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Stormtrooper Dodge Charger Episode VII: The Charger Awakens

We spent a day with a Dodge Charger that looks like a Stormtrooper helmet and made a few videos. This one features the Hemi V8 starting up. Read about the car and watch the rest of the videos here.

Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

2014 Dodge Dart Blacktop hits the pavement ahead of Detroit

Dodge is getting ready to spread the Blacktop-themed love to the smallest member of its lineup. Last year, the automaker offered up Blacktop versions of the Avenger, Challenger, Charger, Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey. And now the Dart, too, gets its dark on for 2014, with the $295 package offered on Dart SXT models equipped with the Rallye Appearance Group. The Dart Blacktop will make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week.
As with the other Blacktop special-edition models, the Dart Blacktop gets glossy black accents for a "sporty, sinister look." The blacked-out treatment spreads across the 18-inch wheels to the crosshair grille, grille surround and headlamp bezels. The interior sees a similar treatment, with black and light tungsten or black and ruby red cloth to go with red accent stitching on the instrument panel, center console and seat bolsters.
For the 2014 model year, all Dart SXT and Limited models receive the 2.4-liter MultiAir2 Tigershark engine with 184 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque, and since the Blacktop is based on the SXT, that's the powerplant buyers of this special-edition will get, too. Expect the 2014 Dart Blacktop to hit dealers in the first quarter, and while you're waiting, feel free to read more in the official press release below.