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Find these Star Wars-themed Dodge muscle cars near you

Getting excited for the upcoming release of The Force Awakens? Well you're not alone. Aside from the legions of fans squeezing into their costumes to line up for the theatrical premier on December 18, Dodge has been roaming the streets of Los Angeles with three Star Wars-themed muscle cars. And you can track where they're going on Twitter. The trio includes a Charger and Challenger, both in SRT spec, with Hellcat engines, and wrapped to look like Stormtroopers from the First Order Legion like the Fiat 500e we saw at the LA show last month. They're joined by a Viper ACR done up in a black livery inspired by Kylo Ren – one of the villains in the upcoming sequel. The special squadron has been patrolling the streets of LA since Friday and will be through Monday. If you spot them, you can post their location to Twitter with the hashtags #Dodge and #TheForceAwakens – and if you haven't, you can see where others have in real time. As we go to press, they've already been spotted in Beverly Hills, at The Grove, and on Hollywood Boulevard. Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen cars used to promote Star Wars, or vice versa. Volkswagen famously channeled Darth Vader, Toyota used everyone's favorite droids to advertise the Prius PHEV, and Nissan used Stormtroopers to promote the Juke. Red Bull even had its whole team dressed up in costume at the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. We doubt this will be the last time we'll see the Force propel itself on four wheels in our galaxy, either. Related Video: Specially Wrapped Dodge and Viper Vehicles Patrol L.A. Streets This Weekend in Celebration of Upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - Fans can get their pictures taken with First Order Stormtrooper-themed white Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, plus Kylo Ren-inspired black Dodge Viper ACR - Vehicles patrol Los Angeles-area streets Friday, Dec. 11 – Monday, Dec. 14 - Track vehicle locations in real time on Twitter using hashtags #Dodge and #TheForceAwakens - Dodge social media activation part of FCA US partnership with Disney and Lucasfilm to co-promote "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opening in theaters December 18 December 11, 2015 , Los Angeles - The weekend before "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in theaters worldwide, Dodge is taking to the streets of greater Los Angeles with a team of specially wrapped Dodge vehicles to give fans the opportunity to take photos and videos with them.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.

Fiat Chrysler expands Takata airbag recall to 3.3M vehicles

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is expanding its recall of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, moving beyond Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to the greater US, as well as Mexico, Canada and beyond. The affected vehicles, some 3.3 million in total, were built between 2004 and 2007, with many models, including the Dodge Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500, Durango and the Chrysler 300, having been affected by Chrysler's previous recall. Despite the somewhat alarming nature that comes with a recall of this many vehicles, it seems that Chrysler is moving more out of an abundance of caution (and federal pressure) than anything else, saying: "Neither FCA US, nor Takata Corporation, the supplier, has identified a defect in this population of inflators. These components also are distinct from Takata inflators cited in fatalities involving other auto makers. More than 1,000 laboratory tests have been performed on these components. All deployed as intended, but FCA US continues to study the suspect inflators, which are not used in the Company's current production vehicles." Owners of affected vehicles will be notified and asked to report to dealers for a free replacement driver's side airbag. Scroll down for the official press release from FCA. Statement: Global Air-Bag Inflator Replacement December 19, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC will replace driver's-side air-bag inflators in an estimated 3.3 million older-model vehicles worldwide, in an expansion of an ongoing regional field action. Neither FCA US, nor Takata Corporation, the supplier, has identified a defect in this population of inflators. These components also are distinct from Takata inflators cited in fatalities involving other auto makers. More than 1,000 laboratory tests have been performed on these components. All deployed as intended, but FCA US continues to study the suspect inflators, which are not used in the Company's current production vehicles. Outside of Florida, one of the areas covered by the original action, no FCA US vehicle has been linked to an air-bag deployment of the type that has raised public concern. Nevertheless, the Company is replacing the Takata components tied to that concern. FCA US is aware of one related injury involving one of its vehicles, an older-model sedan. It occurred in a southern Florida region marked by persistent, high, absolute humidity – a condition believed to be a contributing factor in the air-bag deployments under investigation.