2006 Dodge Magnum Base on 2040-cars

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How good would this look as a Dodge? New Peugeot 408 is a cool EV crossover coupe

Americans have long lusted after the forbidden fruits of the automotive markets: Vehicles offered elsewhere but not sold here in the United States. When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, former parent to Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and others, joined forces with PSA (Peugeot and others), there was hope that Americans could get hold of some quirky French cars as part of the deal. That hasn’t happened, at least not yet. As it turns out, Europeans get just as many boring crossovers as we do, though Peugeot thinks it has a solution with the new 408, an aerodynamic compact crossover with style for days. While we seriously doubt a rebadged 408 would ever show up on our shores, it's easy to imagine how a vehicle looking something like this on the same electrified platform could spawn a viable product for the American market. Squint a bit and "new electric Dodge Intrepid" comes to mind.  Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that France would come out with a new vehicle that seems well-matched to the American market. Utility vehicles made up 46% of new vehicle sales in France in May, matching the sales numbers of sedans in the country. PeugeotÂ’s banking on the fact that many people want the space and usability of a compact SUV but tire of the styling and ubiquity of the vehicle type. The fastback shape provides a more dramatic design look without completely sacrificing the characteristics that make SUVs so popular.  Peugeot offers a traditional SUV in the 3008, but the 408 is sleeker and more aerodynamic. The automaker says that the 408 “offers a feline stance and unique allure, engineering excellence focused on efficiency and intelligent electrification, as well as the emotions provided by cutting-edge technologies dedicated to driving pleasure and instinctive use." Two plug-in hybrid powertrains will be offered first, producing 180 and 225 horsepower. A standard gas model will also be available with a 130-horsepower engine. All variants get an eight-speed gearbox, and Peugeot says an electric model will come later. No Stellantis brand in the United States currently offers a purely electric vehicle.  Peugeot will build the 408 at its plant in Mulhouse, France, for the European market. The vehicle will go on sale early in 2023 and will later become available in China. Related video: Featured Gallery 2023 Peugeot 408 Green Green Dodge Citroen Crossover Future Vehicles

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Dodge Diplomat Salon

Except for the Viper, Prowler, and some Mitsubishi-derived AWD machines, all Chrysler cars went front-wheel-drive starting in the 1990 model year and continued that way until our current century. The last holdout was the Dodge Diplomat (and its Plymouth Gran Fury and Chrysler Fifth Avenue siblings), and these cars were the most common police cruisers in America throughout most of the 1980s and well into the 1990s. You won't see many Diplomats today, but I found this high-luxe civilian Salon version in my local Denver self-service yard. This one was purchased new in Cheyenne, which is just up I-25 from Denver. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A Diplomat was one of the automotive protagonists in the classic car-chase scene from the 1990 film, Short Time. Diplomats have figured heavily in many films over the years. I got my first driver's license in 1982, in a Navy town with ruthless Diplomat-equipped traffic-law enforcement, and so my right foot still twitches in the direction of a brake pedal when I see this grille. This one was full of Denver-centric ephemera from the early-to-middle 1990s, layered with the shredded paper and rodent poop that indicates long-term outdoor storage, so I'm guessing that the car's elderly owner stopped driving it 20 years ago and it sat until finally evicted by an angry landlord. These cars weren't known for being particularly quick in stock form. This one has the carbureted 318-cubic-inch V8 (yes, some cars still had carburetors as late as 1988), good for 140 horsepower. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fiendishly seductive! Related Video:

2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock is as close as you can get to a new Demon

Although the Dodge Demon was an exclusive, one-year-only muscle car, Dodge has found ways of getting bits of that car to more people. First there was the Hellcat Redeye, that got a detuned version of the Demon engine, down from 840 horsepower to 797. Now there's the 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock. It starts with the Hellcat Redeye, but adds a bit of horsepower, and drag race-specific tires and suspension tuning to get one step closer to the monster Demon. The engine is basically the same supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 as the Redeye, but with a new engine calibration that bumps up horsepower by 10 to 807, though torque stays the same at 707 pound-feet. It's coupled to the same eight-speed automatic as the Hellcat Redeye, but it has also been retuned to shift 100 rpm later at 6,400 rather than 6,300 to squeeze as much out of each gear as possible. The rear differential is a limited-slip unit and comes standard with a 3.09:1 gear ratio, which is optional on regular Hellcat Redeyes. The Super Stock also gets revised chassis components. Instead of the regular Hellcat Brembo six-piston brakes up front, it gets lighter four-piston Brembo calipers with slightly smaller rotors, all in the name of going faster at the drag strip. The suspension has been retuned to shift weight to the rear wheels and improve traction at launch. In Track mode, the suspension switches to fully firm rebound and compression at the rear, and firm compression and soft rebound at the front to help facilitate the weight transfer. It stays in this mode as long as full throttle is applied, and reverts to the standard Track settings when lifting off the throttle. The final piece of the drag racing puzzle are the wheels and tires. The regular Redeye's huge wheels and low profile tires are gone in favor of wheels that are just 18 inches in diameter. They're fitted with Nitto NT05R drag radials, the same make and model as on the Demon, at each corner for maximum traction at the strip. These are also the only indicators that you have a Super Stock. All the other badging is the same as the Hellcat Redeye, so only those in the know will recognize a Super Stock model. The final results of these drag-racing enhancements are impressive. Dodge claims a 0-60 time of 3.25 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 10.5 seconds. Apparently it will finish three car lengths ahead of a regular Redeye at the drag strip. Top speed is less formidable at 168 mph, but that's a limit of the drag tires.