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Driving the 2019 Dodge Durango Pursuit | Bells and whistles, lights and sirens

Recently, we went to the FCA proving grounds in Chelsea, Mich., to test out the company's 2019 model-year lineup. There are a lot of cars to choose from, and only a limited time to drive them, so since we couldn't drive the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye (that drive is coming soon, though) naturally we gravitated to the flashiest, noisiest one: the 2019 Dodge Durango Pursuit police vehicle. This is the first time the Durango is being offered as a cop car, and there are a number of features that make it fit for service. All Durango Pursuit models feature all-wheel drive, and it's available with two different engines. The standard motor is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, providing 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The tester we got to drive, though, was equipped with the 5.7-liter hemi V8, good for 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. It also has a load-leveling performance suspension, which really helped out when we tossed it around the handling course. It has 8.1 inches of ground clearance, which means it can get to scenes off the beaten path. As much as we loved driving it, we had the most fun just playing with the lights and sirens of the Durango Pursuit. Standing outside the vehicle, the sirens and horn are incredibly loud, enough to make bystanders jump in fright. Dodge did a good job with the sound deadening, though, and the sustained wail wasn't bothersome when chasing imaginary suspects around the test track. One feature we didn't get to test out, but important to police duty, was the special Uconnect system in the Durango Pursuit. More than just an infotainment system, the seven-inch display is equipped to integrate various law enforcement systems. Another cool detail about the car, its tri-zone climate system is ideal for K9 units, with the ability to set separate HVAC settings for the dogs in the back of the car. Check out the video above, and stay tuned for more videos to come from our time spent at FCA's Chelsea proving grounds. Related Video: Dodge Crossover SUV Police/Emergency Special and Limited Editions Videos FCA

SpeedKore carbon-fiber 1970 Dodge Charger packs a 996-hp Demon engine

SpeedKore Performance does some pretty neat things with carbon fiber. SEMA is always the place to show off new and interesting builds, and SpeedKore has a few new offerings on display. We talked about the lightweight carbon fiber 2018 Dodge Demon late last week, but now that SEMA 2018 is in full swing, we've got a look at something even cooler, an all-carbon, Demon-powered 1970 Dodge Charger "Evolution." SpeedKore Performance is based in Wisconsin and has been churning out SEMA showstoppers for years. In addition to the Demon, take a look at this Shelby GT350R the shop modified a few years back. The Charger Evolution is named so because it further modifies the SpeedKore Charger "Tantrum" that was used in the " Fast and Furious" films. That car used a carbon composite body and was fitted with a 9.0-liter Mercury Racing twin-turbo engine making an absurd 1,650 horsepower. The Evolution might be down on power — only 996 horses thanks to a modified Demon crate engine — but the goal was to create something a little more usable than the Tantrum. Upgrades include a smaller supercharger pulley, larger fuel injectors, a custom cold-air intake, stainless steel headers and a custom exhaust with SLP mufflers. There's also a Dailey Engineering dry sump, upgraded oil cooler, and Saldana radiator. It's also lighter, thanks to even more carbon fiber. SpeedKore had a goal to get the '70 Charger to about 3,200 pounds. To get there, the Evolution employs carbon-fiber bodywork, an aluminum floor, a steel roll cage and a new 2x3-inch steel box frame. SpeedKore's autoclave is large enough to bake a one-piece roof, hood and quarter panels. The bare bodywork has been finished with a clear coat to help prevent fading. The Evolution uses billet aluminum for the door handles, fuel cap and grille, all finished in a bronze-nickel coating to pair with the HRE wheels. In addition to the floor, aluminum was used for the firewall, transmission tunnel and radiator shroud. To slow the Charger down, it uses Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers in the rear. The suspension uses Penske adjustable coilovers while Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires wrap 19x10-inch front wheels and 20x12-inch rear wheels. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.