2005 Dodge Viper 2 Owner Chrome Wheels Southern Car Signed By Ralph Giles Of Srt on 2040-cars

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How Dodge is making sure dealers don't gouge Demon buyers

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is a ridiculous 840-horsepower, limited-production machine that we're sure many are eager to purchase. But, they're probably not excited at the prospect of the massive dealer markups that accompany rare, high-performance cars. Fortunately, Dodge is taking steps to make sure buyers aren't paying thousands of dollars extra to get a car early, and its main method is production priority. Dodge announced that cars purchased at or below the MSRP of $86,090 will be the first ones the company builds and delivers. If a dealer sells an allocated car for more than the sticker price, that car won't be built until the high-priority vehicles have been. Dodge will also ensure fair distribution of the 3,000 Demons it will build by limiting the number of orders a dealer can submit. Dealers will be allocated a certain number of cars, and the amount will be based on how many Challenger and Charger Hellcats the dealer has sold. This should also help prevent dealers from hoarding cars and slapping sky-high prices on them. Also, the fact that every Demon comes with a number plate with the buyers' name on it should help prevent dealers from buying cars for the lot to mark up. In addition to revealing these measures, Dodge announced that buyers will be able to submit an order for a Demon at an eligible dealer tomorrow, June 21. The only dealers eligible for Demon ordering are those that have sold more than one Hellcat in the past 12 months. Cars will begin production this summer, and deliveries will begin in the fall. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon: New York 2017 View 48 Photos Image Credit: Drew Phillips Dodge Car Buying Car Dealers Coupe Performance dodge demon

Dodge Viper saved from crusher by students, but will it last?

The saga of the Washington state community college hoping to keep its allegedly pre-production Dodge Viper out of the maw of the crusher is going strong. Not only does the school still have the car, but there's a chance that the college might even get to keep it.
The whole situation flared up in March when the South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, WA, received a notice from Chrysler Group that requested that the school's Viper be destroyed. The automaker had loaned the muscle car to it about a decade ago to use for educational purposes in its auto tech classes. With the Dodge growing long in the tooth, "it is unlikely that these vehicles offer any educational value to students," the company said in its press release on the matter.
However, the college balked at destroying its Viper, despite the fact it had signed a contract with Chrysler Group to do so. The school further claimed that its car was incredibly special because it was a pre-production example and just the fourth one made back in 1992. Although, as we pointed out at the time, the photos of the school's vehicle showed a coupe that looked like a newer Viper GTS.

Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG