Dodge News

Super-sized Dodge Ram pick-ups are coming to Australia in a top-secret deal that will see experts from Holden Special Vehicles complete the conversion from left to right-hand-drive.It's the first time a full-size US pick-up will be sold in Australia with manufacturer backing since the iconic Ford F-Series pick-up was dropped locally in 2007.Ram pick-ups will go on sale in Australia and New Zealand by the end of this yearFiat Chrysler Automobiles' global head office has awarded exclusive rights to a local distributor who will convert Dodge Ram pick-ups for Australia.Industry sources say the parent company of Holden Special Vehicles, the Walkinshaw Group, which can undertake contract work outside of General Motors, has been closely involved in the engineering process."We will not confirm or deny any other partners other than Fiat Chrysler Group globally," said Clyde Campbell, the former boss of Fiat Chrysler Australia who is now the distributor for Fiat and Chysler vehicles in New Zealand and is heading up the Dodge Ram deal.Mr Campbell said his company had chosen "a conversion and engineering partner who provides unrivalled engineering excellence to world-class standards" and who have "an impeccable reputation on a global level in both the motor racing and automotive industries."The vehicles are expected to start from $120,000Mr Campbell confirmed Ram pick-ups will go on sale in Australia and New Zealand by the end of this year.Price and details are yet to be announced but the vehicles are expected to start from $120,000, before more affordable models follow.The biggest of the Dodge Ram pick-ups coming to Australia can carry more than 3 tonnes in the ute tub (versus the current category maximum of 1 tonne) and tow more than 7 tonnes (versus the current category maximum of 3.5 tonnes).Mr Campbell said the vehicles will meet "all government requirements for full volume certification".Translated, that means the vehicles will meet the same standards as mass production vehicles; most vehicles converted by smaller operators locally do not meet these mass production standards.Clearly there is demand for this type of vehicle, both in private and fleet salesUtes are now the third biggest category in Australia and four of the Top 10 vehicles are workhorses.The Toyota HiLux has been our top-selling vehicle outright more than a dozen months since April 2008."Clearly there is demand for this type of vehicle, both in private and fleet sales," said Mr Campbell.Dodge Ram is expected to target the mining industry, which needs heavy duty utes, and grey nomads, who want to tow large caravans."Until now, the only way to own one of these vehicles in Australia was through a low volume aftermarket conversion," said Mr Campbell."Our vehicles are being developed with the full blessing of Ram and the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles global group."Mr Campbell said his company had been working closely with engineers in the US to build a vehicle that is "as close to a factory right-hand-drive vehicle as it possibly can be without having run down the production line".

Pat Dougherty to head Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Australia.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced Pat Dougherty will become the group's next Australian CEO and President, taking over the role from Veronica Johns who announced her departure on Tuesday.Dougherty has been with the North American arm of FCA for over 30 years, and moves into the role on December 1, from his current position of Vice President of Mopar, the parts and service division of FCA.Prior to this, he was the Head of Fleet Sales, Network and Operations and Head of Fleet Sales in North America.Veronica Johns tendered her resignation from FCA in August of this year citing personal reasons, but her departure was only made public earlier this week.Ms Johns’ two-year tenure at the top of FCA Australia saw not only record sales, but also a dramatic shift in the treatment of women within the company’s Australian arm.John Kett, Corporate Vice President of FCA and General Manager, APAC Operations said the company will look to continue down the path Ms Johns crafted."We need to continue our focus on sustainable growth across all of our brands and imperative to this will be the further development of our after-sales business to ensure that FCA is one of the most customer-focussed automotive companies in the market," he said.

