2003 Dodge Srt-4 on 2040-cars

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Widebody Challenger Hellcat spotted with no camouflage

Well this is a mightily mysterious muscle car. One of our photographers caught this Dodge Challenger out testing without any camouflage. At first glance it looks like an SRT Demon, since it has the same widebody flares and front spoiler of the hellacious Challenger. However, the hood is from a garden-variety Hellcat (as if such a thing existed...), the rear spoiler has an SRT Hellcat badge, and the wheels don't come from the kitty or the Hellspawn. We have two theories as to what this SRT mishmash may be. Our first is that this is perhaps a next-generation Hellcat that takes advantage of some of the Demon's developments. It could have a more potent engine under the hood, perhaps with the extra fuel pumps and air-conditioned intercooler, along with the Demon's beefier driveline. It would be a way to keep the Hellcat relevant, and a way for people who might miss out on the one-year-only Demon to get the next closest thing. Our other theory is that this is an all-wheel-drive Hellcat. The wide fender flares and chin spoiler appeared on an all-wheel-drive Challenger concept before they made their way to the Demon. And with the introduction of the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, we know that Mopar has an all-wheel-drive system that can handle the grunt of the 707-horsepower Hellcat mill. If an all-wheel-drive Hellcat is in the cards, it would be another way to keep the Hellcat line fresh without too much investment, and would be a treat for fans of the old all-wheel-drive concept. It would also probably be a great seller here in snowy Michigan. Oh, and it would certainly post some amazing 0-30 acceleration times. Related Video:

Certain Chrysler owners eligible for buyback program

Certain car owners whose Chrysler vehicles contain dangerous defects will soon have a way to get rid of their lemons without losing money. As part of an agreement with federal regulators, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed to buy back more than 500,000 vehicles susceptible to veering out of control without warning at above market-value prices. The deal mainly covers certain models of RAM trucks, the Dodge Dakota pickup and Dodge Durango SUV. Further, owners of more than 1.5 million Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokees at heightened risk for lethal fires are eligible to trade in their vehicles at above market value or, alternately, get a gift certificate if they prefer to have repairs made. Chrysler has "a heavy responsibility to make sure the products they make are safe for the traveling public," said Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "... Here, we are sending an unambiguous signal to industry that if you skirt the laws or violate the law, or don't live up to the responsibility that consumers expect, we are going to penalize you." The buy-back and trade-in options for motorists come as part of an unprecedented penalty NHTSA slapped against Chrysler for violating federal motor-vehicle safety laws. Chrysler will pay a $105 million fine, the highest ever levied by the regulatory agency. In addition to the buy-backs, Chrysler also agreed to an independent monitor for three years. Investigators had outlined problems in the company's conduct in 23 recalls that affected more than 11 million defect vehicles. As part of a consent-order agreement, Chrysler acknowledged it did not notify vehicle owners of recalls in an effective manner and did not notify NHTSA of safety problems. Though those recalls affected millions of drivers, the buy-back and trade-in options are only for a small portion of the vehicles involved. Because Chrysler struggled to fix the problem and no repair was apparent, Rosekind said the buy-backs are reserved "for customers who didn't have a remedy." Buy-backs are for trucks and SUVs affected by three recalls that occurred in 2013 (recalls 13V-038, 13V-527 and 13V-529), that addressed a rear-axle pinion nut that could come loose and cause a loss of vehicle control. Those recalls covered 579,228 vehicles, including 2009-2012 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 trucks, 2009-2012 Dodge Dakotas, 2009 Chrysler Aspen and the 2009 Dodge Durango.

Gauging reaction to the 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit on Detroit highways

Steven Ewing and I kind of pretended to be cops a few weeks ago. No, not in the illegal way; we just took turns driving the 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit around Detroit and its suburbs, learning invaluable life lessons along the way. A lot of those lessons came in the form of weird reactions from other drivers. Steve peeved his neighbors by surprising them in the parking lot, I can damn close to sitting in jail next to a murderer and we both caught our fair share of evil-eyed glances. One of my very first observations was a pronounced "bubble effect" when driving in traffic on the highway. Attempting to recreate the effect for the video camera, I grabbed Senior Producer Chris McGraw and we went for a ride in the name of pseudo psychology. The results weren't exactly as we'd predicted, but we had fun all the same. Get one more dose of your cop car fix, above.