Previously teased, now fully released – this is the all new 2013 Dodge Dart, the American brand’s C-segment sedan to take on the likes of the Corolla, Civic, Cruze and Elantra. To be officially unveiled at the upcoming Detroit show, the Dodge Dart shares underpinnings with the sexy Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Fiat owns both brands.

The 2013 Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle based on Fiat architecture. Not just plug and play, but the Giulietta’s platform has been lengthened and widened to deliver segment-leading cabin space, according to Dodge.

The “Compact U.S. Wide” architecture underpinning the Dart comprises of 68% high-strength steel, a figure said to be segment leading. The outer skin is quite outstanding, too, featuring Dodge’s trademark split-crosshair grille and full-width LED “racetrack” tail lamps.

Inside the cabin, one can see a similar “racetrack” theme on the dash, which has a centre stack angled towards the driver, old BMW style. All displays are colourful and hi-res, and there’s a cool storage area under the front passenger seat base.

There will be three engine options at launch, a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbocharged unit or two “Tigershark” mills – a 2.0L and a 2.4L MultiAir.

Three transmission choices will be available, a manual, a Fiat-sourced six-speed dual-clutch transmission and at a later date, a nine-speed automatic gearbox by ZF. The latter is supposed to boost fuel economy by 10 to 16% over the DCT, which is very impressive. By the way, there’s no typo, it’s NINE speed!

The Dodge Dart will be built at Chrysler Group’s Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois. This local boy with Italian blood poses some hard questions at the Asians dominating the show – it has the tech and looks to challenge, that’s for sure.

Last week, we had a first look of the Dodge Dart, via zoomed in front and rear teasers. Now, Dodge has released first pics of the Dart’s interior, which the company says “sets a new standard for compact cars” and has the “interior spaciousness of a mid-sized sedan” with best-in-class hip and shoulder room.

By the way, the Dart is a compact sedan (for the US, it’s C segment) adapted from the sexy Alfa Romeo Giulietta. It’s scheduled for a world debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

From the info released, the Dart’s cabin sounds cool. You’ll find “materials and precision craftsmanship typically found in more expensive vehicle segments” and “thousands of ways to personalize the Dart”. They weren’t joking – there are 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim combinations, six wheel options, three engine options and three transmissions.

The image we see here is a “floating island bezel” that houses the 7-inch TFT customisable gauge cluster display with light pipe surround. There’s also the UConnect Touch 8.4-inch touchscreen multimedia center – the largest touchscreen in its class.

The ambient lighting we see here isn’t just for photography, as the production car has glow on the door handles, map pockets, foot wells, glove box, storage bin and illuminated cup holders. Available “racetrack” lighting surrounds the floating island bezel.

Dodge is really taking the fight to the imports, and safety isn’t left out. Constructed with 68% high-strength steel, there are 10 standard airbags in the Dart, which is unsurpassed in the segment. It’s also the only car in its class to offer Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path Detection.

Click here to view the previous teasers, and read more about the Dart.

Click to enlarge.

It’s called the Dodge Dart, and this one is set to be Chrysler’s first vehicle that’s based on Fiat architecture. The current Dart will be the second vehicle to bear the name, the first one being from nearly five decades ago, when it arrived on the scene in 1963.

Aside from the name, there’s nothing historical about the new one, which is a four-door sedan set to make its world debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Click to enlarge.

It’s adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but given the rework – with a lengthened and widened platform heading the list – to offer more space for American buyers. A choice of three AR engines will be available, these being a new Tigershark 16 valve 2.0 litre, a 1.4 litre MultiAir Intercooled Turbo and a Tigershark 2.4 litre MultiAir four cylinder mill, along with three transmission choices.

The company isn’t showing off the whole car yet, but teases it through a couple of partials, saying that the vehicle – which will be made in the US at Chrysler’s Belvidere plat in Illinois – will wear 18-inch wheels, projector headlamps, accentuated fenders and signature Dodge full-width LED ‘racetrack’ tail lamps, among other design cues.

It’s Tokyo time, which is why we’re seeing so many cute green concepts on this website, so for variety, have a look at the special-edition 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket. It’s a limited run variant of Dodge’s retro styled muscle car wheeled out by Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team.

Like the Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee we showed you earlier, this Challenger’s attention grabbing headline colour is Stinger Yellow. Besides that, the Yellow Jacket features a black grille surround, black body-side stripes and a Yellow Jacket logo on the rear fender. New 20-inch, five-spoke cast-aluminum wheels with black painted pockets are also thrown in. The rims are identical to those on the Super Bee.

Inside, the leather seats sport a Stinger Yellow accent band with embroidered Yellow Jacket logo and silver accent stitching. The driver’s chair also features full adjustable lumbar with seatback tilt and memory, which eases rear seat access.

The original Dodge “Yellow Jacket” show car, based on the 1970 Challenger, was shown at various auto shows from 1969. Painted pearlescent Honey Gold, that roadster was powered by a 426-cubic inch HEMI V8 and carried various Dodge “Scat Pack” performance features, such as a unique front spoiler, wider tyres, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, along with the Rallye instrument cluster and shaker hood.

The only Bee people this part of the world know is Bumble the Chevy Camaro, thanks to the blockbuster Transformers movies. But Dodge had its own bee all along, and has revived the old name (1968, based on the Coronet) on its Charger model. This is the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, available in either Stinger Yellow or Pitch Black paint with special Super Bee graphics.

The latter includes a unique SRT badge with a 3-D helmeted bee mascot on the new split crosshair grille finished in Gloss Black. Front fenders feature the evocative “392 HEMI” badges first seen on the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392. Both rear fenders have the legendary round Super Bee graphics, which now include the wording “Powered by SRT”. New 20-inch, five-spoke cast-aluminum wheels with black painted pockets add to the unique look.

Inside, there’s an exclusive three-spoke contoured performance steering wheel, exclusive Z-stripe cloth performance seats with amped yellow and silver striping in both the front and rear as well as silver accent stitching and embroidered Super Bee logos on the front headrests. The instrument panel also features the Charger Super Bee logo on a unique dash plaque. The Super Bee logo also appears digitally on start up.

The 2012 Charger Super Bee is powered by the new 6.4-litre HEMI V8 that delivers 45 hp and 68 Nm more torque than the 6.1L V8 it replaces, at 470 hp and 637 Nm of torque, so there’s no lack of muscle.

0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration is in the high 4-second range, quarter mile (0-400m) in the high 12-second range, 0-100-0 mph (0-160-0 km/h) in less than 16 seconds and top speed is 280 km/h. Stopping is done by vented/slotted rotors with four-piston Brembo calipers.

New for 2012 are paddle shifters on the SRT heated steering wheel. Does the rear remind anyone else of the Nissan 180SX?

They don’t get much bigger, have more range or more pulling power than the Ram Long-Hauler Concept truck, the press release starts. No one would doubt them, just look at this thing!

On display at selected events across America, the Ram Long-Hauler is based on a Class 5 Ram 5500 Crew Cab. They then converted to a Mega Cab passenger compartment, added an 8-foot box and upped the range between refueling stops with a mid-ship fuel tank. Combined with a second frame-mounted tank and a third, optional, bed-mounted auxiliary tank, total fuel capacity is 643.52 litres!

This monster is 24 feet or 7.3 metres long, with the wheelbase along accounting for 5 metres. With a 37,500 Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), the Long-Hauler can probably tow your house away.

Under the hood is an inline six-cylinder 6.7L “High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel” rated at 1,085 Nm. It’s mated to a six-speed Aisin automatic with four-wheel-drive transfer case coupled to a 4.88 Dana 110 axle with dual rear wheels.

Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

If the Evo reincarnated as a muscle car, this would be it, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8. To be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, this 2012 model year hot Charger gets a blackened snout for a nose job. It really resembles the current Lancer Evo if you ask us, except that Dodge bends in the lower edges of the Mitsubishi’s signature “jet fighter” grille. The rear is an LED fest – the Charger’s new “racetrack” taillamp design consists of 164 diodes!

Under that bulging hood is the new 6.4-litre HEMI V8 that boasts more horsepower and torque plus improved fuel economy over the 6.1L HEMI it replaces. Estimated power ratings are 465 horsepower and 630 Nm of torque, including an estimated additional 109 Nm of torque at 2,900 rpm. Specific figures will be released later.

Economy is aided by Fuel Saver technology, which is a four-cylinder mode with adaptive valve exhaust system. This allows the system to engage over a wider rpm range. An active intake manifold and high lift camshaft with cam phasing provides maximum low end torque while optimising high end power. Paddle shifters for the carryover five-speed auto are standard.

The Charger SRT8 features adaptive damping suspension with two driver selectable “Auto” and “Sport” settings. The SRT-tuned fully hydraulic steering system has been improved with a heavy-duty pump and revised gearing for more direct feel and on-center response.

“World-class stopping power” is courtesy of four-piston Brembo calipers and vented/slotted rotors measuring 14.2 inches up front and 13.8 inches in the rear. Those five-spoke wheels are 20-inch lightweight forged and polished aluminum items.

Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

Click to enlarge

The Dodge Challenger is the best modern interpretation of American muscle to these eyes, and the most potent version, the SRT8 392, now gets a boost in horsepower and torque with the introduction of the legendary 392-cubic inch HEMI V8 engine. With 470 hp and 637 Nm, this 6.4-litre has 122 Nm more torque at 2,900 rpm compared with the previous 6.1L V8 while delivering up to 20% better economy.

The Challenger isn’t only good for drag racing, according to Dodge, which claims “world-class ride and handling” for the 392. New, highly damped shocks offer a firm ride and SRT engineers recalibrated the suspension geometry to improve the Challenger’s balance and cornering ability.

Quicker steering ratios and new negative camber settings all around “dramatically improve Challengers appetite for cornering”. The fully hydraulic steering system also has been improved with a heavy-duty pump and revised gearing for more direct feel and on-centre response. It’s still playfully “tossable” though.

To kick off 2011-model year production, Dodge will build 1,492 Inaugural Edition models. They get two colour/stripe combinations and 20-inch SRT wheels with a polished face and black pockets. “392 HEMI” badges and Mopar quad exhaust are the other visual cues. Inside, the Inaugural Edition features standard Smooth Pearl White leather trimmed seats and dual blue stripes accented by blue stitching. And a plaque.