2001 Chrysler Lxi on 2040-cars

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Chrysler prices updated 2021 Voyager and Pacifica line

Chrysler is updating the Voyager and the Pacifica with a fresh design, available all-wheel drive, plus a handful of improvements inside and out for the 2021 model year. Unsurprising, the changes come with a higher price. Priced at $28,730 including a mandatory $1,495 destination charge, the Voyager L remains the company's entry-level model, and it's $250 more expensive than the 2020 model. Next up is the LX, which starts at $31,540. It's followed by the fleet-only LXi model; if you operate a fleet, or if you're just curious, it's priced at $34,740. Moving up, the Pacifica is a nicer alternative to the Voyager with additional features, a more upscale look, and a correspondingly higher price. It's also offered with all-wheel drive and with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, though the two options are not compatible. The entry point into the range is the Touring priced at $36,540 including the aforementioned destination charge, which is a $1,000 increase compared to the 2020 model.   Related: Least expensive vehicles to insure in America   New for 2021, all-wheel drive is a long-awaited $2,995 option that brings the Touring's price up to $39,535, while selecting the hybrid model bumps that figure to $41,490. Interestingly, the Touring and Touring L models are the only front-wheel drive, non-electrified variants of the Pacifica. Called Limited and Pinnacle, respectively, the next two are only available with one or the other, and they're priced accordingly. The top-of-the-line all-wheel drive Pinnacle is priced in luxury car territory at $54,885, while the hybrid starts at $52,340.  It's worth mentioning the positioning of the all-wheel drive and hybrid models is reversed as buyers move up in the trim hierarchy. Shop for a Touring L, and you'll pay $1,155 more for a hybrid van than for one equipped with all-wheel drive. Step up to the Pinnacle model, and all-wheel drive costs $2,545 more than the hybrid system. 2021 marks the end of the 35th Anniversary and Red S models. Don't expect a 36th, 37th, or 38th Anniversary model to appear, but a sportier-looking version along the lines of the Red S could reappear. Built in Canada, the 2021 Chrysler Voyager and 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will begin arriving in American showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2020. Although the minivan segment isn't nearly as important as it once was, it's still relatively big and several of its main players are receiving comprehensive updates for 2021.

SRT pulling Vipers out of Le Mans

Last year, Chrysler campaigned a pair of SRT Viper GTS-Rs in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was the first time Auburn Hills had sent a team to the famous French endurance race since 2000, when the Viper ended a three-year winning streak in the GTS class. It finished in 24th and 31st places, woefully behind the Porsche 911 RSR that won the LMGTE Pro category. But this year it won't be back. According to a report from Sportscar365 citing a statement issued by SRT chief Ralph Gilles, the outfit turned down its invitation from the ACO that organizes the race, ending what could have been a multi-year campaign. Instead it's opting to focus on its Stateside campaign in the United SportsCar Championship. SRT sent Autoblog the following statement: "We regretfully and respectfully decline to participate in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT (Street and Racing Technology) Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. "We are honored to once again be invited by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) to compete in this historic event, and they were the first to be informed of our decision. We will remain focused on our North American racing program in 2014." In its place, the Ferrari 458 fielded by JMW Motorsport will be invited to fill the last slot in the class, leaving only the Corvette and Dempsey Racing entries to represent the United States in the race this year. "Hopefully, we'll continue to go to Le Mans for many years to come," as SRT's marketing chief Beth Paretta put it when announcing the effort a year ago, "but as a sports-car fan, if you can make the trip even once, it's worth it."

Ford Mustang was almost 'Imported from Detroit'

The Ford Mustang achieved iconic status nearly the moment the sheet came off at the 1964 World's Fair. And if Henry Ford II wasn't getting divorced around that time, the pony car might have been called the Torino and been marketed as 'Imported from Detroit,' according to Automotive News. We'll explain. During research for the new book Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, author David Maraniss found an interesting connection between Chrysler's (now FCA US) slogan and the Ford Mustang. Before the pony car even had a name, the Blue Oval's advertising agency had the idea to market it as a "brand new import ... from Detroit," according to Automotive News. The vehicle would be sold as "inspired by Italy's great road cars, but straight from Detroit." The name Torino was suggested, as well. However, the real world interfered in making the Mustang Detroit's first import. According to the author, Henry Ford II was getting a divorce, and his future wife was Italian. It was therefore thought to be a bad idea to sell the future pony car as being from Italy. Things clearly changed by the time the Torino hit the streets years later. Related Video: