Dodge was a bit late to announce their intentions of entering the electronic vehicle race, but in the meantime, efforts have been made to allow the current offerings to be more fuel efficient.  Their Multiple Displacement System (MDS) equipped Hemi engines have made great steps in offering 4-cylinder like economy on the highway but not compromising the 350+ horsepower. 

 

Ford and General Motors have taken a different approach, with Ford introducing its EcoBoost and GM announcing that the new Chevy Cruze will offer a similar setup, both featuring a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Turbocharging setups have previously been used on smaller engines to offer more power, from a performance standpoint, but these new engines use very small displacement and the turbocharger allows these smaller engines to make similar power to larger engines, but getting better fuel economy.  These turbocharger direct injection engines could stand to make a big impact on the market, but why hasn't Chrysler thrown their hat into the ring?

While cars like the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius have been the talk of the down, their fairly conservative styling are obviously aimed for little more than fuel economy.  Dodge, on the other hand, has decided to join the EV competition in the form of a sleek sports car.  Released alongside the new Chrysler EV (based on the Grand Caravan) and the Jeep EV (based on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited), this new all-electric sports car currently wears the skin of a Lotus Europa.  Where the other two EVs are based on current vehicles, the drivetrain of the Dodge EV was the focus of the year-long engineering effort from Chrysler's ENVI group.  Little information has been given to the details of the design process, but considering Lotus also worked with Tesla on their roadster, working with them on this concept may have helped Dodge focus less on chassis design and more on the drivetrain.

Even when little is said about the exterior design, Dodge was quick to boast of the drivetrain, which is fully electric.  Utilizing a 200 kW electric motor driven by an advanced lithium ion battery and an integrated power controller, the Dodge EV offers 268 horsepower and 480 ft-lb of torque.  This drivetrain layout allows the EV Concept to rocket from 0-60 in under 5 seconds, travel a standing quarter mile in under 13 seconds, and hit a top speed of 120 mph.

Chrysler has announced that in late September 2008, three vehicles will be shown to the dealerships, and all three of these vehicles are said to be "production capable" electric vehicles.  As a company, Chrysler has been slower to actively jump into the hybrid game, with Honda, Toyota, and General Motors being the most publicly vocal about their programs, but Chrysler has plans to join GM with not one, but three plug-in models.

 

This is not a complete shock, as it was only a matter of time before Chrysler and Dodge jumped into the ring, and with the release of the Dodge Zeo Concept at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), they showed that they were already elbow deep in R&D.  The Zeo is powered by lithium-ion batteries and uses no other fuel source, having an advertised range of up to 250 miles; the styling may have been a bit too much for the average hybrid shopper.

Just weeks after Design Team Chief Trevor Creed announced his retirement; one of the head designers for Chrysler, Michael Castiglione has left the company.  Castiglione, whose most well known work in his 15 years with the company stems back to the Chrysler 300, was one of the individuals most involved with the design of the 2006 Dodge Challenger Concept and the 2008 Dodge Challenger production model.

While it is not uncommon for members of the design teams to move around, Castiglione has not left to join the competition, but rather a much smaller design company.  His new position is with the little-known Ken Okuyama Design, and as their chief designer he will oversee projects that range from eyeglasses to airplanes.  Ken Okuyama Design has dabbled on automobiles, such as the K.O 8 Coupe shown here. 

Since the Viper was slated for an end to its production, rumors have soared about what was to come of this iconic Mopar machine.  Last week, Chrysler mentioned that there were a few interested buyers lined up, but gave no indication as to who those people might be.  The recent announcement that Dodge will be building the next Nissan Titan, combined with rumors from a while back that Nissan might become involved with the Viper at some point would lead some to believe that Nissan Motors (who has a long history of high performance cars in Europe and Asia) might be as possibility. 

The idea of GM, Toyota, or Nissan building (and maybe badging) the mighty Viper makes most Dodge enthusiasts sick, but how about a Viper built by Roush or Saleen?  A recent announcement made two interested buyers known, and for Dodge lovers, the news isn't SO bad.  Both of these companies have made a great reputation for themselves, predominantly by building ultra-high performance Mustangs over the last 20 or so years and have deep American roots.  Steve Saleen began by building road-race ready Ford vehicles, and Jack Roush has a long history in NASCAR, but more recently the company is known for their Roush Mustangs.

When the Nissan Titan was released, its power output and advertised capabilities were near to those of the Dodge Ram, and owners of Titans and Rams had out their differences on the street and on the track, with mixed results.  However, sales of the Titan have not been doing well so for the next generation Titan, Nissan has taken on the approach of "it you cant beat'em, join'em". 

That's right.  The next Nissan Titan will be little more than a re-skinned and rebadged Dodge Ram.  The deal, which was announced in August of 2008, stated that the new Titan will use the chassis and mechanical workings of the new Dodge Ram.  Immediately, speculation turns to the question of whether or not the new Titan will be Hemi-powered and while Nissan sources have insisted that there has been no decision made thus far about the engine offerings, Chrysler representatives have commented that the Titan will pack the Hemi engine.

The Dodge Charger is entering its 4^th year of production, and while the interior and exterior changes of the 2009 Dodge Charger are subtle, but the big news for '09 is in the drivetrain.  The 5.7L Hemi engine offered in the Charger R/T jumps up to 368 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque (previously 340hp and 390lb-ft of torque), making it the most powerful car in its class.  This power is achieved without sacrificing economy thanks to Dodge's Multiple Displacement System, and the 2009 Charger will have an indicator on the dash reading "ECO" when the system is in its fuel saving, 4-cylinder mode.

 
The all wheel drive system in the Dodge Charger also gets an upgrade to help improve the fuel economy of the AWD models.  This new system features a new Front-Axle Disconnect system, coupled with an Active Transfer Case, so not only is it the most powerful car in its class, but it is the only vehicle that offers this all wheel drive technology.

Take a good look at the vague outline of taillights on that grey mule car from recent NASCAR release photos.  It looks as though this is a sneak peak of what we can expect to see from the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2009.

While the teams in the Sprint Cup have gone to their "Car of the Future" with a more equal playing field as far as chassis and body design, the Car of the Future for the Nationwide series is planned to keep a distinct manufacturers shape when the final bodies are accepted. 

This picture shows the rear end of what we can safely assume is the Dodge Challenger entry, and it will be joined by a Toyota Camry, and an entry from Ford and Chevrolet to be named later on.  Ford's test photos would appear to be a Fusion, and there have been rumors that Chevrolet may roll out a Camaro fascia to do battle with the Challenger, which leads you to wonder why the Mustang isn't joining in the NASCAR fun, but time will tell what will happen as we near the February beginning of the 2009 season.

 The images of this Challenger give hope to many Dodge die-hard fans who were concerned that Dodge pulling out of the Craftsman Truck Series may suggest another slide in Dodge Motorsports, but with the popular new Challenger hitting the track for the Nationwide Series this could bring about a new chance for Dodge to flex its muscle.

Welcome to the new DodgeForum.com home page!!  When accessing the forum, you will now be routed to this page first, and the access the forums click the link above and to the left!  Nothing has changed with DF and all of your links and posts will remain as they were!  This page will be the new "landing page" for visitors to DF, and we will use this page to post Dodge brand news and rumors. We will also feature site news, like our Car and Truck of the Month along with other important site information.

There is some exciting news pertaining to this new section, as we will be considering members who will have access to post items on this new front page.  Product reviews, technical write-ups, racing news, show and event coverage and more...we are looking for contributors, so if you are interested, please shoot me (BadStratRT) a Private Message and we can discuss the details.

So, welcome to the new DodgeForum.com home page - if you have any questions feel free to contact me, and enjoy the site!!

-BadStratRT
DodgeForum.com Site Administrator

After 23 years of overseeing the Chrysler Corporation, Vice President of Design Trevor Creed retired from the company where he was so well known for both the popular and unpopular models.  Having been involved with models like the Chrysler 300, the Dodge Viper, and the new Dodge Challenger, Creed had a hand in many of the most popular recent vehicles, although his name was often attached to the disappointed of some Mopar die-hard who wanted the Dodge Charger to come as a coupe.

According to comments from Chrysler's CEO, several companies have expressed interest in taking up the production of the nasty snake in the wake of Chrysler's comments that it would be discontinued soon due to slumping sales.

Over the past two years, the skyrocketing gas prices and slumping economic market have slowed the sales of performance cars, and considering the low sales volume of the Viper even a few years ago, the announcement that the Viper may not return was not a huge surprise although it was a huge disappointment to Dodge enthusiasts. 

It has been decades since Hurst had a dressed up model for Mopar enthusiasts, being more popular with the General Motors crowd in the 80s and 90s, but with a recent announcement and a handful of renderings Hurst has showed strong backing for the highly anticipated new Dodge Challenger.  Aftermarket companies like Hennessey have been quick to show off high dollar, modified Challengers, but the Hurst models will likely be more pocketbook friendly, but will still pack a punch.

Kurt Busch posted his sixth top-10 finish of the season in Sunday's rain-delayed Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Speedway, but Kasey Kahne didn't fare so well. He finished 19th, placing him 13th in series standings - just outside of the top-12 and the Chase for the Cup.

Kahne started 13th and edged close to the top 10 on a couple of occasions. His efforts were hampered by pit road incidents created by the car that pitted directly in front of the No. 9 Dodge. On two occasions, during yellow-flag pit stops early in the race, Kahne had to back up slightly in order to exit his pit stall after the team had completed its service because the car in the next stall stopped at such an angle that Kahne could not exit.

Dodge Announces Exciting New Journey Crossover that Delivers Great Value and Unsurpassed Function and Flexibility starting at $19,985

• Dodge Journey provides exceptional content and value with available third-row seating for up to seven passengers and a state-of-the-art all-wheel-drive system
• Bold Dodge styling, perfect proportions define right-sized crossover
• Journey arrives to market as crossover segment set to expand
• Standard safety features abound, including standard multi-stage front driver and passenger air bags, standard front-seat-mounted side air bags and standard three-row side-curtain air bags

Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler LLC announced today the U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the 2009 Dodge Journey is $19,985 (including $625 destination). The 2009 Dodge Journey gives buyers a crossover vehicle that meets life's changing demands by offering unsurpassed versatility and flexibility in a sporty, stylish package.

"The all-new 2009 Dodge Journey gives our customers the complete package at an incredible value," said Deborah Meyer, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer " Chrysler LLC. "For less than $20,000, Dodge Journey blends safety, quality and reliability with innovative technology, entertainment features and tons of useful storage, wrapped in a package that is pure Dodge."