2012 Dodge Challenger R/t Plus on 2040-cars

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Stellantis will give its brands 10 years to prove they deserve to live

Formed by the merger of PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, Stellantis has 14 brands under its roof, a number that makes it one of the largest groups in the industry. Rumors claimed not every brand would survive, with Chrysler often earmarked to get axed, but the firm said it will give them all a chance to shine. "We're giving each (brand) a chance, giving each a time window of 10 years and giving funding for 10 years to do a core model strategy. The CEOs need to be clear in brand promise, customers, targets, and brand communications," announced Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares during the Financial Times' Future of the Car event. His comments confirm Chrysler fans and dealers don't need to worry about the future — at least not yet. And, against all odds, Lancia enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief, too. Former FCA head Sergio Marchionne warned of the brand's demise on several occasions. Alfa Romeo is safe for now, too, as is Vauxhall, which are basically just Opels sold in the United Kingdom with a different badge. The engagement made by Tavares also means Stellantis won't divest any of its brands to raise capital until at least 2031. It's now up to each executive team to make a case for the brand they run, an unusual survival-of-the-fittest strategy in an era when cutting costs is more common than spending cash. Diving into the vast Stellantis parts bin should help even the most troubled brands turn their fortunes around on a relatively tight budget. It seems likely that survive Chrysler will need to look beyond the 300 and the Pacifica/Voyager, the only models in its range, and completely reinvent its image, which is currently nebulous at best. Lancia, once the champion of luxury, performance, and innovation, faces the same challenge. It's not starting quite from scratch, it's relatively popular in its home country of Italy, but it will need to think globally and expand outside of the city car segment to survive. Featured Gallery 2020 Chrysler 300 View 24 Photos Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall

Dodge's divisive splitter guards are now pink and might become black

There is an infinite amount of real problems out there in the world, but for some reason, one of the most dividing issues in the car community relates to a piece of protective plastic on cars. Yes, splitter guards. Since the plastic parts were introduced to SRT variants of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger for 2015, the enthusiast community has been split like a '63 'Vette on the merits and aesthetics of not removing them. Originally, the protectors, which are there to protect the splitter while the car is in transit to dealers, were yellow, which contributed to their popularity. But Dodge has now shifted that color to pink, as Car & Driver reported and Autoblog confirmed.  On one side, upset purists beg they be removed from the cars. They were only put on to protect the vehicles' lower front fascias during shipping and handling, and if left on too long, they will collect dirt and grit and damage the new paint. SRT lead designer Mark Trostle is included in this camp and is quoted saying, "I wish they would take them off." On the other side, there are people who enjoy the contrasting look and see it as a way to stand out or be different.  "Yes, they are designed to be removed before delivery," said Tim Kuniskis, global head of Alfa Romeo and head of passenger cars for Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, FIAT, FCA for North America, in an email to Autoblog. "But today, they have their own Facebook page, and many of our performance enthusiasts have active debates on whether to keep or remove them. Some owners say they are even selling them in the aftermarket!"  The Facebook page he speaks of is called "Hey Pal, You Forgot To Take Your Splitter Guards Off." The private group was started on April 11, 2019, and as of this writing, it is 11,855 members strong. With FCA recently changing the guards to pink, that number will likely continue to grow. "Obviously, they weren't part of the original design," Kuniskis said. "We started with yellow guards and shifted to pink, but they are still so popular that we may shift them yet again to black. Wherever we land, this is another example of how our customers are passionate about every part of their Dodge muscle cars — from the high-horsepower engines that power Charger and Challenger to the splitter guards designed to protect them, so we expect the conversation to continue."  Yellow, pink, black, purple, rainbow, whatever. People will like what they like and hate what they hate. Just do you, and keep the negativity away.

2015 Dodge Challenger looks fresh, still plenty retro [w/video]

It was the Ford Mustang that kicked off the retro-styled muscle car renaissance back in 2005, but it was the Dodge Challenger that served as the movement's poster child, with its unabashedly retro looks. Over the years, though, as the Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro were freshened and upgraded, the look of the big Dodge has remained largely consistent since its 2008 debut. For 2015, the Challenger has received a big freshening, boasting strongly revised front and rear ends and (finally, finally, finally) a redesigned interior.
Let's talk about that new cabin first. It's basically been plucked directly from the redesigned Charger, and boasts the same seven-inch IP display. The center stack's miserable, last-gen display has been replaced by an expansive, 8.4-inch UConnect system. Material quality should see a solid boost with the new cabin, as well.
The exterior, meanwhile, sees a revised front fascia with LED halo lights, as well as new grille inserts. A functional shaker hood scoop is a must-have extra on the V8 models, while the back of the car is highlighted by a new set of LED taillights that don't use the "Racetrack" design of Dodge's other models.