dodge

NHTSA looks into Chrysler Group, Mazda vehicles

11:17 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today it is checking into 2006 Chrysler Group and 2009 Mazda vehicles in response to complaints about engine stalls and doors that fail to properly close.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Ram photo shoot goes horribly, horribly wrong

12:00 pm U.S. ET | May 7, 2013
I love puns, so when photos arrived of the big blue Pacific crashing against a floundering Ram heavy-duty pickup during a beach-photo-shoot-gone-wrong, my mind just raced.... Read More »

 

Chrysler up 11% on pickup, SUV sales

11:57 am U.S. ET | May 1, 2013
Chrysler Group rode strong sales of pickups and SUVs to an 11 percent sales increase in April, its 37th consecutive month of higher year-over-year sales.... Read More »

 

Dodge CEO must fill the hole left from loss of Ram

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013
New Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis, who was given high marks for turning around Fiat's launch in North America, takes over a brand with a shrinking lineup that is growing more dependent on cars, not light trucks.... Read More »

 

Chrysler recalls more than 214,000 vehicles in U.S.

4:01 pm U.S. ET | April 9, 2013
Chrysler Group is recalling more than 214,000 cars and trucks to fix a range of problems, including an engine cover that overheated and led to a fire under the hood of a prototype Ram 3500, documents released today show.... Read More »

 

Chrysler sales up 5%; pickups, mid-sized sedans jump

12:48 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
Record sales of pickups and mid-sized sedans boosted Chrysler Group sales by 5 percent in March, extending a string of consecutive monthly sales increases to 36.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Dodge: Bigger engine will boost Dart sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Dodge brand chief Reid Bigland says the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine coming this spring in the new Dodge Dart GT model will boost sales of the compact car -- and may become the dominant engine for the Dart.... Read More »

 

Durango: New lights, electronics, gearbox

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The 2014 Dodge Durango gets new interior electronics and exterior lights, as well as an eight-speed transmission.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Why the stakes are high for Chrysler's new minivan

2:48 pm U.S. ET | March 29, 2013
After way more than a year of debate back and forth, Chrysler Group has settled on a design for its next generation minivan. But in an interview with the Detroit Free Press at the New York auto show this week, Chrysler design head Ralph Gilles wouldn't disclose whether the single minivan would remain a Chrysler Town & Country or stay as a Dodge Grand Caravan.... Read More »

 

Chrysler's Ram considers more sports team edition trucks

11:20 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
Chrysler is considering expanding its successful Ram truck promotional tie-in with Detroit's professional hockey team to other sports and cities, said Fred Diaz, head of the Ram truck brand.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Re-engineered Durango punches its ticket to the ball

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
Since its relaunch as a 2011 model, the Dodge Durango has been the large and largely ignored stepsister of its much-celebrated platform mate, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW PREVIEW

Show to star a cavalcade of crossovers and SUVs

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
A parade of new and redesigned crossovers and SUVs will headline the New York auto show this week. The list includes the Jeep Cherokee, which replaces the Liberty, and new renditions of the Acura MDX, Toyota Highlander and Range Rover Sport. Subaru will debut a hybrid version of its XV Crosstrek.... Read More »

 

Bad cable, fires cause Challenger recall

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
A faulty terminal on a battery cable caused Chrysler Group last week to warn about 2,500 owners of 2013 Dodge Challengers to park their cars immediately or risk a fire.... Read More »

 

Higher-volume cars get carbon fiber

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013
Carbon fiber has finally broken out of its European supercar niche. The 2013 SRT Viper and the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette have carbon fiber hoods and other parts, and the Corvette's production is likely to top 20,000 units this year.... Read More »

 

Chrysler tells 2,500 owners of V-6 Challengers to stop driving because of fire risk

3:05 pm U.S. ET | March 17, 2013
Chrysler Group is warning about 2,500 owners of 2013 Dodge Challengers with V-6 engines built in December and January not to drive their cars because of a potential short-circuit that could lead to a fire. Seven such fires have occurred, none causing injury, on Challengers built from Dec. 3, 2012, through Jan. 24, 2013.... Read More »

 

GROWLIN' -- FOR NOW

Sports cars are hot today, but who'll buy them tomorrow?

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
A new SRT Viper and an upcoming Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Alfa Romeo 4C and Acura NSX. If consumers didn't know better, they might think that all is well in the sports car business. It's not.... Read More »

 

Chrysler to spend $374 million on transmission plants in Ind.

11:11 am U.S. ET | Feb. 28, 2013
Chrysler Group is investing $374 million into several Indiana transmissions plants responsible for building eight- and nine-speed transmissions, the company said. After months of preliminary steps, Chrysler will invest $162 million in an empty Tipton, Ind., plant to build nine-speed automatic transmissions for front-wheel-drive vehicles.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

With stellar detective work, today’s recalls are not like yesterday’s

10:44 am U.S. ET | Feb. 22, 2013
People in this industry have a love-hate relationship with recalls. Dealers can love them if they ring up service reimbursements from the factory and give people a reason to visit their stores. But they can hate them if the recall leaves a customer inconvenienced or worse, gives consumers a reason to question the integrity of their vehicle.... Read More »

 

2013 GENEVA AUTO SHOW

Alfa Gloria hints at forthcoming Giulia

Feb. 18, 2013 11:00 CET
A styling model that hints at the Alfa Romeo Giulia will debut at the Geneva auto show next month. The mid-sized Gloria concept resulted from a collaboration between the Alfa Styling Center and the European Design Institute in Turin.... Read More »

 

MAKE MEETINGS -- CHRYSLER GROUP

Chrysler to dealers: Keep focus on sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
Chrysler Group executives promised Fiat dealers a spring preview of new products planned for their showrooms and heard Jeep retailers plead for more Wranglers and Grand Cherokees.... Read More »

 

BMW recalls X5 SUV for brake flaw

12:13 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 15, 2013
BMW is recalling 30,265 of its X5 SUVs from model years 2007-2010 to correct a brake vacuum pump leak, according to U.S. safety regulators. Separately, Chrysler said it is recalling 4,278 Dodge Viper sports cars globally to fix a part that could cause the airbags to inadvertently deploy.... Read More »

 

Chrysler plans diesel version of 2014 Ram half-ton pickup

10:09 am U.S. ET | Feb. 14, 2013
Chrysler Group's Ram brand plans to sell a half-ton pickup later this year with a diesel engine -- its first such offering since 1978.... Read More »

 

Lexus again tops J.D. Power dependability study; Detroit 3 narrow gap

10:00 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2013
Lexus remains the most dependable vehicle brand after three years of ownership but the Detroit 3 continue to close the gap with foreign rivals, J.D. Power and Associates says. Across the industry, owners of three-year-old 2010 cars and light trucks reported 126 problems per 100 vehicles, an all-time low and a 5 percent improvement from 132 problems per 100 on 2009 models a year ago.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

New van crop is ugly — but in a money-making way

1:10 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
Not to burst the ego of the automotive stylists who worked on them, but the new commercial vans that are about to flood the market are ugly. Beautifully, hideously ugly. The vans from Nissan North America, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group are to automotive design what a young Mike Tyson was to opposing boxers: unorthodox and confusing, but devastatingly effective.... Read More »

 

2013 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW

Chrysler back in commercial van market with Ram ProMaster

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013
Chrysler Group is driving back into the commercial van segment after a three-year absence with the introduction of the 2014 Ram ProMaster. The ProMaster is based on the Fiat Ducato van, which has been on sale in Europe for more than 30 years. It will be built in Saltillo, Mexico, for sale in North and South America, and is expected to arrive in dealerships this fall.... Read More »