Mopar® V-10 Competition Off-Road Race Engine Wins in Debut at Baja 1000 in Class 8

"Just two-and-a-half weeks after Mopar® introduced the new 800 horsepower V-10 Competition Race Engine for drag racing at the 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, the off-road racing derivative of the crate engine made its debut in the 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, Nov. 18–19, powering Kent Kroeker and Alan Roach to the Class 8 win in the famed event.

Kroeker, owner of Kroeker Off-Road Engineering (KORE), shared the driving duties of the Ram 1500 with the Mopar V-10 Competition Off-Road Race Engine under the hood, with Roach, who hails from Escondido, Calif. The pair covered the distance of nearly 700 miles through the rugged desert of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula in just over 20 hours to record the Class 8 victory. Kroeker began the race and drove through the San Felipe loop, with Roach then taking the wheel for the remainder of the distance.

“What an amazing debut for the Mopar V-10 Competition Off-Road Race Engine to win at Baja,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Our off-road engineers have been working very hard on this engine and it certainly passed its first test with flying colors.”

The 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 drew a total of 278 starters from 34 states and 16 different countries, in more than 30 different classes. The Class 8 division that Kroeker and Roach competed in with the Mopar V-10 Competition Off-Road Race Engine is comprised of full-size, two-wheel drive trucks." [Continue reading...]

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From our family to yours, we would like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! Be safe and enjoy the turkey!

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Chrysler Invests $1.7 Billion To Build 2013 Jeep Liberty Replacement

 

"Chrysler said it will invest $1.7 billion to develop and build a successor to the Jeep Liberty, including $500 million to retool and expand the Jeep assembly plant here.

Chrysler confirmed the Liberty will be replaced in model year 2013 by a new D-segment model that will be exported to markets around the world.

It said the remainder of the $1.7-billion investment will be spent on other Chrysler facilities in the U.S. as well as supplier tooling and related development costs for the new model.

The Toledo North Assembly Plant builds the 2012 Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro. The Toledo announcement suggested there is no replacement planned for the Nitro." [Continue reading...]

Chrysler Group: Under the Pentastar 11-18-11

Mazda TAKERI to Debut at 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

 

"Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the global premiere of the Mazda TAKERI next-generation midsize sedan concept car at the 42^nd Tokyo Motor Show. The show will also see the Japanese debut of the new CX-5 crossover SUV outfitted with the complete range of Mazda’s breakthrough SkyActiv technology, as well as other new technologies and production models.

The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show will run from December 3-1 at the Tokyo Big Sight(Tokyo International Exhibition Center). Mazda’s theme for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show is “Environmental Technology, Pushing the Boundaries of the Emotion of Motion.”

The Mazda TAKERI takes advantage of Mazda’s new design language, “KODO – Soul of Motion,” to bring a new level of strength and allure to sedan styling. The TAKERI features SkyActiv technology, including the efficient and powerful new SKYACTIV-D clean diesel engine, to deliver dynamic performance and a comfortable ride. The combination of SkyActiv technology and other technology features, such as i-stop, Mazda’s idling stop system, and a new regenerative braking system, enable the Mazda TAKERI to achieve exceptional fuel economy." [Continue reading...]

RamBox® Takes Home Body Exterior Category Award from Society of Plastics Engineer’s Automotive Innovation Awards Competition

 

"One of the Ram Truck’s greatest innovations for the pickup truck—RamBox®, has received the Automotive Innovation Award from the Society of Plastics Engineer’s (SPE) (Body Exterior Category) for creative and ingenuous use of plastics in the automotive industry. RamBox is a segment-exclusive cargo management system that includes the following key elements:

• Two weatherproof, lockable, drainable, lighted storage bins that run the length of the pickup bed and are as wide as the wheel well, creating up to 8.6 cubic feet of space (140 beverage cans with ice). The side bins are large enough to hold items including: a set of golf clubs, helmets, toolboxes, kayak paddles, fishing rods, chainsaws or shovels. RamBox side bins create storage along each side of the pickup bed space previously left untouched due to wheel-well intrusion

• RamBox bins fit the length of the pickup bed and incorporate the space over each wheel well to secure cargo within a lighted, lockable and drainable container. Lids include swing hinges with full-open position that lifts the lid 100 degrees

• An adjustable bed divider/extender that fits on the lowered tailgate and adds 2 feet of additional length to secure longer loads. The bed divider creates individual compartments in the pickup bed to separate payload equipment such as tools or equipment. It can be conveniently stowed and locked in the front of the bed when not in use" [Continue reading...]

Chrysler Group: Under the Pentastar 11-11-11

Ohio Tax Incentives to Help Chrysler Hire

"Chrysler plans to announce that it will hire 1,105 workers in Toledo, just three weeks after hourly workers narrowly approved a new labor contract with the UAW.


The Auburn Hills automaker will receive tax incentives from Ohio that pave the way for a $365-million investment to create the jobs and retain 900 others at its Toledo Assembly Complex, where workers build the Dodge Nitro, Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Liberty.


U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo, will attend Chrysler's event in Toledo next Wednesday, a spokesman said. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is expected to be in Toledo the same day.


Chrysler pledged to invest $4.5 billion and add 2,100 jobs in U.S. factories as part of a four-year labor agreement ratified Oct. 26. That is fewer new jobs than either General Motors or Ford promised. But the UAW didn't provide details of the Toledo jobs before workers voted on the contract.


By 2013, Chrysler plans to fill the new Toledo jobs with entry-level workers who eventually will earn $19.28 per hour.


Chrysler wanted to raise entry-level wages to $22 per hour by 2020, with no limit on the percentage of entry-level workers it can hire after 2015, said a person familiar with the negotiations. The UAW chose not to eliminate a 25% limit on entry-level hires." [Continue reading...]

Chrysler Prices 2012 Jeep Wrangler 'Call of Duty: MW3' Special Edition at $36,495

 

"Chrysler Group LLC is taking its Jeep partnership with video game publisher Activision to a whole new level with"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,"according to officials.

In preparation for the game’s midnight release, the Auburn Hills-based automaker Monday launched a “groundbreaking campaign for the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition.”

“This is more than an advertising campaign, this is a true experience that captures the excitement one feels when playing ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ and when driving the all-new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Special Edition,” said Olivier Francois, Chrysler chief marketing officer.

The campaign dubs the Wrangler as, “The toughest vehicle in the world. Any world.” Ads will introduce the new tagline, as well as the soon-to-be released special edition version of the brand’s popular vehicle." [Continue reading...]

Chrysler Group: Under the Pentastar 11-04-11

Eight Chrysler Group LLC Vehicles Take Home a Consumers Digest 'Best Buy' for the 2012 Model Year

 

"Consumers Digest announced its annual automotive “Best Buys,” and vehicles from Chrysler Group LLC received eight of them, more than doubling the number of “Best Buys” Chrysler Group vehicles received in 2010 and 2011. In the past year and a half, the Chrysler Group has introduced 16 all-new or significantly refreshed models, and many awards have been rolling in ever since. 

The Chrysler Group vehicles that received Consumers Digest automotive “Best Buys” for the 2012 model year are:

Chrysler: 300, Town & Country
Jeep®: Grand Cherokee
Dodge: Durango, Grand Caravan, Challenger 
Ram: 1500 
Fiat: 500

“It’s a tremendous honor to have so many vehicles named as ‘Best Buys’ by Consumers Digest,” said Doug Betts, Senior Vice President – Quality, Chrysler Group LLC. “We have gone to great lengths to enhance the craftsmanship and quality of all of our vehicles. These awards are evidence that we’re producing cars, trucks, crossovers, minivans and SUVs that customers – and critics – appreciate.”

As testament to the improvements made to Chrysler Group’s vehicles in terms of quality and desirability, the Company earlier today announced that vehicle sales are up for the 19th consecutive month. " [Continue reading...]