor to the original, which itself was one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. McLaren has a new car coming. Morgan is strangely getting better and better and Rolls and Bentley are more appealing than ever. Aston is back starring alongside Bond, and Jaguar stands a chance of succeeding. Lotus has just delivered their cleverest car yet, which is saying something….Just don't mention MG.There have never been so many specialty manufacturers, and the cars they built have never been so good. We have Zonda, Koenigsegg, Ascari and a dozen others and most are viable competitors to the establishment.The Tuner sector remains strong with many companies such as 9ff becoming manufacturers in their own right. High-end Tuners such as Brabus and AMG are diversifying into hybrids and electrics.Japan has built a car to compete with Porsche. Here in Australia we have the best affordable performance sedans in the world, and Elfin and Bolwell are back....To cap all this off Mercedes is about to launch a new Gullwing.It just doesn’t get much better.It's such a shame we all know we are watching the start of the end. We are going to see regular knee jerk management decisions and we will all end up driving electric Smarts. Or Dumbs as my kids like to call them.What we need is responsible management of the evolutionary period we are in. Us car enthusiast care about the environment and realise things have to change, however I don't believe we trust any of the current senior management teams to be capable of managing the transition.Lets sack the current CEO's and CFO’s (who flew into Washington yesterday in their private jets begging for hand-outs from the US government to fix the mess they created) and put some realistic staged global emission targets in place. Hand management on to the current crop of Project Engineers, who are obviously delivering.Let's enjoy things while we can. Buy, buy, buy – now – you have plenty to choose from. If you don’t there might not be anything worth buying in 5 years.

Teaming up with its in-house electric-drive production/advanced technology team, ENVI, Chrysler have already fitted the Grand Voyager, the Jeep Wrangler and a Dodge performance sports car with the advanced electric–drive technology to give consumers a taste of what’s in store.The car giant will produce a combination of all-electric vehicles, and range-extended vehicles that use a small petrol engine.The all-electric vehicles use a simple three component system -an electric motor to drive the wheels, a lithium-ion battery to power the electric motor and a controller to manage energy flow.The range-extended vehicle uses the same three component system but with a small petrol motor and electric generator for additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.Dodge EVThe rear-wheel drive Dodge EV is the only all-electric prototype. It produces 200kW and 650Nm and reaches 100kms/h in a very rapid sub five seconds, on its way to a top speed of 120.With a continuous driving range of around 300kms, Chrysler claims the Dodge EV can travel more than three times the distance of the average daily commute for most Americans before needing a recharge.Jeep EVWith range-extended electric technology, the Jeep EV produces 200kW and 400Nm. Using around 36 litres of petrol it can travel up to 650kms, including 65kms of all-electric power.Chrysler EVOutputting similar numbers to the Jeep for fuel economy, the Chrysler uses a 190kW motor that produces 350Nm of torque. It gets from 0-100kms/h in around nine seconds.Sadly, none of them look like the three concept vehicles the American brand featured at this year’s Detroit Motor Show in January, but the pentastar bosses are adamant they are serious about alternative fuels.“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC.“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.“We’re not ready to announce what our first electric vehicle production model will be, but we are developing a full portfolio of electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles for production.This technology will be applied to front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms over the next several years.”  

The all-new Dodge Journey is designed to blend the practicality of a people mover, the flexibility of an SUV and the overall efficiency of a passenger car.

The all-new Dodge Journey is designed to blend the practicality of a people mover, the flexibility of an SUV and the overall efficiency of a passenger car.The Journey will arrive in Australia with a 139kW/258Nm 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine mated to a six speed automatic transmission as standard across the range.Also on offer will be a 103kW/310Nm 2.0-litre direct-injection turbo diesel engine -- which uses high-pressure fuel injection, a variable geometry turbocharger and four valves per cylinder -- matched to a Chrysler-Getrag six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. This is the first application of this six-speed automatic transmission, which Dodge says is expected to deliver a fuel economy improvement of up to six per cent compared to a conventional automatic transmission.Flexible seating and storage combinations include standard seven-passenger seating with spacious cargo room and all the safety equipment consumers expect from Dodge. Seven-passenger seating and spacious storage bins -- hidden in the floor and under the front passenger seat cushion -- are standard on all models.The Journey’s safety list includes standard multi-stage front driver and passenger air bags, front-seat-mounted side air bags, three-row side-curtain air bags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM).Comfort and practical features include second and third row theatre seating that gives passengers – especially children – a better view. The second row also has stadium Tilt ’N Slide function, that means with the push of a single lever on the side of the seat back, the seat cushions easily fold upward and the seat slides forward. The 50/50-split-folding third-row seat provides enough room for two passengers on an as needed basis. The seatback reclines six degrees to make the ride even more comfortable. A rear in-floor hidden storage bin located behind the third-row seat is standard on all models.Model line-upDodge Journey SXT - 2.7L petrol V6 and six speed automaticDodge Journey R/T - 2.7L petrol V6 and six speed automaticDodge Journey R/T - CRD 2L turbo diesel and DCT six speed automatic 

That's the case for Queenslander Graham Copeland, who is lining up for his 10th crack at Australia's ultimate tarmac rally next month.Copeland has won his Classic class at Targa once and has finished on the podium in the overall Classic category four times, driving a variety of vehicles.He has driven Triumph TR4s and TR8s, and more recently moved to Datsuns, but this year sees a different challenge emerging.“I was hoping to drive my 1938 Dodge Speedster but that will now have to wait until 2009,” he said.“I'll be co-driving this year in a rare Bizzarini GT America.”Copeland will be sitting beside successful circuit racing star, Wayne Park, who has won numerous Queensland and Australian championships, and has also driven at the Bathurst 1000 four times, with a fifth place his best result.“I find Targa is quite addictive,” Copeland said.“I'm really looking forward to teaming up with him Wayne this year. Targa is like no other event.“The roads are unbelievable, the organisers do a terrific job and the public are really supportive of the event. Targa is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”The 1967 Bizzarini is a valuable piece of machinery that is certain to create enormous spectator interest.With upgraded shock absorbers and a bit of sorting and tuning by Park's Brisbane automotive business, the car is now a real contender in the Classic class.“The Bizzarini GT America is a very rare car and it is even rarer to see one competing in full competition in events like Targa,” Copeland said.“But the car's owner, Rob Sherrard, believes in using them as they were meant to be used, not wrapped in cloth in some museum.”The 17th Targa Tasmania, featuring dozens of exotic cars, starts on April 15, taking the record-breaking field of 305 entries along some of the best rally roads in the country, before the grand finish at Wrest Point on April 20. 

Surrounded by hybrid and fuel cell cars of every type and size the stars of the annual Big Apple motorfest remain the muscle cars.

Surrounded by hybrid and fuel cell cars of every type and size the stars of the annual Big Apple motorfest remain the muscle cars.

Chrysler lifted the covers on the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 for its first official public outing, after releasing images and pricing towards the end of last year.Powering the Challenger is a 6.1-litre Hemi V8 engine, producing 317kW and 569Nm. The two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe races from 0-100km/h in the low five second mark.Chrysler Group Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says there will be other engine variants in the future, but the complete line-up hasn't been announced. But there are still no foreseeable plans to bring the muscle car here.“At this stage it's for North America only,” Stamoulis says.And it's already proven to be popular, with 4300 people putting their name down on the first day of orders in December.When it came to designing the new Challenger, design executive Trevor Creed says the aim was to portray the emotion of the original model.“Our designers wanted to capture the minds' eye view of what people remember about the Challenger from 35 years ago,” Creed says.The result is an unmistakably Dodge product, drawing inspiration from its heritage. Among the traits adapted from the original Challenger are a full-width grille and fog lamps, a hood with a raised centre, stripes and functional dual scoops, and the A-line and beltline.The rear spoiler also draws on the previous character, but serves as a functional feature as well, generating significant rear-down force.And it's not just the exterior that used the old-school inspiration, with the trapezoidal theme of the door and gauge cluster, the dark headliner and the slanted shifter console on the interior all based directly on the original Dodge Challenger. The original model was launched in 1970 and was phased out five years later. 

