2013 - Dodge Charger on 2040-cars

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Indications of 825 hp and emissions issues for Hellcat called 'speculation' by Chrysler

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is probably one of the hottest cars of the moment mostly because of its insane, 707-horsepower supercharged V8. However, there are conflicting reports coming out that the powerplant might be having problems with its emissions compliance and may be capable of even more power.
Jalopnik says that an unnamed source within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles told it that the Hellcat was having problems meeting emissions standards at its 707-horsepower tune. The person claimed that the automaker has been testing the V8 with different types of sensors, possibly to make it a bit cleaner in the future. Autoblog spoke to SRT spokesperson Dan Reid, and he said about the claimed poor emissions, "It's totally speculation."
The source also claimed that the Hellcat had been dynoed at a monumental 825 horsepower, internally. Based on the other rumor, though, it's hard to imagine the engine being emissions compliant like that. Autoblog also asked Reid about this speculation about more power and was told, "They are totally speculating about that."

FCA plants skipping summer shutdown to keep up with demand

Hopefully, some FCA US factory employees don't have big plans for the usual summer shutdown, because the automaker is keeping several plants running this year. Demand is so high that the company wants to keep models rolling off the assembly lines. Four FCA US assembly plants, all the engine factories, and some locations that build transmissions are staying open throughout the summer, according to the Detroit Free Press. Usually, these sites would see a two-week shutdown for the company to retool and perform repairs. This year, factories are staying open for FCA to support its strong sales. The lines that remaining humming through the summer show an inclination toward the automaker's popular SUV's and crossovers. They include the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Michigan that builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango; Saltillo Van Assembly in Mexico that constructs the Ram ProMaster; Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio that produces the Cherokee and Wrangler; and Toluca Assembly in Mexico that makes the Dodge Journey and Fiat 500. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM FCA dodge journey fca us ram promaster Jefferson North Assembly Plant

Ford Police Interceptors dominate Michigan State Police testing

Once again, Ford Motor Company builds the fastest police vehicles. The Blue Oval touted the news in an official release following Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department testing. Ford did very well. Except for one acceleration metric – zero to 10 miles per hour – the Blue Oval's Taurus and Explorer-based cop cars were the quickest, with particular praise coming for the EcoBoost-powered models, which bested Chevrolet and Dodge's V8-powered variants. Dearborn's products also posted the fastest average times around MSP's vehicle dynamics course. But it wasn't all positive for Ford. The only four-cylinder in the contest, the 2.0-liter, EcoBoost Ford SSP Sedan, had both the lowest top speed, 120 mph, and the slowest acceleration figures. It was also the slowest in track testing. Ford's products also failed to match the braking and top speeds of its rivals from Detroit and Auburn Hills – the rear-drive Charger Pursuit posted the best braking stats of the entire test, while the V8-powered Chevrolet Caprice hit the highest top speed, at 155 mph. Ford did score a top speed award, among SUVs, but at 132 mph, the naturally aspirated Police Interceptor Utility had to share its award with the equally fast, rear-drive Chevrolet Tahoe. The LA County Sheriff's timing isn't publicly available, but according to Ford, the EcoBoost-powered police cars put on a similarly impressive show for cops on the West Coast. We've assembled a spreadsheet on Google Docs that offers an easy to browse comparison of the different stats assembled by the Michigan State Police, and divided the vehicles between standard V6-powered sedans, high-performance sedans (EcoBoost and V8 models), and SUVs. You can check it out here. Related Video: