2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab Laramie Slt 5.9l Diesel 6 Speed Navigation Flatbed on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Dodge Neon is coming back... to Mexico

It's been a long time since we've seen a new Dodge Neon putt-putting around. But soon it will be back, and in North America, too, if you want to get technical about it. But this time, the Neon will be limited exclusively to Mexico. According to Ward's Auto, FCA is planning to import the Fiat Tipo to Mexico, but rebadged under the Dodge brand and with the Neon nameplate on the trunk... even if it doesn't have those signature round headlights, or a three-speed automatic transmission. Never heard of the Fiat Tipo? It debuted almost a year ago as the Aegea Project, and went into production shortly thereafter – similarly called the Egea in Turkey where it's made, but the Tipo in other European markets. It's a budget-oriented, C-segment compact with a range of four-cylinder engines, and though designed from the get-go as a four-door sedan, it rolled into Geneva last month in hatchback and wagon forms as well. The Tipo is built at the Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey, alongside the Fiat Doblo – which is also shipped over to North America, rebadged as the Ram ProMaster City. In the Mexican market, FCA also sells the Fiat Siena sedan as the Dodge Vision, the Mitsubishi Mirage rebadged as the Dodge Attitude, and the Fiat Strada as the Ram 700 – all nameplates exclusive to our neighbors to the south. Whatever its origin, it'll be interesting to see a Neon again the next time we venture South of the Border – particularly considering that the Neon was arguably the last time that Chrysler had a competitive compact on its hands. The Caliber that followed never gained the same kind of traction, so to speak, and FCA recently ceased production (for the time being at least) of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to focus on larger trucks crossovers – the likes of which the Caliber tried to emulate (in style, if not in substance).

Autoblog Podcast #380

Episode #380 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Chris Paukert and Seyth Miersma talk about the Fiat-Chrysler five-year plan, the seeming demise of the Nissan Cube, and proposed legislation to require speed limiters with a 68-mph maximum on America's tractor trailers. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #380: Topics: Fiat-Chrysler five-year plan Nissan Cube on the way out? Big rig speed limiters coming? In the Autoblog Garage: 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 2014 Chevrolet Sonic RS Sedan 2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Seyth Miersma Runtime: 01:44:17 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Fiat Chrysler Plan - 29:40 Nissan Cube - 01:07:33 Semi Speed Limiters - 01:17:33 Q&A - 01:27:35 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Auto News Earnings/Financials Plants/Manufacturing Podcasts Rumormill Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Nissan nissan cube speed limiters

Watch Jay Leno drive an ex-highway patrol '61 Dodge Polara

The latest vehicle to swing by Jay Leno's Garage is a 1961 Dodge Polara. This one was used by the California Highway Patrol half a century ago, ordered specially by the state police instead of the Darts that were usually used by law-enforcement. After sitting out in the sun for a few decades, it recently underwent a comprehensive, ground-up restoration by the historians and craftsmen at the Automobile Club of Southern California. As you can see for yourself, the result of the restoration is really quite stunning. The ACSC apparently spared no expense, bringing the 413-cubic-inch V8 back up to working order, along with the emergency lighting, radio, certified speedometer... the works. In the process they even found the engine cranked out more than the factory quote of 325 horsepower, recording 332 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque on the dyno. The Polara CHP cruiser hadn't even been back out on the freeway since the restoration was finished. But after getting the full run-down from the guys responsible for its resuscitation, Jay wasted little time in bringing it back to its natural habitat.