Bartle Doo Article Archives

Automobiles

Report: Ralph Gilles responds to Dodge rumors, says brand is 'here to stay'

July 12, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under:

This is why we love Ralph Gilles. While in Italy hanging out with a group of Viper Club members in Europe, the SRT boss took the time to respond to a question directed at him on Instagram in regards to the future of Dodge.

Recent reports have painted a bleak picture for Dodge, but Gilles defended Chrysler’s full-line brand by stating that the rumors are, “all rumors, Dodge is here to stay! It may get more focused going forward but not killed!” The idea of a “more focused” Dodge brand could lend some credibility to reports that the Grand Caravan and Durango are on their way out, which would leave Dodge solely as a car, or car-based, automaker.

Ralph Gilles responds to Dodge rumors, says brand is ‘here to stay’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan

April 8, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

The Dodge Grand Caravan is Chrysler’s mainstay, a mainstream minivan that’s the near-twin of the Chrysler Town & Country, with just some minor styling changes and features of its own. A steady piece of Dodge’s lineup since the 1980s, the Grand Caravan has a sticker price that starts below $20,000 and caps out at about $30,000. The… …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The Car Connection

Automobiles

Report: Chrysler slows minivan production, hasn't built VW Routan this year

March 13, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Steven J. Ewing

Filed under:

Chrysler has slowed production of its Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans this week, Automotive News reports. The Windsor, Ontario plant will cut its three shifts from eight hours each to four hours each in an effort “to align production with market demand,” a Chrysler spokesperson told AN. Chrysler also builds the closely related Routan minivan for Volkswagen at its Ontario facility, but has not built a single example thus far in 2013.

Sales of Chrysler’s minivans fell 15 percent for the first two months of 2013, and a large part of that has to do with the 26-percent drop of the Grand Caravan alone (the T&C was only down by one percent). According to Automotive News data, as of March 1, Chrysler had an unsold inventory of 24,713 Town and Country models and 18,547 Grand Caravans – a 69- and 43-day supply, respectively.

“No sense running full speed now, then have a lot of vehicles sitting around a few months down the line,” Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson told AN. Full production is expected to resume again on March 18.

According to our earlier reports, Chrysler will continue to build the minivans as-is through the 2014 model year. After that, a decision will be made about which one of the two vans will get the axe, to be replaced by a different sort of people-mover. Our best guess is that the Chrysler brand will continue on with the Town and Country, and this makes more and more sense considering the recent sales figures.

Chrysler slows minivan production, hasn’t built VW Routan this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Dodge Durango R/T

February 19, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

2013 Dodge Durango R/T - front three-quarter view

Filed under:

Not too long ago, Chevrolet got itself into some trouble by throwing the SS badge on just about everything it produced, so I’ve always been a little hesitant about the seemingly excessive use of the R/T nameplate on Dodge vehicles. For the 2013 model year, every model in Dodge’s lineup has an R/T trim level from Dart all the way up to the Durango. Although the R/T name used to signified models made for road and track, I doubt anyone would be delusional enough to assume the Durango – and some of the other models wearing this badge – are suited for any sort of track duty.

Still, when this 2013 Dodge Durango R/T rolled up for me to drive for the week, I couldn’t help but take in its big, mean and imposing stance. Sure, if I had my choice of buying any of the Dodge R/T products, the Charger and Challenger would be my top picks for sure, but it’s easy to say that the Durango would be a close third – far above the R/T versions of the Avenger, Journey and Grand Caravan.

