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Chrysler killing off the 200 Convertible, Dodge Avenger

When Chrysler rolled out the first-generation 200 to replace the Sebring range in 2010, it included replacements for both the sedan and the convertible. The Sebring Coupe, however, was left out of the mix. And now that the second-generation Chrysler 200 is descending upon us, Auburn Hills is paring things down even further. But this time, it's the convertible that reportedly isn't making the cut. Shame, too, since the rendering above shows what could have been quite an attractive droptop.
As our compatriots at Edmunds point out, sales of the convertible model accounted for less than five percent of overall Chrysler 200 sales, and at those numbers, the considerable cost of engineering a new drop-top couldn't be justified. With the Toyota Camry Solara and Volkswagen Eos also gone from the market (well, the VW isn't gone quite yet), the discontinuation of the Chrysler 200 Convertible leaves the affordable convertible segment largely to the sportier likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro and smaller European offerings like the Mini Cooper and VW Beetle.
The Chrysler 200 Convertible isn't the only derivative being left behind with the new model: so too is the Dodge Avenger. That will leave a glaring hole in the Dodge lineup, with nothing to bridge the gap between the compact Dart and the larger Charger. Whether the Dodge brand has any plans to replace the Avenger with another model, not to be based on the 200, remains to be seen.

FCA inline-six rumored to be real, headed for Jeep Wagoneer

In September, Allpar reported that that clues being dropped at Fiat- Chrysler headquarters, in the carmaker's factories, and on engineer resumes pointed to the development of an inline six-cylinder engine. The site has just proclaimed the rumor is reality, writing that the straight-six, "turbocharged to meet or beat 5.7 Hemi power ratings, with a smoother torque curve, is on the way." The motor's first outing is expected to be either the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, debuting perhaps next year, or the Jeep Wagoneer, debuting in 2020 or 2021. "Tornado" is the purported codename for the power plant said to be just under three liters in displacement, expanding the family begun with the Global Medium Engine 2.0-liter turbo codenamed Hurricane. Engine bay constraints and a long use horizon mean engineers won't simply add two more cylinders to the GME, however. Allpar says the brief is to keep the Tornado GME-T6 — the alphanumeric for "turbocharged six" — no more than three inches longer than the Tigershark 2.4-liter four-cylinder. That means "major design changes" that could include a space-saving head, more closely spaced cylinders, and no cylinder liners. An FCA division called Comau could be called on for its "SmartSpray" plasma lining technology. Allpar muses that the standard version of the engine for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram could get a single twin-scroll turbocharger. Performance trims for Alfa Romeo and Maserati could get different heads and maybe twin turbos, an SRT version might also get both those tweaks. History shows that the Italian versions would make changes to the block, as well. Even so, the Tornado would be less expensive than any Ferrari-supplied V6. A straight-six would put FCA in company with current adopters BMW and Mercedes-Benz, future users like Jaguar, and perhaps Aston Martin. The engine would span the widest range of use cases in the U.S. carmaker's portfolio, though. Potential applications include being a base engine for Ram trucks, serving double duty as a base engine and 5.7-liter Hemi replacement for the Dodge Charger and Challenger, working in the high-end Jeeps, and as a properly hot trim — with Ferrari-designed heads — in the luxury Italian sports cars. The Alfa Romeo Giulia begs for just such motivation to fill the gap between the 280-hp, $42,695 Ti Sport RWD and the 505-hp, $73,700 Giulia Quadrifoglio RWD. And a twin-turbo inline-six in a Maserati Alfieri would stack up nicely with the Germans.

The final-year Viper special editions sold out so fast Dodge is adding more

Viper collectors don't mess around. After Dodge opened ordering for its 25th anniversary 2017 Viper models – some of the last ones that will be built – all of the cars were spoken for in just five days. The company managed to sell 206 cars, an average of about 41 per day. Compare that to the 241 Vipers sold through May of this year and you can see why special editions make good business sense. Demand was so strong that Dodge will add a sixth special-edition for the Viper's last year of production. Within the group of five initial special packages, the winner was the 1:28 Edition ACR; all 28 went in 40 minutes. Dodge sold the 31 VooDoo II Edition ACRs in two hours, while 25 Snakeskin Edition GTCs and 100 GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACRs took two days to sell out. The 22 Dodge Dealer Edition ACRs took five days – apparently the dealers were too busy taking orders for the other 184 cars they didn't have time to order their own. The additional anniversary car is called the Snakeskin ACR. Dodge will build "up to" 31 of them, which we're pretty sure means exactly 31 if the previous demand is any indicator. The count matches the 2010 run of Snakeskin ACRs and will take the final-edition total to 237. We don't have any photos of that one yet, but you can get a good idea of what it will look like from the Snakeskin GTC. This one features Snakeskin Green paint, obviously, with a custom snakeskin-patterned SRT stripe, the ACR Package, the Extreme Aero Package, carbon-ceramic brakes, the ACR interior, a serialized Snakeskin badge on the instrument panel, and a custom car cover with the owner's name by the door. It will be available to order in the middle of this month, which means it will be sold out well by the end of the month. Chances are these and many of the others will go to mega-collectors like Wayne and D'Ann Rauh of Texas, who, at last count, owned 79 Vipers. Seventy-nine. Like we said, Viper collectors don't mess around. Related Video: