2003 Dodge Dakota Base on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler teases upcoming outlay of SEMA cars

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is hauling a multitude of modified models to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas this November, and the company is releasing the first teasing sketches of many of them.
Unfortunately, FCA isn't giving many solid details on any of the concepts other than saying the vehicles from Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat all benefit from tuning from its Mopar performance brand. The teaser photos include a sinister-looking Chrysler 200S, Fiat 500 Abarth with two-tone paint and a scorpion on the hood, a red and black 500L, seemingly two different takes on the Jeep Renegade, a green Dodge Challenger wearing the T/A badge, an orange and black Dart, a very neon Charger, just the outline of a red and black Viper, a Ram ProMaster in Mopar livery and a Ram pickup called the Outdoorsman.
Take a look through the gallery to see what you think of the sketches for these concepts, and scroll down for the full announcement from FCA.

Thieves relieve Detroit-area Dodge dealer of $70,000 in SRT wheels

Okay Mopar fans, this won't be easy to read. A video, which has since been made private, popped up over on Reddit's Cars subreddit over the weekend and detailed the aftermath of a massive wheel heist at a metro Detroit dealership. Thieves broke into Sterling Heights Dodge and made off with at least $70,000 worth of wheels and tires. The thieves ignored the V6 models and instead targeted Hellcat, SRT392, Scat Pack, and R/T versions of the Charger and Challenger. The poor muscle cars were left sitting on blocks, with the voice behind the video saying the treatment led to underbody damage. We only counted 12 cars, but the person shooting the video said thieves targeted 14 vehicles. That works out to about $5,000 in wheels per vehicle. We've reached out to Sterling Heights Dodge general manager and the Sterling Heights Police Department for comments. We haven't heard back yet, but we'll be sure to update this post with any additional information. Oh, and if you're in metro Detroit and perusing Craigslist for a new set of alloys, we'd advise against buying Dodge wheels for the next few weeks. They might be hot. Related Video:

Dodge Challenger spied exercising supercharged Hellcat Hemi V8

One of the prime complaints against the Dodge Challenger is that, even in SRT8 guise, its 470 horsepower is responsible for hauling over 4,200 pounds of vehicle. For comparison, the 420 hp in the Ford Mustang GT only has to deal with 3,618 lbs. Things only get worse from there, as the higher-performance variants of both the Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro are far more powerful than an SRT8 without adding on much heft.
So what is Chrysler to do? The correct answer is add a whole lot more grunt to its hefty two-door and even the odds. That's where the all-new Hellcat engine comes into play. We reported on this engine in May, and suggested that the Hellcat, a supercharged powerplant based on a 6.4-liter V8, would easily generate 500 to 570 hp and could likely arrive boasting more than 600 ponies.
Chrysler's ace in its sleeve has now been spied testing, with a number of Hellcat-equipped Challengers running the potent new engine both in more urbanized areas and under the sun of Death Valley. The hoods on these testers have been raised to accommodate the engine, and that camouflage over the fascias of these prototypes is there to hide a larger air intake. We also note what appears to be a new split grille under wraps. As for power output, our spies are now suggesting a Viper-equalling 640 hp from the Hellcat-equipped cars.