2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Sport Crew Cab Pickup 4-door 5.9l on 2040-cars

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Dodge delaying Challenger Hellcats ordered with satin black hood [UPDATE]

The new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is one of the most formidable muscle cars on the planet. And it looks the part, too – especially with the optional satin black hood. But if you were one of the first customers to place an order for the 707-horsepower Mopar muscle car and specified the black hood on the options sheet, you may have to wait awhile. According to members of the Hellcat.org forum cited by Car and Driver, deliveries of certain Challenger Hellcats have been delayed without explanation. When these fanatic customers started looking into the issue, they realized that all of the delayed orders shared one thing in common: they all had ordered their Dodges with that optional black hood. Although an exact reason wasn't specified, those who ordered the black hood on their Challenger coupes were told that delivery was being pushed back to February. But some were reportedly informed by their local dealership that things could be moved along if they switched their order to a body-colored hood instead. It's not clear if the issue is a supplier problem, a paint booth issue at the factory, or something else entirely. We've reached out to Dodge for clarification, and will update this story when we hear back. UPDATE: Reached for comment, a Dodge spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that the satin black hood "is not currently available for production" and that customers who ordered it "can opt to change their order to a body-color hood" or otherwise have their orders delayed until the option becomes available at a later date to be confirmed.

Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast

Chrysler has some good news and some bad news. First, profits were up 16 percent over the second quarter of 2012, bringing the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer $507 million on the back of strong demand for trucks and SUVs (a recurring theme this quarter, particularly in the US). Q2 revenue was up as well, from $16.8 billion in 2012 to $18 billion in 2013. The bad news is that the Pentastar's overall earnings forecast for net income in 2013 has been trimmed from $2.2 billion to between $1.7 and $2.2 billion, according to Automotive News.
In addition to the adjusted net income forecast, Chrysler tweaked its operating profit from $3.8 billion to between $3.3 and $3.8 billion. This has gone largely unexplained by Chrysler, perhaps hoping the news of a three-percent increase in its transaction prices for Q2 will allow it to sweep this adjustment under the rug.
The star of the show for Chrysler has been its US sales, which saw a 10-percent jump, both bettering the industry average of eight percent and improving over the same stretch of 2012. As with the increase in transaction prices, Chrysler has the new Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee to thank. Perhaps most worrying from this report, though, is that every brand in the automaker's stable saw an increase in sales... except for the Chrysler brand itself.

2014 Dodge Durango priced from $29,795*

With all the new updates the Dodge Durango is getting for 2014, one thing that Dodge isn't changing on its big SUV is the starting price. Just like the current model year, the 2014 Dodge Durango will be priced from $29,795 (*not including $995 for destination).
This price is for the base SXT model, but the 2014 Durango is also offered in a new Limited trim level (replacing the Crew) as well as the sporty R/T and the luxurious Citadel. The Durango Limited starts at $35,995 (an increase of $800 over the 2013 Crew), while the R/T now starts at $38,995 (up $2,500). The top-of-the-line Durango Citadel will start at $40,995 - an increase of $1,000.
The many improvements made to the 2014 Durango include revised exterior styling, added in-cabin tech and an eight-speed automatic transmission (expected to return better fuel economy). Dodge is saying that the V6 models will get 25 miles per gallon on the highway while V8 models are expected to score 23-mpg highway, but there are no official EPA numbers to report yet. Scroll down for the full press release.