New SRT Viper GTS
The all-new 2013 SRT® Viper was unveiled to the world today at the New York International Auto Show, marking its highly anticipated return to the high-performance sports car market.
The fifth generation of the iconic two-seat, American-built supercar has been deliberately evolved to incorporate superior craftsmanship, a host of new technologies and ergonomic improvements while respecting its visceral legacy of outright performance.
“After a gut-wrenching period of uncertainty, the Street and Racing Technology brand team is extremely proud that our hand-built in Detroit, flagship supercar is back and ready to take on the performance car world,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “Beyond being the flagship for the new SRT brand, the launch of the 2013 Viper proves that we simply would not let the performance icon of the Chrysler Group die. Willed to live on by a very special group of performance enthusiasts inside the company and across Viper Nation, this SRT team under our new leadership was challenged to not just continue the legendary Viper, but to create a world-class supercar that would showcase the very best we have to offer.”
Mopar® Brand Launches New Website for Chrysler Group Owners
The Mopar® brand will introduce a new Chrysler Group owner website, called Owner’s Center, at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The new site, targeted at Chrysler Group vehicle owners, offers personalized features and services tailored to customer needs. 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show attendees will be among the first to experience the new site, which officially launches on Wednesday, Nov. 16.
The Owner’s Center may be accessed from the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat brand websites by clicking “Owners” at the top of each website or by typing one of the following URLs into any web browser:
Ram Introduces Bigger RamBox!
- Ram expands innovative RamBox® system to accommodate 6-foot-4-inch bed lengths
- RamBox now available in all trim levels and Ram HD models
Now, in addition to the 5-foot-7-inch RamBox, which was previously available only on Ram 1500 Crew Cab models, buyers can opt for RamBox on Ram pickups with 6-foot-4-inch bed lengths, including Ram 1500 regular cab and Quad Cab® models and Ram 2500 and 3500 (single rear wheel) Crew Cab and Mega Cab models.
Ram also will offer the RamBox option on the ST price class, making the feature available on all trim levels.
New Mini Jeep? Maybe
We did some searching and came up with what may be the next Mini Jeep. Introducing the FIAT Panda Cross 4×4. This little fellow currently being sold in Europe might make a wonderful entry level jeep. Not only could it be sold for less than 15k, but it also gets 40+ mpg’s.
There have been a lot of rumors surrounding possible vehicles that will be introduced to the U.S. since FIAT took control of Chrysler. Just add this one to an already growing list.
Parts Supplier For Chrysler To Open New Facility
International Automotive Components, a parts supplier for Chrysler ,is set to open up a new facility in Northern Illinois. According to reports the facility will create 200 new jobs. A spokesperson for the company states that the reasoning for opening the plant is to be closer to Chrysler. Apparently the company will be supplying parts for a new vehicle Chrysler has in the pipeline. No word yet on which vehicle IAC is referring to.
Below is a description of one of the companies “Eco” products the produce.
EcoBlend is IAC’s family of interior flooring and acoustics products manufactured from post industrial waste streams. This green solution minimizes petroleum based products, reduces landfill and offers superior performance and durability advantages.
Lenny Kravitz Joins Chrysler To Push Jeeps
The Jeep® brand today announced that four-time Grammy award winning artist Lenny Kravitz will be featured in a national broadcast advertising campaign for the 2011 Jeep Wrangler, which will include a new track, ?Rock Star City Life,? from his highly anticipated ninth studio album ?Black and White America.?
New Chrysler 300 Wheels (Video)
Chrysler is introducing some brand new Moparized Wheels. Check out the video below.
Ram Introduces “Long Hauler” Concept
With a wheelbase of over 17 feet and a max fuel capacity of 170 gallons, this concept truck earns the name “Long Hauler”. Powering this concept vehicle is a 6.7 liter Cummins Turbo Diesel. The overall length of the vehicle is 24 feet. The “Long Hauler” weighs in at a pavement cracking 9300 lbs. We hope this makes the cut and goes into production. I’m sure contractors and ranchers would jump all over this.
FIAT Cabrio Announced Today – New York International Auto Show
Just In Time for Spring, New Fiat 500 Cabrio Introduces American Customers to Open-air Driving Excitement with True Italian Style
- FIAT Brand North America reveals new 2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio at the New York International Auto Show
- Italian by design: beautiful craftsmanship, confident handling and city-friendly proportions combined with a clever open-top design provides Fiat 500c passengers with quietest interior sound quality, most interior space, rear-seat legroom and shoulder room among key competitors
- New 1.4-liter engine with state-of-the-art MultiAir® technology, invented and patented by Fiat Group, delivers power, fuel efficiency and refinement
- Two models, 14 exterior colors, 12 unique seat color and material combinations, plus a choice of two interior environments and three exterior soft-top colors allow customers to personalize “their own” Fiat 500c at http://www.fiatusa.com
- The new 2012 Fiat 500c arrives in U.S. FIAT Studios beginning in late spring 2011 with a starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $19,500
- The Fiat 500c Pop model is the only four-seat cabrio in the market priced below $20,000
Chrysler/Mopar Press Release (Announcement Made 04/13/2011)
Chrysler Group Announces Strategic Agreement That Will Enhance, Grow Service and Parts Business; Mopar, Magneti Marelli and Shell Lubricants Team Up to Offer Comprehensive Service, Parts and Oil for Competitive Makes
- Chrysler Group dealerships to offer one-stop service shops for customers who own competitive makes
- Chrysler Group dealers to become full-line retail service and tire centers
- Mopar-Magneti Marelli-Shell Lubricants agreement establishes comprehensive servicing of GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia vehicles at Chrysler Group dealerships
- Magneti Marelli brings 26 product lines and more than 3,000 part numbers to Mopar’s product portfolio
- Shell Lubricants brings Pennzoil® and Shell Rotella® motor oils, the most preferred brands in their respective categories
- Mopar announces opening of customer-care lines on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern
“After introducing a number of initiatives to improve service for our customers, including brand-specific customer-care lines, extended service hours during weekdays and weekends and a push for Mopar Express Lanes, taking care of owners with competitive vehicles is the next frontier,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “For customers with competitive vehicles, Mopar’s agreement with Magneti Marelli and Shell Lubricants effectively creates one-stop service shops at our Chrysler Group dealerships. And with the addition of 3,000 quality-tested parts, our dealership network will now have the ability to fully service customers who drive into our service lanes with competitive vehicles.
“In addition to customers with competitive vehicles, our dealers will now be able to supply independent repair facilities with a full line of premium parts,” said Gorlier. “With this unique collaboration, this move further positions Mopar as a leader in customer care.”
Beginning this month, Magneti Marelli will begin supplying Mopar and Chrysler Group dealerships with brakes, shocks, struts, oil filters, air filters, fuel filters and cabin filters for competitive makes. Other product lines will gradually phase into the Chrysler Group dealership network.
“Over the past few months, we have worked closely with Mopar on distribution synergies and our parts range proposition,” said Dino Maggioni, CEO of Magneti Marelli Aftermarket. “We are ready to develop our presence in the U.S. aftermarket, bringing our product expertise and becoming the brand source for the company’s all-makes parts.”
In addition to Magneti Marelli, Mopar is also working with Shell Lubricants in order to further bolster the company’s move to offer dedicated express-lane services in its dealerships. Shell Lubricants provides dealer-level program and marketing support and supplies the Mopar oil program with premium Mopar and Pennzoil® motor oils for Chrysler Group vehicles and competitive makes.
In addition to Pennzoil passenger-car motor oils, Mopar’s oil program will feature Shell Rotella® heavy-duty engine oils. Both Pennzoil and Shell Rotella are the most preferred brands in the US in their respective categories and will be featured components of Mopar’s Express Lane program.
“We are very pleased to be working with Chrysler Group, the Mopar brand and its dealers,” said Lisa Davis, President , Shell Bulk Fuels and Lubricants, Americas. “Chrysler Group builds some of the finest vehicles in the US, delivering cutting-edge design and performance, and we are proud to provide their dealers with our leading Pennzoil® and Shell Rotella® motor oils for the vehicles they service.”
Saturday Hours and Express Lane Service: Mopar Continues Push to Further Improve Customer Service and Convenience at Chrysler Group Dealerships
With a proud 74-year heritage of developing high-quality performance parts and accessories, Mopar is expanding the brand and building on that reputation by applying that same passion to create a high-performance customer experience.
The agreement with Magneti Marelli and Shell Lubricants is the latest example of how Chrysler Group, through its Mopar division, is aggressively moving to further improve customer service and convenience while growing its service business.
Currently 70 percent of Chrysler Group’s 2,311 dealers now offer Saturday service hours. Mopar is planning to improve this number to 80 percent by the end of this year. Dealers who have made the move to Saturday service hours have increased their overall service business by 20 percent.
To support the move to Saturday-service hours, Mopar has extended its technical-support dealer call- center hours to 16 hours Monday through Friday (8 a.m. to midnight) and now Saturday as well (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.). Beginning in January of this year, Mopar started providing Saturday service at its parts distribution centers. For customers, Mopar established extended hours for the company’s brand-specific customer-care telephone lines from just weekdays (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to Saturdays as well (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern). In addition, the company announced today that it will now offer Sunday customer service from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, with the exception of national holidays.
Regarding Mopar Express Lane service, currently 600 dealers, or 26 percent of the Chrysler Group dealer network, now offer express service. Mopar is planning to improve this number to 80 percent by the end of 2014. Dealers who add Mopar Express Lane service to their dealerships average a 50-percent increase in their retail service business within the first six months and double their oil-change business in the first year.
“It’s important to note that competitive vehicles currently make up 25 percent of Mopar Express Lane traffic,” said Gorlier. “Our new relationship with Magneti Marelli and Shell Lubricants will allow us to further serve this growing market. Our dealerships will become full-line retail service and tire centers.”
Mopar-first Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
- Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
- Vehicle-information smartphone apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
- Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
- Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to introduce new vehicle tracking system that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on set parameters
- 2011 Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
- WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
- WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered and tested with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles – a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at http://www.mopar.com
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
About Magneti Marelli
Based in Italy (Corbetta, Milan), Magneti Marelli was established in 1919. The company is a subsidiary of Fiat Group and has a presence and reputation in racing, including Formula 1 and World Rally Championship (WRC). With 2010 revenues of $7 billion and approximately 33,000 employees, Magneti Marelli designs and produces advanced automotive systems and components. The company has 77 production facilities, 11 research and development centers, and 26 application centers in 18 countries. The group supplies leading automakers in Europe, North America, South America and the Far East. Its comprehensive product line includes electronic systems, lighting, powertrain, shock absorbers, plastic components and modules, suspension and exhaust systems, and aftermarket parts and services.
About Shell Lubricants
The term ‘Shell Lubricants’ refers to Pennzoil-Quaker State Company (doing business as SOPUS Products) a Shell Group company engaged in the lubricants business in the US. Shell’s Lubricants companies lead the lubricants industry globally, supplying 13.4% of global lubricants volume.(a) The companies manufacture and blend products for use in consumer, heavy industrial and commercial transport applications. Shell’s portfolio of top-quality brands includes Pennzoil®, Quaker State®, FormulaShell®, Shell TELLUS®, Shell RIMULA®, Shell ROTELLA® T, Shell SPIRAX® and Jiffy Lube®.
(a) Kline & Company, “Global Lubricants Industry 2009: Market Analysis and Assessment, 2009-2019.”
Chrysler To Announce New Turbo Diesel Engine For Trucks
Slow down Chrysler, I can’t keep up. This company is moving so fast to reinvent itself that it’s hard to keep up with all the news. For all of you Ram Truck lovers we’ve got some good news. According to DetNew.com we should see a new Cummins Turbo Diesel unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show this week. Apparently this beast will generate 800 pound-feet of torque. That bests Chevy, and puts Ram Trucks on par with Ford for torque.
Today! Dodge Just Updated Website To Reflect New 2011 Model Changes
Been wanting more info on the 2011 Dodge lineup. Fret Not! Dodge just updated their website, and all of those beautiful 2011’s are present for your viewing pleasure. Click Here To Jump To The Dodge Website
Ram Head Missing From New Dodge Line-Up!(By:Taylor)
Dodge just announced their 2011 lineup. Refinements were made across the board. The key elements that Dodge engineers focused on were handling, steering,comfortable ride,noise, harshness,craftsmanship,appearance expectations and powertrain. So I think that covers just about everything. I mean these vehicles simply have a different aura about them. I haven’t quite yet put my finger on it, but something is different. One thing I didn’t notice right-a-way was the missing Rams head. Yes, the iconic Ram Shield is gone. No longer will it bejewel the interior and exterior skin of Dodge. Although it will be missed by many Dodge lovers, I really think the decision to pull it and allow it only on the truck line was a good one. It fits the truck line better. Passenger cars call for a level of refinement that utilitarian trucks (Although Rams can be very luxurious in their own right.) may not represent. You notice the absence of the logo in two primary locations. One is the grille, and the other is the steering wheel. Both use the “Dodge” emblem now, centered on the steering wheel, but offset to the left side on the grille. Although noticeable, the logo changes are not the only updates to be made to the Dodge line.
I’ll note the externals first. Everything is softened on the outside. Dodge has managed to round things off a bit, and add curves where needed without loosing the aggressive styling Dodge is known for. The pieces hood,glass,headlights,doors,trunk just flow together in a more seamless integration. I love the new sunken groove on the Charger that runs along the left and right side of the door and quarter panel. It has that I’m moving while standing still affect. The vehicle that caught my eye the most was the ALL NEW Dodge Durango. It’s based off the Grand Cherokee platform, and is simply stunning to look at. Everything is rounded on the vehicle. It has a rather soothing appearance…graceful is another word I would use to describe the appearance. Although not intended for Off-Roading like its sibling the Grand Cherokee, it does tout best-in-class towing. I’ve dropped in a video by TFLcar.com that gives an excellent walk around of the vehicle “INSIDE-OUT”. I haven’t mentioned the Caravan, Challenger, Journey, or Caliber. The Caravan would require a separate post, and the 2011 Journey and Caliber are currently in showroom floors. So let me move on and talk about the interior for just a second.
Us humans like to touch things. And according to the vehicle purchasing public when it comes to the interiors of their cars, they like the touch to be soft. Dodge says…”Your request is our command”. From the dashboard, to the steering wheel most everything has a slight cushiony feel to it. Even knobs and buttons that are made of hard materials have a softening to them. Knobs are no longer pinch and turn but are touch and rotate. Buttons presses are sure and smooth. The instrument cluster is bright and pleasing to the eye. AC controls are easy to use, and the radio centers are modern and uncluttered. Seating in all of the vehicles are less utilitarian and more refined, and give the imports a run for their money. Subdued metal accents and beautifully placed interior lighting top everything off.
The new “Dodge” is to be taken literally here. Change can be a good thing. Dodge has shown this with its new 2011 line.
Helfman Cars 