DETROIT: While they may or may not end up in driveways, there were plenty of vehicles turning heads at this week's North American International Auto Show, including Hyundai's new luxury sedan, a Cadillac coupe, Chrysler's green concept cars and a hybrid Toyota pickup.Slumping US car sales did not slow down the action at the grandaddy of the car show circuit, where car makers introduced more than 50 production and concept models in three media preview days. High fuel prices did not play much of a role, either. For every plug-in hybrid or fuel-cell concept, there was a 620 horsepower Chevrolet Corvette or a brand new full-sized sport utility vehicle from Kia. Chrysler promoted a tiny electric concept car as well as the full-sized Dodge Ram, which made a grand entrance alongside 120 longhorn cattle.“The overriding theme was that there was no theme,” says Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, the car buyers' guide.Car makers put a head-spinning variety of fuel-efficient technologies in cars at every price range. There was the $US80,000 ($91,000) Fisker Karma, a plug-in electric hybrid sports car with Maserati good looks that can travel 80km on a single charge. BYD, one of four Chinese car makers at the show, unveiled a plug-in hybrid sedan that will go on sale in China for under $US30,000 this year. Ford introduced EcoBoost, a direct injection, turbocharged engine which it says will improve fuel economy by 20 per cent. Even Ferrari unveiled an ethanol-capable F430 Spider.Diesel engines, which are about 30 per cent more efficient than their petrol counterparts, made a big comeback now that cleaner diesel fuel allows them to meet emissions standards in all 50 US states. BMW unveiled its first diesel-powered vehicles for the US market, the 335d coupe and X5 xDrive35d sport utility vehicle. Audi showed a 500 horsepower diesel super car concept, the Audi R8 V12 TDI, which can go from zero to 90km/h in 4.2 seconds. Daimler offered a diesel option on its GLK compact sport utility vehicle, among others.But diesels were not limited to German car makers. Toyota announced it would soon offer a diesel V-8 in the Tundra pickup and the Sequoia SUV, while Honda said it would put a diesel engine in its Acura sedan in 2010. Chrysler put a diesel hybrid in its Jeep Renegade concept vehicle, while General Motors has a diesel engine in its Saturn Flextreme plug-in concept car.David Champion, the senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Centre, says diesel used to connote pollution and big trucks. He is eager to see if clean diesel has changed that perception, and if US consumers will choose diesel even though it is no cheaper than petrol.“Whether the marketplace is going to endorse diesels remains to be seen,” he says.Other car makers met demands for more fuel-efficient vehicles by downsizing. The Hummer HX concept, a Jeep-like offroad vehicle with a removable roof, would be the smallest Hummer ever if it is made. Toyota's A-BAT concept is the Prius version of a pickup, with a hybrid powertrain and a 1.3m bed. Land Rover unveiled the compact three-door LRX concept, while parent Ford showed the Ford Explorer America concept, a reworking of its phenomenally popular SUV that uses a unibody frame — rather than the traditional truck frame — to save fuel and give the vehicle a more car-like ride.“Explorer has been such an important model for them over the years. Taking that in an inventive direction that's still true to the Explorer name could be a big success for them,” Nerad says.Ford also got kudos for the eye-popping design of its Verve concept, which showed what Ford's subcompact may look like when it hits the US market in 2010.“Here's your proof that good design doesn't cost any more than bad design, but it makes all the difference in the world in terms of buzz,” Global Insight car analyst Aaron Bragman says of the Verve.Other cars generating serious buzz were the Cadillac CTS coupe, a sharp-looking, two-door concept that many analysts agreed was a highlight of the show, and the posh Hyundai Genesis sedan.Hyundai hopes Genesis will help it compete with other luxury makers when it goes on sale this year for just under $US40,000, but analysts aren't sure the bet will pay off, saying the Hyundai name means great value but not luxury. “You don't sell Mercedes-Benz and BMW because they're great value. You sell them because of the cachet and the image,” Bragman says.