Source: Chrysler

Chrysler has already promised a range of powertrains for the Dart, including three different engines and a trio of transmissions (including an optional nine-speed automatic!). Power will come from the automaker’s range of new Tigershark small-displacement engines, including a 2.0-liter, 16-valve four, a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo and a 2.4-liter MultiAir.

The Dart’s underlying platform is expected to be a much-massaged version of the chassis underpinning the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, with 68 percent of its wider and longer architecture comprised of high-strength steel.

Way back in 2008, Dodge shipped one of its Viper ACR coupes to the ‘Ring with the goal of setting a blistering time. Suffice it to say, the outing was a complete success. For quite some time, Dodge claimed with a time of 7:22.1 that it held the fastest lap time of any production car around the famous circuit.

Since then, a number of manufacturers and machines have bested that still-stellar time, notably the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (7:19.63) and more recently the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (7:14). Now, according to a new forum post by Viper Club of America president Marv Spatz, Dodge Viper owners can cheer the return of the crown, because a Viper ACR has reportedly just reclaimed the title with an unofficial time of “7:12 and change.”

Don’t get too excited, though, because there’s little to see from this early test mule. It’s largely wearing the bodywork from the last Viper, and what’s new is heavily disguised. What we can tell is that the headlights stretch back farther over the hood than the previous model, above the updated crosshair grille now in use across the Dodge model range. The placement of the air scoops and hood louvers appear different, and from what we can see at least, the front end seems to be more refined than its brutish predecessors.

Source: AutoBlog

This latest set of Michael C. Hall-voiced advertisements puts the 2011 Durango head-to-head with the new Explorer, showing off the Dodge’s best-in-class towing and more powerful powertrain options. Be sure to note the fine print in the first ad where it says, “2011 Dodge Durango Citadel and 2011 Ford Explorer Limited equipped with their most powerful engines available.” In defense of the Explorer, it’s perhaps unfair to compare top-end powertrains when you’re putting a 360-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8 up against a 290-hp 3.5-liter V6, but, hey… Ford doesn’t offer anything more powerful.

Thankfully, our time with the the affable Mr. Gilles wasn’t spent pondering the last generation LX’s branding issues. Or refinement issues. Or interior gaffes. Instead, Chrysler rounded up its newest factory-fettled performance superstars in Southern California so we could get some quality time with the latest generation of SRT machines, including the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.

From nose to tail, the SRT8 runs 200.3 inches, and if you pace off that distance, you’ll arrive around back to find more classic Charger DNA. The lengthy taillamp array spreads across the rump like a wildfire burning with a total of 164 LEDs. Just above the flames sits a rear spoiler that’s functional, just like every other vent or angle on the Charger’s exterior. Aero engineers have worked hard to make sure the sedan stays stable at speed, all the way up to a 175 mph top end, but they still managed make a sinister-looking sedan.

Source: Autoblog

In a new commercial for the 2011 Dodge Charger, we’re given a glimpse into a world where technology is done creeping. It’s everywhere, and it affects all portions of our daily routine. One man has had enough, and decides to take back control of his vehicle (the fascia of which bears an eerie resemblance to the latest Charger). Cut to a shot of present day, and Dodge proclaims that robots “will never take our cars.”

It’s really quite ingenious. All that’s required to create your own massive plume of thick white smoke is premium-grade gasoline and two 245/45ZR20 tires, both of which are readily available, and both of which are consumed in roughly equal quantities. The actual process of making the smoke-screen is so simple even a caveman could do it. One step: Mash the throttle pedal to the floorboard. Done.

Strangely enough, during our First Drive of the beast, we found out that it’s possible to do other things with the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392. For instance, with a modicum of restraint at the specific point at which your right foot comes into contact with the throttle pedal, you can drive the 392 in a straight line. Equally as surprising, at least to those who know anything about classic muscle cars, the Challenger is even capable of traveling in directions other than forward, and for more than 1,320 feet at a time.

We’re just as shocked as you.

We decided to borrow one of these weapons of mass (tire) destruction for a week with two goals in mind: to see both how much smoke can be created from one set of tires (or one tank of gasoline, whichever comes first…) and how the most powerful Challenger fulfills the unlikely role of an everyday driver.

Source: AutoBlog

The Dodge Viper ACR is no longer in production, but it remains one of the most impressive sports cars ever built as evidenced by a recent trip to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Dodge Motorsports brought a 2010 Viper ACR to the track along with road racer Kuno Wittmer, and the result was a record-smashing lap time of 1:59.995 – nearly four seconds faster than the previous record of 2:03.86 held by a Corvette ZR1 driven by Jan Magnussen.

[Source: Chrysler]

There’s just something about seeing a supercar on the powder that makes grin like a canary-fed feline.

What else do we know about the next-generation Viper? Few solid details have been confirmed as of yet, but word on the web is that buyers can look forward to somewhere between 600 and 700 horsepower. There’s no indication as to whether those ponies will come from a V10 as in days of old or if Chrysler will opt for something with fewer cylinders and more forced induction. Either way, there will be enough power on hand to rankle the chains of hardware like the Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R.

Chrysler says that the company is prepping the Viper for the next “Supercar Olympics,” but from the sound of things, the beast will be more at home in an all-out street brawl. We can’t wait. Chrysler’s brief statement is available after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler] ]]> http://www.autoshortnews.com/2013-dodge-viper-coming-late-2012-stability-control-confirmed/feed/ 0