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Dodge idles Viper production again at Conner Avenue

You've got to hand it to Dodge for having the gumption to put the original Viper into production in the first place. It was, after all, much more of an emotional decision than a practical one, and a move which saw the first production V10 engine placed in a road car - long before the advent of the Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Porsche Carrera GT or Lexus LFA, not to mention the other Ford, BMW and Volkswagen Group models that used such engines.
It's now been 22 years since the first Viper entered production and the Viper still rolls on several generations later, but we're sad to say that courageous decision has not always been met with overwhelming sales success. In fact parent Chrysler was forced to idle the Conner Avenue plant where the Viper is made back in April due to slow sales. And while production resumed again as planned on June 23, it apparently didn't do the trick.
As a result, Chrysler corporate communications chief Shawn Morgan revealed to Autoblog that the assembly line has been shut down again for another two weeks. The line was up and running for nearly two full work weeks from June 23 until the holiday weekend that started on Thursday, July 3. But instead of coming back online today as planned, it's been idled again for the weeks of July 7 and 14. That means it will be July 21, at the earliest, before the serpentine supercars start slithering down the assembly line at Conner Avenue again. Once it does, however, production is set to resume at the same pace it was before the shutdown.

Our interview with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, plus SEMA! | Autoblog Podcast #491

This week, David Gluckman and Mike Austin talk SEMA madness, mis-aligned steering wheels, wireless charging, McLarens (they're sports cars!), and decals. We also have an excerpt from a recent interview with James May and Jeremy Clarkson of The Grand Tour and Top Gear fame. As always, we talk about a variety of cars we've been driving and then respond to some questions from listeners. And as a bonus, there's a trivia question mixed in. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want questionable buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. Oh, and please send trivia questions! You'll get the honor of stumping your fellow listeners, and we'll thank you too. Autoblog Podcast #491 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention Stars Selling Cars The Ford Flex is dying SEMA! Dodge Durango Shaker concept New Mercedes inline-six engines Our interview with Jeremy Clarkson and James May Mercedes-Benz E-Class McLaren 570S Ad of the Week: Volvo ABCs of Death Spend My Money on used cars Rundown Intro - 00:00 The news - 02:15 Clarkson/May interview excerpt - 17:12 What we've been driving - 21:12 Ad of the Week - 39:02 Spend My Money/listener questions - 44:13 Total Duration: 57:05 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Celebrities Podcasts SEMA Show Cadillac Dodge Ford McLaren Mercedes-Benz Volvo ford flex the grand tour mclaren 570s SEMA 2016

FCA applies to trademark 'Hornet' and 'Dodge Hornet' names

FCA's trademark binge on March 6 isn't the only time this month that the automaker's appealed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Motor Trend discovered two applications FCA submitted on March 3, one for "Dodge Hornet," the other simply for "Hornet." The automaker requested to reserve both names in Canada and Mexico, too. The only time Dodge has ever used the Hornet name was on a chunky, four-door subcompact hatchback revealed at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, planned for the European market with a 170-horsepower engine developed with BMW. Crowds loved the car, encouraging Chrysler to find a way to put it into production. What followed was three years of aborted platform-swapping efforts first with Chinese automaker Chery and then with Nissan before Chrysler gave up. In 2009, analysts suspected new owner Fiat might try to get a Hornet done on one of the Italian automaker's European platforms. Nothing came of that, either, FCA opting to resurrect another historical nameplate for the Dodge Dart sedan in 2011. If a new Dodge model gets the Hornet label, the best guess for a product that needs to succeed in North America is a crossover. With the Grand Caravan soon headed to pasture and the Journey expected to follow soon after, the brand will be left with a big sedan, a big coupe, and a big three-row crossover. A reborn Hornet could pick up where the concept left off, slotting into the compact space left by the outgoing Journey and where models like the Nitro and Caliber once lived. Another guess posits something a little larger, based off the Chrysler Pacifica platform, to lower development costs and increase utilization at the Windsor, Ontario, plant that builds the Pacifica and Grand Caravan. Or the Hornet could be a PSA Group model reworked into service for our market; that opens up the size choices, although PSA is moving all of its products to two platforms, both front-wheel-drive based. It's possible Dodge won't do anything with the name, the recent application nothing more than an attempt to reserve company property. Hudson reserved Hornet in 1950 for a sedan built from 1951 to 1954. After Hudson merged with Nash to form AMC, AMC used the name on a compact sedan built from 1969 to 1977. Chrysler took over AMC in 1987, letting the Hornet trademark expire in 1992.