Driving Notes

Not that the current Durango was a bad-looking SUV to begin with, but the R/T package gives it more aggressive styling thanks to a monochromatic look. With the removal of just about all the chrome that comes on a Durango, this tester even looked good in what would normally be a boring shade of silver thanks to the body-colored front fascia, smoked headlights, 20-inch wheels and the sporty-looking rear fascia with dual exhaust outlets.
The styling might be there to back up the badge, but there is no extra power under the hood of the R/T. In possibly one of the best moves Dodge made with this particular model, the only engine offered is the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. The 360-horsepower, 390 pound-feet of torque engine feels adequate perfectly for this 5,331-pound utility. This is the only model of the Durango lineup that comes standard with the six-speed automatic transmission, too.
Fuel economy is about what you’d expect from a V8-powered SUV weighing as much as the Durango does, with EPA estimates of 13 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. During my week with the R/T, this tester returned 15.5 mpg.
The Hemi is equipped with cylinder deactivation, which feels clunky at times when it switches from V8 to V4 power, with an ever-so-slight delay when the cylinders reengage once again. The only bypass for the system is just to be sure that you’re right foot stays planted whenever possible.
Chrysler says the Durango R/T comes with a sport suspension, but aside from the bigger standard wheels, I felt no difference between this and any other Durango I’ve driven in the past. If you’re really looking for a sporty, family-sized (three-row) SUV, you’re probably going to want to check out the new Explorer Sport.
The …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Chrysler Reboots Companywide Product Plans: Goldmine of Info, Lots of Delays, Six Alfas?

January 31, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Justin Berkowitz

Chrysler’s special penchant for soap-op drama is almost enough to forgive its equally fierce passion for product changes and delays. What other company dumps the whole four-year plan on a Powerpoint slide? Hint: Only those looking for an empire’s worth of fortune in investment money. On a conference call yesterday, Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne put the cards on the table for 2012 and for the product plan through 2016. Analysts liked the financial news, but we’re disappointed. Other than Ram and Jeep, virtually every other Chrysler-Fiat brand gets no new product until 2015. Here’s the breakdown, as inspired by our new subscription to Soap Opera Digest:

Chrysler

Old Plan: Compact 100 hatchback in 2012, new 200 and mid-size crossover in 2013.
New Plan: New Chrysler 200 in early 2014. Make Eminem cry. New crossover, 100, and a mystery model in 2015.
Secrets Revealed: 200 will get the nine-speed automatic transmission.
Cliffhangers: Do we really have to wait until 2015 for the 100 hatchback? We’ve seen advanced-stage test cars on the road.

Jeep

Old Plan: Subcompact B-segment crossover, Compass/Patriot replacement, and Liberty replacement all in 2013.
New Plan: Whoa, slow down there, Maestro. Liberty replacement in 2013, ComPatriot replacement in 2014, subcompact crossover in 2015.
Secrets Revealed: Liberty replacement debuts at the New York auto show in April, sales begin in May. It’s the first use of the nine-speed auto.
Cliffhangers: What’s the other new model listed for 2015? We know no more Jeeps get SRT versions, sadly.

Dodge

Old Plan: Subcompact B-segment car and Avenger replacement in 2013, Grand Caravan in 2014.
New Plan: B-segment car is dead, the Avenger isn’t being replaced (though it may vanish), Grand Caravan delayed to 2015.
Secrets Revealed: The suits knew the Dart powertrain lineup was a mess from the beginning, and will be “realigned” later this year. Think 184-hp 2.4-liter engine and six-speed automatic.
Cliffhangers: Is the Dart a surreptitious Avenger replacement? Marchionne describes it as a “D-segment sedan for C-segment price.” Will Dodge or Chrysler (or both) get the new minivan?

Ram

Old Plan: Large and small vans in 2012, possibly a unibody mid-size pickup in 2011.
New Plan: Large Fiat van rebadged as Promaster debuts at Chicago auto show in February, smaller Promaster City van in 2014.
Secrets Revealed: Marchionne expects Ram to join Jeep as the primary driver of the group’s growth in the U.S. for the next year or more.
Cliffhangers: Are they really giving up on the Durango-platformed mid-size pickup?

SRT

Old Plan: Don’t break SRT into a separate brand.
New Plan: Break SRT into a separate brand. Order new stationary. Throw parade celebrating success. Refreshes in 2014 and 2015, rear-drive Barracuda in 2016.
Secrets Revealed: Viper may get a light refresh in 2014 or 2015.
Cliffhangers: How is SRT expected to be a standalone brand if it has only one unique model for the next three years?

Fiat

Old Plan: Sell more 500s than Mini can sell hatchbacks.
New Plan: Say Mini has never been the target. 500L in 2013, 500X crossover and five new models in 2015, another one the next year.
Secrets Revealed: Fiat counts variants like the the 500 and 500C as separate models, so the “five new models” thing is misleading.
Cliffhangers: Seriously though, six new models or variants? Fiat said in December that it wants every future model to be a 500 or Panda spinoff. And we ain’t getting the Panda.

Alfa Romeo

Old Plan: Relaunch in U.S. in ~~2012~~ 2013 with 4C, SUV, other models soon after.
New Plan: Begin work on future delay announcements. 4C sports car in 2013. Four models in 2015, one more in 2016.
Secrets Revealed: “Relaunch Alfa in the U.S.” really meant “Offer one low-volume Alfa in the U.S.,” which already happened with the 8C.
Cliffhangers: Will this plan for Alfa’s return be any different than the others? Will the models it’s planning to bring ever come to exist anywhere? Their development has been delayed for eons. Will VW finally offer the right price to buy Alfa from Fiat?

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Report: GM passes Ford in government sales, first time since bailout

January 11, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials

Opponents of the US auto bailout – specifically that of “Government Motors” – should have a field day with this information. According to data compiled by Automotive News from the Government Services Administration, General Motors became the largest supplier of new cars to the US Government; overtaking Ford for the first time since 2009. Before the bailout, GM had held this lead dating back to at least 2005.

For fiscal year 2012, GM sold 19,404 units worth $409.2 million to the government, while Ford’s sales to the feds dropped by 43 percent to 10,734 units worth $241.3 million. While some might want to attribute this finding to favoritism toward GM, GSA says that the majority of vehicle purchases, with “only a few exceptions,” are driven solely by price. The report says that GM‘s vehicle prices climbed just 1.9 percent, and Ford’s prices have risen by 12 percent. The overall top-selling car purchased by GSA? The Chevrolet Malibu. Although it has a retail price of $21,995, GSA acquired the cars for an average price of just $15,778. Other vehicles among the top 10 to be purchased by the government include the Grand Caravan, Ram 1500, Tahoe, F-150. And as we previously reported, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was the top hybrid model purchased by GSA.

GSA spending has also dropped in recent years with last year’s $1.3 billion down from $1.36 billion in 2011 and $1.55 billion in 2010. Vehicle purchases were also down 8.6 percent from the previous year with overall purchases totaling 50,114 units.

GM had previously stated that it was going to buy back 200 million shares of its own stock by the end of the year, but we have yet to hear any confirmation on such a deal, which would be worth an estimated $5.5 billion.

GM passes Ford in government sales, first time since bailout originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

Dodge Blackens Its Minivan and Crossovers with Blacktop Packages [2013 Detroit Auto Show]

January 10, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Erik Johnson

How many of us dads have had this thought: Y’know, my neck tattoo, flat-brimmed hat, and sweet chinstrap beard tell the world I’m a total bad-ass when I’m in the mall pushing a stroller, but what about when I’m on the highway? How do I let people know that, yeah, I may have kids and I may drive a responsible family vehicle with seating for up to seven, but I still have it on lockdown? We’re in luck: Dodge has announced that it will offer “sinister” Blacktop option packages for the Grand Caravan, Journey, and Durango. (Of course, there’s also the Town & Country S. Chrysler as a whole is pretty obsessed with black.)

The Dodge Durango can be blackened for just $295, which adds a glossy black grille and black 20-inch wheels to Rallye and R/T models. (The Rallye package itself is a $1995 option for SXT models.) The interior of the former, with its 295-horse 3.6-liter V-6, can be upfitted to R/T spec with suede seat inserts, red accent stitching, black wood trim, and a power driver’s seat with power lumbar support—carrying around those cojones is hell on the lower back—for an additional $595. The R/T, of course, features a 360-hp Hemi V-8. Available colors are white, black, silver, gray, and red.

The Dodge Journey Blacktop edition can be ordered with five- or seven-passenger seating, a choice of the 173-hp four-cylinder base engine or the 283-hp Pentastar V-6, and front- or all-wheel drive. Exterior colors include two whites, two reds, gray, silver, and black. Nineteen-inch black wheels and an 8.4-inch infotainment touch screen are fitted, while the grille, front fascia trim, headlamp surrounds, and mirror caps are black. The kit costs $995.

Finally, the Grand Caravan—albeit only the SXT trim—can be fitted with Blacktop stuff for $595. It includes 17-inch aluminum rollers with black-painted pockets, a black grille, black headlamp bezels, and a set of fog lamps. Darkness reigns inside: The seats, headliner, center console, and door panels are black, and silver stitching is applied throughout. The exterior color palette is essentially the same as with the other two models.

These people haulers join the pavement-themed Charger, Challenger, and Avenger already available, and Dodge says this completes the Blacktop lineup, so don’t expect a Dart. Unless you pour asphalt on yours. Which would be just like a bad-ass.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Official: Dodge whips covers off 2013 Blacktop series

January 10, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Continue reading Dodge whips covers off 2013 Blacktop series

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Minivan/Van, Sedan, SUV, Crossover, Dodge, Design/Style

Dodge introduced us to its Blacktop model lineup a year ago with the 2012 Charger and followed up with more recently with the 2013 Challenger and 2013 Avenger. Now the automaker will be applying this ominous-looking treatment to the Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey models for 2013 as well. These models will be unveiled next week at the Detroit Auto Show, but Dodge has released most of the details for these new products including pricing and availability.

If the Grand Caravan R/T (aka, the Man Van) wasn’t aggressive enough for you or its $30,000 starting price was a little too pricey, then the 2013 Grand Caravan Blacktop could be the ticket. Starting with the SXT trim level (which stickers at $19,995), the Blacktop package costs only $595, and adds unique features such as blacked-out headlights, grille and fog lights bezels and an all-black interior. The van rides on black-accented, 17-inch aluminum wheels. The Grand Caravan Blacktop is only available in monochromatic paint schemes limited to Billet Silver, Brilliant Black, Maximum Steel, Redline Red and Stone White

Likewise, the 2013 Journey Blacktop is offered only on the SXT model (starting at $18,995) with all of the crossover’s normal options such as four- and six-cylinder engines, five- or seven-passenger seating and front- or all-wheel drive. The Blacktop package adds $995 to the Journey SXT‘s price and features many of the same black accents as the Grand Caravan like the headlights, grille, door mirrors and lower fascia. Exterior colors are limited to Bright Silver, Bright Red, Brilliant Black, Brilliant Red Tri-Coat, White, Pearl White Tri-Coat and Storm Grey, and the package’s 19-inch wheels come in Gloss Black. Inside, the Journey Blacktop comes standard with black cloth seats and Chrysler’s 8.4-inch Uconnect touch screen, but black leather is also available as an option.

Finally, the 2013 Durango Blacktop is offered on both the Rallye and R/T trim levels starting at just $295. For this price, customers will get similar black exterior accents as the other two models and standard 20-inch black wheels. The Durango R/T already has a pretty sporty interior so this is left alone, but if Durango Rallye buyers are looking for an upgraded interior, a $595 Blacktop option will equip the cabins with leather seats that have suede inserts, black wood trim and a 12-way drivers seat with lumbar adjustments. The Durango Blacktop colors are limited to Bright White, Brilliant Black, Granite Crystal, Billet Silver and Redline Red.

For more information on the extended Blacktop family, scroll down to read Dodge’s press release. We’ll have plenty of live images ready for you next week.

Dodge whips covers off 2013 Blacktop series originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.