Last night at Baylor Hospital in Dallas Texas, 89 year old
Carroll Shelby - a man who had as great a hand as any in improving American
performance cars over the last 50+ years - passed away after a lengthy battle
with pneumonia.Rumors to Mr. Shelby's
passing originally surfaced in late April to which Shelby himself replied on
Facebook - proclaiming that he was in the hospital recovering from pneumonia
with his family by his side.Sadly,
Shelby's company issued a statement this morning announcing the passing of the
automotive legend.
While Carroll Shelby's name is best known in modern time for
his work with the Ford GT500 Mustang, Mr. Shelby had a profound impact on the
world of Mopar Performance starting in the 1980s.
Even though April 2012 had only 24 selling days compared to
27 days in April 2011, both the Dodge and Ram brands were able to post year
over year gains - even if only by a small margin.For the Ram Truck brand, an impressive 12%
increase compared to April 2011 was reliant almost entirely on the Ram pickup
family while the Dodge brand saw their overall sales figures in the short month
grow by 2% compared to last April.
The Ram Truck brand was led in both growth and sales volume
by the Ram pickup family.Ram moved
21,126 trucks in April 2012 compared to just 17,680 in the same month last year
- an improvement of 19%.Pulling down
the total sales growth of the Ram brand was the Dakota (which is long out of
production) but even as the dealerships continue to sell off new-old stock, the
Dakota moved 39 new units.
Tomorrow at 6:24pm Eastern Standard Time, the 138th
running of the Run for the Roses will take place as the horses take the post
for the 2012 Kentucky Derby and the Chrysler Ram Truck brand is once again one
of the key sponsors for horse racing's crown jewel.
In addition to having the Ram Truck brand proudly displayed
on the Kentucky Derby website over the past few months, Ram trucks will be
prominently featured in unqiue displays around the grounds as well as those trucks used to provide
services during the weekend's races which are capped off by the 2012 Kentucky
Derby.
There will be a variety of 60
second Ram Truck commercials that run during the broadcast for the Kentucky
Derby along with all of the day's televised races as well as signage in and
around the grounds at Churchill downs.There
is also a short segment slated by the folks at NBC Sports featuring the Ram
1500 and Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn.
This morning the Chrysler Group announced a new move to show
their support for the city of Detroit with the renaming of the old Dime
Building as the new Chrysler House.The
Chrysler House will soon serve as the new home of the Great Lakes Business
Center and with the 70 employees who will work at the new Chrysler offices in
downtown Detroit will be CEO Sergio Marchionne - who will have a new office and
a private conference room in the new facility.
The Chrysler Group has long been questioned by critics for
their claims of being a "Detroit automaker" even though their headquarters are
in Auburn Hills Michigan.Chrysler is
the only automaker to have two production facilities in the city of Detroit
(Jefferson North - home of the Durango and Grand Cherokee/ Conner Ave - Home of
the mighty Viper) but with the announcement that they will have a 33,000 square
foot office space in downtown Detroit, Chrysler stakes its claim as a true
Detroit automaker.
The massive influx of new and redesigned models to the
various Chrysler Group brands over the past year have allowed the smallest of
the Detroit Big 3 automakers to routinely lead the American auto industry in
growth.As the financial results for the
first quarter of 2012 have been tabulated, the impact of these incredible
current Chrysler Group lineup is evident as the company posted $473 million in
profit through the first three months of the year.
For comparison, the Chrysler Group showed a profit of $116
million through the first quarter of 2011 so for 2012, the company is rolling
along at a pace more than four times better than one year ago.This net profit was gained thanks to a 25%
increase in revenue with $16.4 billion pulled in during January, February and March.
Today in New York, the Chrysler Group
introduced the 2013 Ram 1500. It receives a handful of subtle exterior changes--but the most exciting news has to do with all the bits you can't see. There's a
new V6 engine, an adjustable air suspension system, more horsepower from the
Hemi and an 8-speed transmission for both engines. Hit the jump for all the details.
Starting this past weekend, the Ram Truck brand began
teasing the new truck coming to the 2012 New York International Auto Show,
issuing four images of the vehicle described simply by the phrase "A Giant
Awaits".Ram issued four tightly cropped
images of this new Ram pickup but these pictures (shown above) don't give us
any idea as to what the Ram Truck brand might have to unveil this Thursday in
the Big Apple.
Starting from the left, the first picture is pretty clearly
a close up of the grille and brand logo, clad in lots of chrome.The third teaser image from the left is
obviously a badging - most likely the emblem found on the tailgate.The second and fourth images are the tricky
ones with the second image showing what looks to be a knob while the fourth and
final (so far) image - it is hard to tell just what this one might be.
Those who are into thoroughbred horse racing probably know
that the Ram Truck Brand (and the Dodge brand before that) has been a major
sponsor of the fabled Kentucky Derby over the past few years and with the Ram
Truck Brand returning to sponsor the 138th running of the first leg
of the Triple Crown - Ram is offering fans a chance to win a trip for two to
the big race at Churchill Downs.
The Ram Triple Crown Challenger is currently running a
contest on Sports-Central.org with three simple questions that could win you a
trip for two to the 2012 Kentucky Derby.Those questions are incredibly easy for any horse racing fan and they
are equally simple for anyone who has even a basic understanding of internet
search engines.
During interviews with various sources at the Geneva Motor
Show, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne stated that the replacement for the
Jeep Liberty - a currently unnamed vehicle expected to debut at the 2013
Detroit Auto Show - will be powered by a new 3.2L Pentastar V6 while also
coming with a new 9-speed automatic transmission.
The new 3.2L Pentastar V6 will join the current 3.6L
Pentastar that is offered in almost every product in the Dodge lineup shy of
the Dart and the Caliber.We can expect
that the new 3.2L V6 will offer more than the 210 horsepower and 235lb-ft of
torque produced by the current (and very old) 3.7L V6 in the Liberty while also
offering superior fuel economy to that of the 2012 Liberty.
The 2013 Dodge Dart is expected to be a major player in the
compact sedan segment and Chrysler has big hopes--enough so that company CEO
Sergio Marchionne is reportedly considering postponing the expected start of
production past the planned date of April 1st to "avoid being
jinxed".Marchionne made this comment
last week at the Geneva Motor Show, referring to the jinx that could hit the
car if production was to begin on April Fool's Day.
It is unclear whether or not Sergio Marchionne was serious
about his comments to delay the start of 2013 Dodge Dart production, but with
the planned start date of April 1st falling on a Sunday - perhaps
the Chrysler boss will indeed hold off on the start of production until that
Monday, April 2nd.
The Chrysler Group led the American auto industry in sales growth in February 2012 compared to the same month one year ago and while the Chrysler brand played a major role with an improvement of 115%, the Dodge and Ram brands both showed strong growth of their own - with both of these brands having their best February since 2008.
Dodge can't seem to catch a break. Another Chrysler factory employee admitted to being drunk at work after being arrested for drunk driving. After the first three extremelypublic busts, you think they would've gotten the idea by now. For employees of Ma Mopar, is it really always five o'clock somewhere?
It's been a couple years since we've done a Ride of the Month, and everybody at Dodge Forum is super pumped to see it return. Along with the priceless admiration of your peers, winning rides will be included in our monthly newsletter, and be eligible for our prestigious Ride of the the Year contest.
In the past, we've seen radical Roadrunners, sick SRT-4 Neons and vicious Vipers take the monthly honor -- so the competition is wide open! Nominations open December 31st. Good luck!
A couple of years back, I covered a few rounds of the American Le Mans Series, and while I was a fan before that experience, I'm an even bigger fan now. So I was really interested in this video Michelin put together about the DeltaWing LMP1 prototype. The car has half the power of a current Le Mans racer, but since it's half the weight, it should still be able to lay down some pretty quick laps, and stop for tires and fuel far less frequently.
The styling is far from traditional--check out how close together the front wheels are!--but if you want to take things to the next level, you have to think outside the box. When I first saw this baby, the first thing I thought about were the Colonial Vipers from Battlestar Galactica. Now, I don't know about you, but in my opinion, if you design a fast race car, and it happens to look like a wicked-cool spaceship, you're doing something right.
We'll get to see it on the track at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. But for now, check out the video to find out more about the DeltaWing, and to learn why vehicles like it are critical factors in the development of safer, more efficient street cars.
Like it or not, it's that time of year again. And whether you're looking for gifts for your resident gearhead, making sure the little ones gets bitten by the car bug, or trying to slide in a couple of gifts for yourself while nobody's looking, we've got you covered.
It's a good thing you guys are on DodgeForum and not some shady enthusiast site, because this is what can happen when you run with the wrong internet crowd. Skip past the jump to see footage of the aftermath from one of the most expensive car crashes ever!
Going to SEMA is awesome, but for the course of the week, 99% of the people you'll see are old fat dudes. Fortunately, the other one percent are girls being paid to be there, and ace photographer Patrick Rall took their pictures. Click through to meet the ladies of SEMA 2011!
OK, I realize this is Dodge Forum. But SEMA is a celebration of all things automotive, and I figured this crowd would appreciate seeing some killer cars that didn't happen to be made by Ma Mopar.
We have so many SEMA photos we don't know what to do with them all. Fortunately, we have a boss to tell us. "Get more Mopar photo galleries up! Make them awesome! SUPER AWESOME!"
Our editor John is still running around SEMA, busy as can be, trying to get all the photos and scoops he can. But that doesn't mean he's too busy to keep his priorities straight.
Because John's a man who knows what's important, he's done the right thing and taken plenty of photos of some of the most finely tuned ladies of SEMA 2011! Click past the jump to see our best of gallery, and don't forget to thank John!
Our poor editor's dogs have been barking for hours, but he's still running
around SEMA 2011, trying to shoot as many awesome Mopar photos as he
can. Here's another stellar gallery to show you he hasn't been slacking
off...
DodgeForum is at the SEMA 2011 show and is bringing you all the latest
photos and news from the showfloor! Stay tuned as we update the gallery
with pictures throughout the week with the most insane custom cars that Dodge and the Mopar Team have to offer!
A new 512 CID, V-10 engine with more than 800 horsepower and a new 426 Gen III High Output HEMI crate engine highlight Mopar's display at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, Nov. 1 - 4 in Las Vegas.
Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Will Chrysler benefit from the Fiat merger, or is this another Daimler deal? by William Foster
Since Fiat SpA first joined forces with the Chrysler Group, eventually making the financial and strategic moves to increase their ownership to a majority amount, many have compared this recent merger to the deal between Chrysler and Daimler Benz. Unfortunately, many Chrysler workers and enthusiasts were glad to see the owners of Mercedes Benz sell off their ownership of the American automotive group, so comparisons between the deals involving Daimler and Fiat are generally not a positive one...but will this merger benefit Chrysler in the long run?
While speaking recently at the Spruce Meadows Equestrian Facility in Canada on the future of the Chrysler Group, Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne stated that the company would make over $3 billion in operating profit next year. Marchionne also hinted that within the next 3 years, we can expect to see a merger between Fiat SpA and the Chrysler Group.
Fiat has become one of the most fuel efficient automakers in the European market, and a big part of that is due to their MultiAir technology. According to the folks at Motor Trend, Chrysler is currently working with this technology on the existing 2.0 and 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engines, the 3.6L Pentastar and an upcoming version of the Pentastar V6 measuring 3.2 liters. When combined with the strides made by Chrysler to improve the fuel economy of these engines through additions of items like the new ZF-designed 8-speed automatic transmission, the MultiAir technology could help make future Chrysler models among the most powerful and fuel efficient models available in the US market.
The Dodge brand is no stranger to diesel engines, as the Cummins Turbo Diesel has been a mainstay in the truck lineup for years. But since Ram Trucks split away from the Dodge cars, minivans and SUVs, there haven't been any diesel powered Dodge models. But with CEO Marchionne being a professed believer in a non-hybrid, diesel/gas future, the writing must be on the wall, right?
Being pulled along by some serious Ram power, the Chrysler Group LLC reported U.S. sales of 127,334, a 27 percent
increase compared with sales in September 2010 (100,077 units), and the
best September sales since 2007. Read past the jump for detailed, brand by brand analysis.
October 1st, the teams of the American Le Mans Series will do battle for the final time this season. Road Atlanta will play host, and the drivers will lap the storied circuit for ten hours or 1000 miles, whichever comes first.
We have known for weeks now that the Dodge Caliber hatchback will be replaced with a new vehicle to make its grand debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit's Cobo Hall. Now the first spy shots have leaked, as well as the rumored name of the model. Here's a hint, it's taken from the concept above.
The 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show officially opened today, and with it comes the grand debut of the new Maserati Kubang, a sport utility vehicle based on the 2011 Dodge Durango (and named after Maserati's 2003 concept). But just how much will it differ from the Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The Chrysler Group posted a year over year gain of 30.6% for August of 2011, making them the strongest automaker group operating in the US by a comfortable margin over Nissan NA, who improved by just 19%. The Chrysler Group was lead in sales by the Jeep brand with an improvement of 60% while the Chrysler brand had a strong month compared to August 2010, posting a gain of over 25%. The Dodge brand was next in line with an increase of 18% while the Ram brand rounded out the brands with a jump of 7%. The Fiat brand also had a strong month, posting sales of 3,106 units in August to help the overall growth of the Group.
President Barrack Hussein Obama recently announced the new CAFE requirements that will require companies to yield 39 miles per gallon by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by the 2025 model year. For most, the suggestion of all vehicles being subject to an expectation of 50+ miles per gallon paints a very ugly picture where we are all driving slow, boring trash like the Toyota Prius. But before anyone begins kissing their Hemi goodbye in the name of the new government mandate - a few key points show that American V8s will be alive and well, even when the new CAFE laws kick in.
Chat with SRT CEO Ralph Gilles! On Thursday, September 1st, the newly formed high performance SRT Brand will offer a live online chat hosted by SRT CEO Ralph Gilles and a handful of SRT engineers.
The geniuses at The Street recently did a piece proclaiming that the death of the American pickup truck was upon us. They went on to point out that the Big 3 do not sell as many trucks as they once did, and in that regard, they are right. Today's consumer has more choices if they need a vehicle that can do
"truck stuff", such as towing, hauling or handling rough roads, and
instead of a pickup, consumers can now look to crossovers, SUVs and even
minivans. At the same time, the rise in fuel prices have caused people
who don't actually need trucks to go in other routes. Those buyers,
referred to by Ford as "image buyers" often bought trucks because they
simply wanted to drive a truck - not because they needed a vehicle to
perform the tasks only a truck can provide - and as gas prices
skyrocketed those fair weather truck drivers went for other vehicles.
However, even though the image buyers have gone elsewhere, some
consumers have looked to sport utility vehicles for their needs, and the
small truck segment is going the way of the Dodo, it's still safe to say...the American pickup is far from dead.
The recently announced CAFE revisions have many Americans wondering what the future will bring with regards to drivetrain technology, as automakers are expected to hit 54.5mpg by 2025. Many believe that electric-powered hybrids, like the Chevy Volt, and pure electric models, like the Ford Focus Electric, are the wave of the future. But while speaking recently in Traverse City, Michigan, Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne disagreed. Mr. Marchionne stated that the super-efficient models that will help Americans reach 54+ miles per gallon will be based on gasoline and diesel drivetrains - not electric vehicles.
Over the last 31 years, the Mopar Nationals have given die hard Mopar enthusiasts a place to meet and experience all things Mopar - from the monstrous car show to the huge swap meet area to the incredible drag racing program. I personally have attended the Mopar Nationals every year since 1993 when it was moved from National Trails in Ohio to Indianapolis Raceway Park. The "Nats" would stay in Indy until 1997 when it made its triumphant return to Columbus and legendary Brice Road. While the events at the official venue (now National Trails Raceway) hold the bulk of the attractions, as a teenager attending the Mopar Nationals in Columbus it was more than just the track festivities that made the trip so entertaining.
Recently, the SRT High Performance Tour kicked off with a small presentation at the Walter P Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The SRT marquee is a unique automotive brand with high performance vehicles from three different automotive brands and the newly formed performance division will take a similarly unique approach to advertising their new vehicles.
July 2011 was a good month for the Chrysler Group as they lead the entire American auto industry in year over year sales growth among major automotive groups (July 2011 compared to July 2010). The Chrysler Group sold 112,026 cars, trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles in July 2011 - a 20% improvement over the same month last year.
Dodge's new ground pounding 392/6.4L HEMI has been tearing up the asphalt since the beginning of the year. This torque monster comes standard in the new Challenger and Charger SRT8 models (and yes, they also share it with the 2012 Chrysler 300C and Jeep SRT8 family members). Its mind numbing performance has rewarded its owners with 12-second ET slips at the drag strip. Want to know how we extracted 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque while increasing gas mileage?
News is trickling out about Dodge's plan to unveil the first Chrysler Group vehicle based on a Fiat platform and powered by a Fiat engine: a Dodge compact sedan to replace the Caliber. This car may be the most important car in the new lineup, as it will show how well a European platform can work here in the states. However, we shouldn't discount the possibilty of Dodge making a subcompact more closely based on the Fiat 500.
This week, Chrysler and Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne was speaking at the 2011 CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan, some questions about the future of the Chrysler Group came up. Many would expect some inane response about how they "don't comment on future products", but instead, Mr. Marchionne stated that it would be "up to the guy after me" - going on to say that his replacement could come about by 2015 or "maybe a year later".
Chrysler Group LLC recently announced its preliminary financial results for
the second quarter (Q2) 2011, demonstrating continued improvement in
its operating and financial performance. Chrysler Group LLC achieved modified operating profit of $507 million in Second Quarter 2011, up 177 percent from Q2 2010. They also fully repaid their bail-out loans, six years ahead of schedule. Net Revenues in Q2 2011 were $13.7 billion, up 30 percent from $10.5 billion in Q2 2010.
There have been a variety of rumors about what will replace the stale and slow-selling Dodge Caliber, but we insiders have suggested that the new Dodge model will meet its formal debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next January. Chrysler has offered no real information about what is coming to replace the Caliber, including whether or not it will still wear the Caliber name, but rumors suggest that the new model will be based on Fiat's C-Evo platform, which currently provides the basis for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
The Dodge brand earned three awards as the Dodge Challenger, Charger and Durango led their segments in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study(SM).
As summer road trip season is upon us, the folks at AAA have announced their top new models for road trips and among the list are the 2011 Dodge Charger and the all new 2011 Dodge Durango. The Charger received an extensive refresh inside and out for 2011 while the Durango is a completely new model - with both of these vehicles benefitting from the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and the 5.7L Hemi V8.
The folks at Chrysler have announced through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that they will be recalling 243,000 Ram trucks, starting with pickups from the 2003, running all the way through 2011 model year trucks.
Friday night, at the Walter P Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the ten lucky teams of two picked to compete in the cross country rally race known as the MoVenture came together for the first time - getting a chance to meet their competition as well as the opportunity to get acquainted with the new Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Fiat and Jeep vehicles in which they will spend the next week. The teams got to check out their new Chrysler Group vehicle and enjoy a dinner with their opponents and a group of Mopar enthusiasts who came out to see them off.
The Dodge and Ram Truck brands both had good months in June 2011, continuing the steady growth of the Chrysler Group and helping this five-brand collaboration to be the top dogs in terms of year over year growth for July with an overall improvement of 30%. Chrysler was led by the Jeep brand with a 74% gain over the same month in 2010 but Dodge and Ram Trucks both posted growth in June.
Funny man Adam Carolla's latest adventure, The Car Show, promises to be the "perfect mix of comedy, shop talk and eye candy", when it premiers tonight at 10pm Eastern on SPEED channel. Or at least that's what the press release promises. And judging from the above clip, the press release might just be right!
Last night at Baylor Hospital in Dallas Texas, 89 year old
Carroll Shelby - a man who had as great a hand as any in improving American
performance cars over the last 50+ years - passed away after a lengthy battle
with pneumonia. Rumors to Mr. Shelby's
passing originally surfaced in late April to which Shelby himself replied on
Facebook - proclaiming that he was in the hospital recovering from pneumonia
with his family by his side. Sadly,
Shelby's company issued a statement this morning announcing the passing of the
automotive legend.
by Patrick Rall
