From the article: “With 420 hp at its command, the output of Jeep’s 6.1-liter pushrod V8 matches that of the direct-injection 4.2-liter DOHC V8 in the R8. To help reveal the different personalities of these engines, we ran both car and SUV on a DTS all-wheel-drive chassis dyno.

First, the Audi spun the rollers to the tune of 339 hp, demonstrating a nicely flat torque curve that peaked at 277 pound-feet. Then the Jeep belted out 373 hp and 360 lb-ft. Pick a point anywhere in the Jeep V8’s rev range and you’ll find it generates more torque than the Audi, but this pushrod V8 hits the wall at 6,300 rpm whereas the Audi pulls all the way to 7,900 rpm. This higher-revving nature lets the Audi take better advantage of gearing.”

The Same, but Different - edmunds.com

From the blog post: “OntarioStreetCar reports that the Challenger arrives in March as a 2008 model. That first run of 5500 cars will all be 6.1L SRT8s equipped with automatic transmissions priced at $38,000. Starting in July, the MY09 Challenger will begin production, and the range will expand to include the 3.5L V6, the regular 5.7L HEMI, and of course, the SRT8 with the 6.1 HEMI. And finally, the best news of all: on the ‘09 Challenger, both HEMI flavors will be available with the T56 6-speed manual transmission. We’ll see the car in person at the Chicago Auto Show. Welcome to the 21st century ponycar wars. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.”

Click the link below to see three photos of the production Dodge Challenger.

All Photos In 2008 Dodge Challenger Dealer Reveal Gallery - autoblog.com

From the article: “Press admits that having better cars is the final driver. And Chrysler still has a lot of work to do. Many Chrysler models, including the new Chrysler Sebring midsize car, sit on the lot for an average of three months before consumers buy up the inventory, according to Edmunds.com, which tracks car pricing and sales data. Some models, like the new four-door Jeep Wrangler, are hot sellers and dealers are actually short on inventory. ”

I applaud Jim Press’ candor regarding Chrysler products and sales. Prior to Press’ arrival, you never heard Chrysler management say “We have a product problem” or the “the product is a flop”. Even if the new car or truck only sold 2-3K units a month, management would talk it up as thought it was the greatest launch ever.

Also, I find it interesting that Press pointed out the Sebring during the article. It looks like the Sebring will need another redesign after only 2-3 years on the market. Thanks Daimler for the disciplined pizzazz….

Chrysler Needs Hot Models - businessweek.com

From leftlanenews.com : “When the existing Jeep Commander goes out of production at the end of the decade, it will mark the end for the short-lived nameplate. That’s because Chrysler has no plans to build a second-generation Commander, supplier sources told Leftlane.

Introduced at the New York auto show in 2005, the Commander will only go for one life cycle and cease production sometime around 2010. Slow sales and company reorganization — along with weak fuel economy and poor reviews — have doomed Jeep’s seven-passenger ‘ute.

However, Jeep will not let the seven-passenger market slip away. Once the Commander dies it will, in essence, be replaced by a long-wheelbase version of the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. Further, the next-gen Grand Cherokee is set to be built on a chassis shared with Mercedes-Benz.”

Any Mopar insiders care to comment on any plans for the Trailhawk. Will it see the light of day?

Long-wheelbase Jeep Grand Cherokee to replace Commander - leftlanenews.com

From a very loyal chryslerweblog.com reader: “On september 15TH we celebrate Mexico Idependence, and we have parades all over the country, during the t.v transmissions they were showing the new police equipment, and I saw the New Rams, remember that some are built here in mexico, so i think it was an special order from the government. here is a picture…. the man in the middle is the governor of Estado de Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto. He´s doing a great job.”

If anyone can shed some light on the Rams pictured below, please leave a comment.

Full credit goes to Fabian for submitting the pic.

Update: It looks like the truck in the photo is the 2008 Dodge Dakota. Thanks everyone!!!

From the article: “There’s all the usual camouflage, of course, but you can still see that this Dodge Ram will lose some of its big-rig styling in favor of a more streamlined front end. The hood blends with the front quarter panels more smoothly than before and the headlight clusters look as though they’ll get slimmed down a bit, too.

Body style choices won’t change much for 2009. Although this test group only included Quad Cabs and Mega Cabs, it’s safe to assume Dodge will continue with two-door regular cabs as well. The dimensions of these test mules don’t indicate a substantial size increase over the current models, so either these test mules are using current sheet metal in back or the changes aren’t that big on the next-generation model.”

