2014 Touring New 3.6l V6 24v Fwd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler-Fiat quality chief out after another poor Consumer Reports showing

Fiat Chrysler has announced a management change following the company's woeful performance in the latest Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey. Of the 28 brands surveyed, FCA's marques occupied the five the seven lowest scores, while Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Fiat were the four lowest scorers.
Doug Betts, FCA's 51-year-old head of quality "left the company to pursue other interests," which, considering the aforementioned paragraph, means he was sacked. According to Automotive News, Betts joined Chrysler in 2007, defecting from Nissan, and, insiders report, had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with new boss Sergio Marchionne.
His replacement is the newly promoted Matthew Lidane (shown at inset), who was formerly VP of systems and components. Lidane has been at Chrysler since 1987 and was previously chief engineer of the Jeep product team as well as the vehicle line boss for the compact US wide platform which (ironically) underpins two of FCA's lowest scoring vehicles, the Dodge Dart and Jeep Cherokee.

Chrysler readying Hellcat V8 with Viper-like power

A monstrous supercharged V8 engine could be in store for Chrysler and SRT products, if recent rumors are to be believed. Allpar is reporting that the forced-induction V8 - Chrysler's first, if this goes down - could make its debut this summer.
The story goes that the Hellcat would be based on a 6.2-liter Hemi engine, rather than on the existing 5.7- or 6.4-liter versions of the company's vaunted mill. In any case, the general consensus is that the motor will have gobs of power. Modest estimates call for between 500 to 570 horsepower, with some outliers predicting a figure as high as 600 hp. That figure would put the output would place the Hellcat awfully close to that of the 640-hp V10 in the SRT Viper, too. Allpar contends that a slightly lower powered version would allow Chrysler to keep costs below that of the more powerful Ford Shelby GT500, which might be a sweet spot.
The Hellcat could debut in a number of SRT products. SRT versions of the Charger, Challenger and 300 are all up for grabs, as is the rumored SRT Barracuda.

Dodge recalling 2k SRT Hellcat Challengers and Chargers for fuel leak

Bad news for fans of the obscene output of the Dodge Hellcat twins, as FCA has announced a voluntary recall of both 707-horsepower variants of the 2015-model-year Charger sedan and Challenger coupe. According to FCA, a total of 2,211 cars are being recalled after a dealer discovered a "possible fuel leak" during a pre-delivery inspection. Despite getting cleared by suppliers, FCA claims its engineers found "improperly installed" hose seals. Owners of affected vehicles will receive notification and be asked to report in for repairs. Of the vehicles affected, the overwhelming majority, 2,012, were sold in the US market. The remainder were sold in Canada (148), Mexico (30) and just 21 outside of North America. Scroll down for the official release from FCA. Related Video: Statement: Hose Seals March 1, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 2,211 cars globally to replace fuel-delivery components that may leak. An FCA US dealer alerted the Company to a possible fuel leak following a pre-delivery vehicle inspection. These components had passed the supplier's leak-testing, but FCA US engineers launched an investigation and discovered certain hose seals may have been improperly installed. The Company is unaware of any related injuries, accidents or customer complaints. Affected are model-year 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT coupes and Dodge Charger SRT sedans equipped with 6.2-liter V-8 engines. There are an estimated 2,012 in the U.S.; 148 in Canada; 30 in Mexico and 21 outside the NAFTA region. Affected customers will be notified and advised when they may schedule service. Customers with questions or concerns may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403.