Travis Pastrana signs with Dodge for another year and brings along a racing partner

The launch of the 2013 Dodge Dart was a huge deal here at Rivershore Ram because we are the #1 Kamloops Dodge Dealer. The fact that Travis Pastrana signed with Dodge to race the Dart in Global Rallycross amplified the coolness of the new Dart. This year we were so happy to hear that Pastrana has signed with Dodge for another year and to add to the excitement he has brought along Bryce Menzies for a two-car team fielded by Pastrana.

2013 Ram Outdoorsman - NRA's vehicle of the year

The National Rifle Association (NRA)'s American Hunter magazine has declared Ram Outdoorsman its vehicle of the year (thanks, Jeff Crane). The magazine reported:

Take a tough-running, off-road go-getter and add unique bins for transporting firearms and other shooting gear, and you've got the Outdoorsman, Ram's blockbuster hit in the pickup market. ? The revamped 1500 Outdoorsman retains everything that made it the premier huntin'/work/do-everything pickup, but will roll into market (October) with almost-starship-worthy technology that ensures this RAM [sic] is just as perfect for highway cruising as it is for beating a trail into the backcountry. And not just that: It can do so even while delivering way more horsepower and torque despite slashing fuel use by 20 percent.

 Aside from mixing up a brand named after a hood ornament with random-access memory, it is a ringing endorsement of the new Ram pickups.

The Ram Outdoorsman has returned for 2013 and with Ram's redesign for the 2013 model year it is looking to be the best edition yet. Like the rest of the 2013 Ram 1500 lineup the options are endless and fuel efficiency is #1 on the priority list. The Outdoorsman comes in 2 cab sizes (Quad and Crew), there are 3 difference engine/transmission combinations (we are most excited about the 8-speed automatic which is a segment first) then 32 additional options (not including color, wheel or fabric choices). Some of the highlights of the Outdoorsman include the standard towing upgrade, a rugged exterior appearance, and, best of all the brand-exclusive RamBox storage system. If you want to know more about this model or any of the models in the 2013 Ram line up visit www.2013ram.com.

Jeep eyes record year, hunts Wrangler
Dec 10, 2012 Autmotive News By Larry P. Vallequette


LOS ANGELES - Jeep, with strong oversea sales, is on course to post record global sales in 2012.
    "I'm watching it every day," said brand chief Mike Manley at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
    Jeep's best year was 1999, when it sold 675,494 vehicles worldwide. Through November, Jeep's U.S. sales rose 16 percent from the same period of 2011 to 434,260.
    The brand is posting strong sales even though several high-volume vehicles are nearing the end of product cycles.
    The Grand Cherokee will be re-engineered for the 2014 model year, when it will be equipped with an eight-speed transmission and an optional 3.0-liter diesel engine, along with interior and exterior improvements.

    The Jeep Liberty has been out of production since August while its plant in Toledo, Ohio, undergoes a $500 million expansion. The Liberty's replacement will share a platform with the 2013 dodge Dart and Feature a new powertrain combination: a 3.2-liter V-6 engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission.
    The Liberty replacement will arrive in dealerships in mid 2013.
    Manley confirmed that Jeep will continue to sell the Compass and Patriot compact SUVs in the United States in 2013 but said that the twin vehicles would be replaced by a single model in 2014.
    The biggest challenge Jeep faces, according to Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, is making enough Wranglers to meet global demand. Marchionne told reporters that Chrysler is working feverishly to overcome capacity contstraints in the portion in the portion of its Toledo Assembly Complex that assembles the Wrangler.
    This year, the plant is on track to build as many as 200,000 Wranglers, well about the 150,000 capacity it was initially designed to meet when it opened in 2006. Manley said that he could sell as many as 250,000 Wranglers in a year worldwide if he had the capacity to build them.

    "Demand for Wrangler is off the scale," Manely said. "If I look at worldwide demand for Wrangler today, it's thousands of units above Toledo, even when we push. And that demand had been very, very consistent."
    Manley said if Chrysler's manufacturing experts are successful, capacity could be found for some long-sought Wrangler derivatives such as a diesel-powered Wrangler for North America and a Wrangler-based pickup.
    "I think I've got something like 15,000 unfulfilled orders right now," Manely said. "We've never fulfilled the full demand for that vehicle."

2014 Chrysler 100 Hatchback

Dodge Dart challenges compact competitors

Published: December 5, 2012 9:16 AM
By RICHARD WILLIAMSON  Scripps Howard News Service

As a challenging rival to the Honda Civic and a host of other worthy compact sedans, the Dodge Dart is a remarkably upscale and customizable set of wheels that performs athletically and efficiently.

Introduced for the 2013 model year, Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle built on the architecture of a Fiat.

Dart comes in six trim levels: SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited, R/T and Aero with a starting price of $15,995. It's built in the United States at Chrysler's Belvidere, Ill., plant.

Fiat's chassis design for the Dart is known as "Compact U.S. Wide," or CUS-wide and is based on that of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. As you might have heard mentioned in the presidential campaign, Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy with a new owner, "the Italians."

The face of the Dart was styled with split crosshair grille and a modern, sleek look that "floats" in the front fascia, giving the Dart a full-width mask that marks it as a Dodge. The CUS-wide platform allowed for accentuating the fender formations and pushing the wheels as far out to the corners as possible.

The rear view of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart features an optional Charger-inspired "racetrack" full-width tail lamp with 152 indirect glow LEDs and class-exclusive available dual exhausts mounted in the rear fascia.

Style lines on the hood lead the eye to the grille, while chrome accent spears below the projector headlamps and inboard of projector fog lamps highlight the attention to detail.

Designers outperformed on the interior, using innovative ambient interior lighting, high-quality soft-touch materials and high-tech features. The layout is designed to put all controls within easy reach. Dart features the interior volume of a midsize sedan with best-in-class hip and shoulder room.

Dodge offers 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim combinations, seven wheel options, three engine options and three transmissions. Mopar, Chrysler's after-market outlet, also will offer more than 150 customization options and themed packages.

A large, 8.4-inch touch screen offers bright, high-energy graphics and easy activation. Designers and engineers combined the best of both worlds with easy to adjust tuning knobs and terrific informational displays on the screen.

Dart's glove box can stow an iPad, and the center console features auxiliary jacks to plug in a wide variety of electronic devices.

Optional "racetrack" lighting surrounds the floating island bezel. Ambient lighting for the door handles, map pockets, foot wells, glove box, storage bin and illuminated cup holders adds a sensual feel.

Engine choices begin with a 160-horsepower Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter engine. Also offered are a 160-horsepower 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine and a new 184 horsepower Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir 2 four-cylinder engine.

Transmission choices include a six-speed manual, six-speed automatic or six-speed dual dry clutch transmission.

The 2.0-liter Tigershark engine mated to the six-speed manual transmission has an EPA fuel economy rating of 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway/29 mpg combined. The 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine mated to the six-speed manual transmission has an EPA fuel economy rating of 27 mpg city/39 mpg highway/32 mpg combined.

MultiAir technology delivers optimum combustion at any speed under all driving conditions by allowing direct and dynamic control of air intake and combustion. The result is up to a 15 percent increase in rpm torque and a 7.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.

Dart is the first Dodge vehicle to use an active grille shutter system, which automatically stops airflow through the lower intake at highway speeds when less engine cooling is required and aerodynamic drag is most significant. When closed, the shutter system improves aerodynamics p by redirecting airflow around the front of the vehicle and down the sides, rather than through it. The active grille shutter system will open or close automatically based on engine-coolant temperature and vehicle speed.

Aerodynamics also were enhanced with mold-in-color black composite underbody panels and tire spats that work as miniature air dams. Other efficiencies in wind resistance can be found in the mirror design, the notch angle at the top of the header of the backlight to the trailing edge of the deck lid and even the tail lamp applique shape and rear corners were all designed and engineered for optimal aero performance.

In its first tests, Dart earned a top five-star safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an important milestone in a new model.

"The five-star safety rating is further evidence that the all-new Dodge Dart is much more than a stylish, fun-to-drive vehicle," says Reid Bigland, Dodge president and CEO and Chrysler Group's head of U.S. sales. "The Dart represents genuine value, which we at Chrysler recognize is a precious commodity to consumers."

More Accolades for the Chrysler Brand

Posted on January 2nd, 2013 * by David Zatz on Allpar.com

While Consumer Reports has not rated Chrysler vehicles highly in many of its 21st-century reviews, its readers have given Chrysler cars high marks in several categories of a recent survey, described in the magazine's January 2013 issue.

The biggest achievement was held by the large cars, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, in both V6 and Hemi form. Dodge Charger Hemi got an 88% "definitely buy again" score, towering over most other cars of any type.  Chrysler grabbed four of the top five positions (partly because Hemi and V6 models were rated separately). Dodge Challenger took third in "Sporty Cars," above its immediate competitors.

 

Dodge Durango headed "large and luxury SUVs," while Grand Cherokee, in both Hemi and V6 forms, headed midsized SUVs, followed by three Toyotas.   Durango beat its Mercedes counterpart ? and the Porsche Cayenne.

The Chrysler 200 sedan was in the "best models" list for family cars, while Fiat 500 was the top rated "coupe and convertible," over Mercedes and Audi entries.

2014 Dodge Durango Unveiled
Over the last few years it has been obvious that the Dodge brand has had a strong focus on fuel economy. First with the All-New Dodge Dart, then with the re-designed Ram 1500 and now throughout the rest of the brand.

The newly tweaked 2014 dodge Durango is no exception. It features a new eight speed transmission which will increase it's fuel economy by a reported 9%.

The refreshed version of the three-row Durango also gets a new signature tail-lamp with 192 LEDs. Similar tail-lamps have been popular design features on the Dodge Dart and Dodge Challenger.

The Durango also has a new, slimmer "split crosshair" grille with mesh textures unique to each trim level.

Inside, the Durango will get Chrysler's latest 5-inch or 8.4-inch Uconnect touch screen navigation and entertainment control system.