2009 Dodge Ram Caught in the Desert - edmunds.com

From the article: “Chrysler LLC and the United Auto Workers ended a six-hour strike by agreeing on a contract that echoes an historic accord on retiree health care between the union and General Motors Corp.

The UAW and Chrysler, the third-largest U.S. automaker, announced the settlement late today following a walkout at 11 a.m. New York time. In a similar showdown last month, GM workers staged a two-day strike before agreeing on a four-year contract.

Ron Gettelfinger, 63, the UAW president, had sought a Chrysler contract modeled after GM’s, including job guarantees in exchange for a union-run retiree health-care trust. The contract is “consistent'’ with the GM pattern and includes a fund for retiree health care, Chrysler President Tom LaSorda said in a statement. ”

Chrysler Reaches UAW Agreement, Ends 6-Hour Strike (Update3) - bloomberg.com

It found the pictures Detnews ran on the strike to be pretty funny.

When the strike was announced:

When the agreement was reached:

From the article: “As a strike deadline loomed, bargainers for the United Auto Workers and Chrysler LLC were back at the table this morning trying to settle on a tentative contract.

The 11 a.m. Wednesday deadline set by the UAW may be a tactic to get Chrysler to give a little more. It also makes one thing abundantly clear: Chrysler isn’t going to just agree to the same contract terms as General Motors Corp”.

Will the new Chrysler agree to the contract terms, or will Cerberus go toe to toe with the UAW? With several plants are already idled due to soft sales, will Cerberus use the stoppage as leverage against the UAW?

Strike deadline looms as UAW, Chrysler talk - detnews.com

From the article: “Chrysler LLC is expected to announce tomorrow the company is ending its controversial dealer bonus program, officials told The Detroit News today.

Chrysler on Wednesday will tell 2,000 of its assembled dealers in Las Vegas that it is ending the Volume Performance Allowance, or VPA. Critics say the VPA prompts dealers to sell products at a loss just to meet monthly sales goals — as much as $500 per vehicle — set by the automaker.”

I would love to hear the comments from chryslerweblog.com readers that work for the Mopar dealerships. How will this impact Chrysler sales? What is the sentiment among the dealer body?

Chrysler to scrap dealer incentive plan tied to monthly targets - detnews.com

From the article: “The Auburn Hills automaker announced plans in February to eliminate 13,000 jobs over three years, including 2,000 salaried jobs. Now it intends to reduce even more white-collar positions by cutting the nonunion salaried workforce by 5% and cutting the contract workforce at Auburn Hills by 37%, said people who had been briefed on the plan but were not authorized to speak publicly about it.”

Chrysler to cut deeper - freep.com

From their blog post: We’ve already seen it in spy photos — a lot, but one of us was headed down I-275 an hour ago and spotted the musclegasm that is the 2009 Dodge Challenger meandering down the left lane at posted speeds. Luckily, we were coming from an event so we happened to have a camera nearby to catch the re-make making its way south. What was weird about this particular test vehicle was it appeared to be both red and black. So, what — they couldn’t decide whether they what color they wanted it to be? Seriously guys, pick a color — preferably before the 2008 Chicago Auto Show reveal.”

2009 Dodge Challenger Wearing A Colorgasmic Paint Job- jalopnik.com

In this week’s Newsweek article, Jim Press hinted that in the coming weeks he will announce changes to current product mix. He was quoted as saying:”I think we can do a lot by eliminating some duplicative models and, at the same time, adding models that will extend our footprint and reach plus give customers a wider range of choice. Instead of two or four vehicles competing against each other, we’ll have a broader range that compliment each other and compete with vehicles from companies outside of Chrysler.

Our criteria for making the Death Watch list:

1. Low monthly sales (Magnum, Aspen)
2. Products that require high incentives (Pacificia, Commander, Dakota, Aspen)
3. Admitted products that “missed the mark” (Nitro and Sebring)
4. Produt Overlap (Compass, Nitro, Liberty)
5. Gas Guzzlers (Commander, Pacifica, Aspen)
6. Brand “Fit” (Compass, Liberty)

Here is our list of possible cars and trucks we believe Chrysler may kill before the end of the year:

1. Chrysler Aspen
2. Jeep Commander
3. Jeep Liberty
4. Dodge Magnum
5. Chrysler Sebring
6. Jeep Compass
7. Dodge Nitro
8. Dodge Dakota
9. Chrysler Pacifica