1977 Dodge D100 Shortbed 440 California Mopar Pickup Truck Rarer Than Little Red on 2040-cars

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Dodge Durango Hellcat teased in 'Fast and Furious' spot is real, headed to New York

The Durango Hellcat teased in a Dodge commercial appears to be the real deal, according to a report that surfaced Monday afternoon, and we could see it as soon as the New York International Auto Show in April. The horsepower Gods are smiling upon us.  Motor Authority says that a Dodge insider was able to confirm the existence of a Durango Hellcat, and suggested it will make its public debut at the New York show this spring. "Hellcat all the things" has become a bit of a meme, and it appears Dodge is either in on the joke, non-ironically committed to the concept, or maybe a little bit of both. A commercial FCA debuted to coincide with the release of the trailer of the latest "Fast and Furious" film gave us our first brief glimpse the new supercharged Durango SUV. Credit for the original find goes to the fine (and eagle-eyed) folks at Road & Track, who spotted the fender badge at approximately the 17-second mark in the embedded commercial. The tease left little to the imagination. The badge is shown prominently on the fender of the mystery vehicle, which isn't much of a mystery at all. It's a Dodge and it's not a Charger or Challenger; no need to overthink it.  Immediately after, the camera cuts to what is obviously a Durango silhouette, but we can't see a whole lot in the glare of its headlights.  It also makes sense from a product cycle perspective, as the Durango is well past the point where it has received its AARP card and we're not necessarily expecting a replacement. The three-row slot in FCA's lineup may go exclusively to Jeep once all is said and done.  We know (or have heard rumors) that other variants of the family SUV are in the pipeline, making it clear that FCA plans to milk the aging three-row for all it's worth. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, which rides on the same fundamental platform but with a shortened wheelbase, has already gotten the Hellcat treatment in the Trackhawk, so porting this engine over for three-row duty should be a snap.  More importantly, a mild facelift may accompany other updates to the Durango, which would conveniently explain why Dodge obscured the Durango's front end in the teaser.  If there's any downside to this, it's that FCA is going to run out of vehicles eventually. With the Ram Rebel TRX well underway and now this, there just aren't many vehicles left in FCA's various brand lineups that can physically accommodate a supercharged, 6.2-liter V8.  Hopefully they have Sawzalls. Related Video:    

Detroit automakers observing 8:46 of silence to mark Juneteenth

GM Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson, right, talks with employees at the Fairfax Assembly & Stamping Plant in Kansas City, Kansas. (file photo - GM)     All three Detroit automakers are observing Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery, on Friday by observing 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, among other companywide efforts to advance the causes of social and racial justice and equality. Juneteenth marks the date, June 19, in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, arrived at Galveston, Texas, and announced the Civil War had ended and enslaved African Americans were to be freed. President Abraham Lincoln had officially ended slavery more than two years prior via the Emancipation Proclamation, but Union forces didn't reach Texas until that time, so there was virtually no enforcement. The 8:46 timestamp is significant because it was the length of time that a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on the neck of George Floyd during an arrest, ultimately killing him and sparking waves of protests across the U.S. and overseas. Autoblog asked automakers about their plans to mark Juneteenth, what they were doing to advance the cause of social justice for Black people, and how many African Americans they employ in both blue- and white-collar jobs. We heard back from GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Honda but not from Nissan and Toyota. General Motors GM’s U.S. workforce is 17.2% Black and 69.2% white, according to its most recent corporate Diversity and Inclusion Report. GM's total global employment is 173,000, and it says women and minorities represent 40% of its team of corporate officers. For reference, the Census Bureau says African Americans make up 13.4% of the U.S. population of roughly 328 million people. White people constitute 76.5%. As previously reported, GM planned to pause production at its factories on each shift today and observe silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The company will also have a digital countdown clock atop the GM's headquarters in Detroit for the moment of silence. Additionally, Chairman and CEO Mary Barra has said she will lead a new Inclusion Advisory Board made up of people from within and outside GM to suggest areas for change and hold the company to its commitments to fight injustice and racial inequality.

Dodge recalls 121,603 examples of Dart for loss of brake assist

Dodge will recall 121,603 worldwide examples of the 2013-2014 Dart with the 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines because of possible loss of power brake assistance. The company reports two minor injuries and seven accidents potentially related to this problem. The affected models have build dates before Jan. 24, 2014. There are 105,458 of these vehicles in the US; 11,996 in Canada; 3,705 in Mexico; and 444 outside of NAFTA. This campaign doesn't affect Darts with the 1.4-liter engine. These vehicles' brake-booster vacuum tube routing can potentially allow oil to access and eventually to degrade the brake booster diaphragm. If this happens, then the vehicles could lose braking assist. The brakes themselves would continue to work, but the driver would experience longer stopping distances. A pop or similar sound of a vacuum leak sometimes precedes the problem, according to the automaker. Dealers will inspect the components and replace the vacuum tube. If technicians find oil in the tube, they'll also swap out the vacuum pump, brake booster, and master cylinder. Affected owners will receive notice from the company within the next 60 days. Statement: Vacuum-tube Assembly December 3, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 105,458 compact sedans in the U.S. to inspect and replace vacuum-tube assemblies and certain other components, as required. Some of the affected vehicles may be subject to oil migration that could affect their brake systems' power-assist feature. Foundation brake function is unaffected. However, if this condition occurs, the driver may notice hard pedal-feel on brake application, and longer distances may be required to stop the vehicle in emergency situations. An FCA US investigation identified certain model-year 2013-14 vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter engines, may have brake-booster vacuum-tube routing that inadvertently allows oil to reach the brake booster diaphragm, if ever the vacuum-pump check valve fails. Oil may degrade the diaphragm and lead to a loss of brake-assist – a feature that helps reduce stopping distances. FCA US is aware of two minor injuries and seven accidents that are or may be related to this condition. The recall is limited to model-year 2013-14 Dodge Dart sedans produced before Jan. 24, 2014. It also affects an estimated 11,996 cars in Canada; 3,705 in Mexico and 444 outside the NAFTA region. Vehicles equipped with 1.4-liter engines are excluded.