Veronica Johns oversaw record sales at the Fiat Chrysler Group, and took a unique approach to breaking down the gender barriers.The first Australian woman to head a car company, Veronica Johns -- who earned notoriety for tearing down workshop posters of naked women, as well as record sales -- has announced her resignation as the boss of the Fiat Chrysler Group after almost two years in the role and 16 years with the corporation. Her departure at the end of the year means there will no longer be a woman as the boss of any car brand in Australia. Ms Johns earned the credibility of her industry colleagues after overseeing record sales growth, but she also quickly attracted attention from car dealers after she tore down posters of naked women in workshops during showroom visits. “It does take a certain personality type to cope with men in the car industry,” said Ms Johns. “Thankfully we’ve eradicated any gender issues in our company.” The transition didn’t come easily for some people. “When I started you could still walk into workshops with posters of naked women on the walls. “I ripped them off and threw them in the bin. The (workers) didn’t say much, and I’m sure they probably got them out of the bin after I left. “Women have to work in this environment and that’s what they’ve got to look at. Some people in the industry are blind to it. It’s just accepted as the norm and it shouldn’t be.” Ms Johns, 43, said she’d taken down posters of naked women “about four times” over the past three years, but hasn’t had to do so lately. “We’ve eradicated the gender issues from our business, but it’s still in other parts of the car industry,” said Ms Johns. The Melbourne-based executive says women are in more prominent positions in the car industry globally, but Australia is still catching up. In January 2014, Mary Barra became the first woman to become the global boss of a major car company, as the CEO of General Motors based in Detroit. Only handful of foreign women have run car companies in Australia over the past 15 years. American Judith Wheeler was the first, she ran Chrysler-Jeep in Australia from 2000 to 2003. Germans Jutta Dierks and Anke Koeckler successively ran Volkswagen’s Australian operations from 2007 to 2013. But Ms Johns is understood to be the first Australian woman to have run a large car company in Australia. At the time of her appointment in May 2013, she edged out male rivals from North America who were keen to take up the prime posting. Ms Johns said the car industry -- and car buyers -- would benefit from gender equality. “With modern technology so many cars have so many similar features these days, the biggest difference is how you treat people,” said Ms Johns. “Women are very competitive, and some can be brutal, but I believe we are still more inclined to treat people with kindness and respect. I think that, and the ability to relate to people, comes more easily to women than to men.” Car industry consultant Tony Devers, the former boss of Honda and Suzuki motor vehicles in Australia -- who accurately predicted in 2010, three years before any announcements, that the local car manufacturing industry would close by the end of the decade -- says there should be more women in the car industry. “There’s no excuse, women clearly have the skills and the drive and the passion for the business, but they typically tend to come into the car industry in marketing or human resources roles,” said Mr Devers. “The executives who rise to the top in the car industry have earned their stripes in sales, finance and strategic planning,” he said. Ms Johns will work with the her successor -- due to be announced in the coming days, and likely to come from Detroit -- until the end of the year, when she is expected to announce a new role the automotive industry. Under Ms John’s leadership, the monthly sales of Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles increased by 53 per cent as the rest of the industry grew by about 2 per cent. So far this year, sales across all four brands are up 39 per cent in a market that is down 2 per cent compared with the same period last year. When Ms Johns accepted the role to run Fiat Chrysler Group Australia in 2013, she said: “I don’t think it makes a difference if you’re male or female in this business anymore. Good people rise to the top. The car industry is not a man’s world anymore.”

The site of a former Bunnings store in Hoppers Crossing is being redeveloped into a multi-franchise car dealership. The facility, at 163-179 Old Geelong Rd, will become the new home of Werribee Hyundai and Werribee Chrysler Jeep Dodge Alfa Fiat.Bunnings relocated to a bigger site last year. Wilmac Properties is developing the 26,000sq m site which is expected to be completed between June and September. Hopper Motor Group chief executive Paul Hopper said the existing building would be converted into an automotive service, car storage and car washing facilities over two levels.Two new showrooms will be built in front of it with 250 new and used cars on display, he said. Once completed it will generate about 200 ongoing jobs. 'The project represents one of the most substantial private investments in the area in recent years," he said. 

Fiat-Chrysler is the latest carmaker to reveal its 2013 SEMA concepts, ahead of the Las Vegas aftermarket expo’s official opening next week. The Italian/US partnership will unveil no less than 20 Mopar-equipped concepts from its suite of brands, matching the efforts of fellow US giants Ford and General Motors.Five of these concepts have been teased this week, representing the Jeep, Ram Trucks, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands.Jeep has created the 2014 Cherokee-based Trail Carver, which features a unique decal package and roof basket, mud-terrain tyres, and orange-coloured tow hooks. The interior is covered in Katzkin Amaretto leather, and includes several Mopar optional accessories such as a wireless phone charger.

The Detroit motor show may showcase some of the most stylish and extravagant of the world's upcoming automotive models, but the manufacturers also garnish these four-wheeled objects of desire

Carmakers spend up big on the annual Super Bowl commercials, with a 30-second in-game spot costing $3.7m and even slots at the start and end of the game commanding premium prices. It's money well spent if they can attract attention – and turn it into sales. And a good ad can go far beyond the game day, turning viral and getting millions of views. Volkswagen's Darth Vader from the 2011 Super Bowl and the hot Adriana Lima commercial from the 2012 Super Bowl are just two of the stars that went on to become global successes.So which were the big contenders this year? Mercedes-Benz was early out of the gates with a teaser featuring swimsuit model Kate Upton 'washing a car slowly'. The shapely Ms Upton didn't actually get her own hands wet – except to blow a bit of foam around – and her role seems to be mainly distracting the footballers who are doing all the hard work. Merc followed up with what must have been a costly exercise for the CLA, with a pact offered by Willem Dafoe as Satan, and the Rolling Stones 'Sympathy for the Devil' as the soundtrack.Watch the Mercedes-Benz Kate Upton car wash adWatch the Mercedes-Benz Soul adWe reckon Coke filched ideas from two top Aussie movies. Their Coke Chase ad featured a gang of Mad Max baddies and a crew of showgirls in a pink Priscilla bus, vying with a Great Escape motorbike, a posse of cowboys and a camel-leading Arabian sheik – all in a race to a giant Coke bottle. The ad was the key creative in an online campaign that lets viewers vote to let three of the teams reach the bottle first – or delay the other teams by watching linked 'sabotage' videos. Watch the Coke Chase adThe early teaser for Toyota's 'Wish' spot featured The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco – it looked like fun and was backed up with the 'Careful What You Wish For' full ad, which gained much from Cuoco's perky personality as Penny.Watch the Toyota Wish teaser ad Watch the Toyota RAV4 Wish adKia's Space Babies teaser shows some fantastic CGI, and an even more fantastic answer to kids asking where they come from. The ad works well nearly right to the slightly lame ending, but it's doubtful it stacks up as something to rival their viral stars, the Soul Hamsters.Watch the Kia Space Baby adBut the Kia ad that had everybody talking -- including motoring journos -- was 'Hotbots', where a robotic motor show stand attendant (we don't call them booth babes here) gets revenge on a grubby guy.Watch the Kia HotBot adHyundai went all-out for the Super Bowl with several spots. The 'Team' one for Santa Fe was an early favourite, with some great performances from child actors -- and a very scary mum.Watch the Hyundai Santa Fe Team adThe 'Playdate' took you on an extreme day out of having fun and upsetting security guards, bikies and police, with the Flaming Lips providing the soundtrack.Watch the Hyundai Playdate adThe Genesis was talked up in 'Excited' with Hyundai touting its advantages over high end, and particularly German, luxury cars.Watch the Hyundai Genesis Excited adAnd then there was the aversion therapy of 'Stuck', showing some of the worst vehicles you can be stuck behind in traffic -- unless you have a Hyundai Sonata to overtake them, of course.Watch the Hyundai Sonata Stuck adVolkswagen ditched the Star Wars theme, and instead drafted reggae legend Jimmy Cliff for their 'Get Happy' teaser – and then got into a little hot water with the full ad, which shows Caucasian men taking off Jamaican accents. Perhaps it's still a Star Wars link ... the movie franchise faced similar accusations of racial stereotyping with the Jamaican-sounding Jar Jar Binks.Watch the VW Get Happy adWatch the VW Jimmy Cliff adVW then followed up with a low-key but effective 'bad dog' ad, showing what to do when the dog eats your car keys.Watch the VW Bad Dog adAudi tapped into every adolescent boy's fantasy with a lad heading off to prom night alone being tossed the keys to his dad's Audi S6, kissing the football jock's girlfriend and generally making it a night to remember.Watch the Audi Prom adFiat has launched a trio of ads for the 500L, all aimed at emphasising how much larger it is than the garden variety 500. Date, Sisters and Wedding are all flavoured with Italian dressing and – while not as scorching at the Catrinel Menghia Abarth ads – still manage to be cheeky.Watch the Fiat 500L Date adWatch the Fiat 500L Sisters adWatch the Fiat 500L Wedding adThe Chrysler group turned on the patriotism for their slightly saccharine ode to a farmer and Whole Again ads.Watch the Dodge Ram Farmer adWatch the Jeep  Whole again adAnd even snack food Doritos has got in on the car act, with one of the finalists for its Crash the Super Bowl ad playoff featuring the perfect solution to a back seat dog problem.Watch the Doritos Road Chip ad 

An American heavyweight SUV is being readied for a potential attack on Toyota's LandCruiser. After more than 15 years of unfulfilled dreams and broken promises, Dodge is finally planning to bring its Durango seven-seater to Australia.American sources confirm to Carsguide the early stages of a right-hand drive program that's been promised on the Durango since it was launched in 1998. The RHD plan exploits a mechanical platform and factory shared with the latest Grand Cherokee that's been a big success for Jeep in Australia.The massive SUV could be here inside 18 months. The Durango could even be badged as a Jeep and could, potentially, be sold with a price tag that's $5000 or less above the current $43,000 starting sticker for the Grand Cherokee.The Durango is big and bold, sells well in the US and would be relatively cheap and easy to produce in right-hand drive. Fiat Chrysler admits the idea of a Durango in Australia is a good one."If it was available, with the right mix of specifications and pricing, we are confident that Australians would love the Durango," says company spokeswoman Karla Leach."With nearly 50 per cent of the SUVs in the Grand Cherokee's competitive set being seven-seaters (having the same number) would allow us to offer a fresh and appealing alternative in this significant market segment."This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Fiat-Chrysler is the latest carmaker to reveal its 2013 SEMA concepts, ahead of the Las Vegas aftermarket expo’s official opening next week. The Italian/US partnership will unveil no less than 20 Mopar-equipped concepts from its suite of brands, matching the efforts of fellow US giants Ford and General Motors. Five of these concepts have been teased this week, representing the Jeep, Ram Trucks, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands. Jeep has created the 2014 Cherokee-based Trail Carver, which features a unique decal package and roof basket, mud-terrain tyres, and orange-coloured tow hooks. The interior is covered in Katzkin Amaretto leather, and includes several Mopar optional accessories such as a wireless phone charger. The Ram Sun Chaser dual-cab truck will represent the Ram Trucks brand, with Vibrant Orange Blast and Brilliant Black two-tone paint, the Sun Chaser asserts its presence with chunky wheelarch flares to cover big mud-terrain tyres on bead-locked rims. The Sun Chaser’s roof rack has been specially designed to carry four surfboards, and features a portable shower system for post-surf wash downs. Chrysler will display a more discreet take on the 300 sedan, with menacing black paint  replacing all chrome work and tinted lighting and windows, with a dropped stance over 20 inch alloys. Dodge has created a stormtrooper-like Durango SUV, with black detailing contrasting with a stark-white exterior, and red highlights to accompany the Dodge badge detail.    A relative newcomer to the US market, Fiat will show the 500L Adventurer, which expands on the standard 500L tall-boy hatch with wheelarch flares, 18 inch wheels and a roof basket. A Dodge Challenger-based concept is also set to appear, but the brand is keeping its appearance close to its chest until the show’s November 5 opening. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn  

We've seen plenty of vehicle comparisons done as head-to-heads, but this time it's a back-to-back as a Land Rover Defender and a Dodge Ram pick-up battle for supremacy in a tug-of-war.The American-built Ram has more under the bonnet, with all the power and torque of a massive 5.9-litre V8 diesel engine to tackle the 2.5-litre diesel of the British Defender.However, the Land Rover has the advantages of an arsenal of down-and-dirty offroad kit: differential locks, permanent all-wheel drive, a manual gearbox and a more even distribution of weight across its axles.But perhaps more importantly, in this case it clearly has the benefit of better driver technique. There's no more clever way to win a tug of war than to let your opponent spin up their wheels first and lose all their traction advantage.Sadly, the reign of the Defender as we know it is coming to a close, with Land Rover recently announcing it will cease production in December 2015. Its successor is likely to appear a year or two later -- and we're pretty sure we'll see a tug-of-war rematch between the newcomer and rivals.See the Land Rover Defender vs Dodge Ram tug-of-war video here.www.motorauthority.com