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Dodge, Hyundai crowdsourced-funding sites deemed successes

What's not to love about crowdsourcing? This idea, after all, has given us Kickstarter as well Local Motors, but automakers are starting to use the social platform to sell more cars (or just drum up a little PR). Both Dodge and Hyundai have used "crowd-funding" recently, and while Automotive News is reporting that neither has racked up big sales with this gimmick, both automakers are pleased with the attention.
For Hyundai, it teamed up with website Motozuma.com to help customers crowdsource money for a down payment, and the automaker matched this amount up to $500. Last year, this helped Hyundai sell an extra 1,600 units, a fraction of its total 2012 sales. That figure is far larger than Dodge fared with the Dodge Dart Registry - it netted only two sales and a small number of individual options. This registry did help University of Southern California fraternity crowdsource $18,000 to buy a Dart for a local Meals on Wheels, however. Despite the low sales figures, Dodge and Hyundai are considering their crowdsourcing programs a success since it helped them connect with younger buyers.

2021 Dodge Durango gets upgraded interior and new R/T Tow N Go package

The addition of a 710-horsepower Hellcat edition is surely the biggest headline-grabbing announcement for the 2021 Dodge Durango lineup. But the truth is that’s an extremely limited model. Dodge will sell many times more non-Hellcat Durangos for the 2021 model year, and there are some interesting improvements and additions worth talking about for those lesser models. The 2021 Durango gets some fairly mild exterior updates, including a new front end that features a grille thatÂ’s canted forward in a way that mimics the Charger Widebody sedan. The updated fascia is flanked by slim LED headlamps and topped by a newly sculpted hood with scoops and extractors on some models and sharp-edged bulges on others. SRT models get a new chin spoiler, and all models gain a rear spoiler atop the back hatch. More important than the exterior changes are the sweeping upgrades to the DurangoÂ’s interior. The heavily redesigned cockpit gains a redesigned instrument panel, center console and front door panels. Everything is canted slightly toward the driver, including the 10.1-inch touchscreen (an 8.4-inch is standard on SXT and GT) in the console, which runs DodgeÂ’s latest Uconnect 5 software. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard across the range, and wireless charging comes on any Durango equipped with the larger infotainment screen. In addition to the styling updates, Dodge has added a new Tow N Go package for the Durango R/T. This model gets some of the upgrades of the SRT models, including exterior fender flares, SRT-edition 20-inch wheels shod in Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season tires, an SRT-tuned exhaust, active noise cancelation, electronic limited slip differential, active damping suspension and Brembo brakes. The 5.7-liter Hemi maintains the same 360-horsepower and 390-pound-foot of torque as the regular R/T, but the suspension upgrades allow it to boost its tow rating from 7,400 pounds to an SRT-matching 8,700 pounds. It also has a top-speed boost to 145 miles per hour, not that anyone will want to push it that far. We have a feeling the R/T with the Tow N Go package may prove to be a sweet spot in the Durango lineup, offering the looks of an SRT with legitimate performance and utility upgrades baked in for good measure. Check it out in our image gallery up above in red, and be sure to scroll through the more luxurious white Durango in Citadel trim, which includes shots of the new interior, below. Related Video:    

2016 Dodge Viper ACR is ready to take a bite out of the Corvette Z06 [w/video]

The Dodge Viper ACR is back, and as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles tells it, it's the most venomous breed ever born. Before you get too excited, the 8.4-liter V10 produces 645 horsepower; five more than the standard Viper and five less than the supercharged Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It's unclear why Dodge didn't extract more from the huge engine, although we somehow imagine that certain people in Maranello, Italy had a say in the matter. Instead of blessing the ACR variant with bunches of extra output, Dodge instead turned to an aggressive aerodynamics package that it claims delivers nearly a ton of downforce at the Viper's maximum speed of 177 miles per hour. The total aero package includes an adjustable, twin-element, carbon-fiber rear wing, carbon-fiber diffuser, an extendable front splitter, and dive planes. Those big louvers on the hood? Yeah, they're removable, too. The "race-tuned" suspension uses coil-over Bilstein shocks that offer ten different settings and up to three inches of height adjustment. Kumho Ecsta V720 tires were built specifically for the Viper ACR, and come in 355/30 in back and 295/25 in front, with 19-inch wheels at all four corners. Along with the aero improvements, Dodge is claiming the Viper can pull a race-car-like 1.5Gs in higher-speed turns. Carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers add the stopping power that's greater or equal to the ACR's cornering performance. Dodge was also keen to reduce weight, taking some rather dramatic measures in the effort. The stereo has just three speakers, while the electric function was removed from the seats. Even the carpet has been replaced with a "lightweight" alternative. Finally, Dodge is offering up the innovative 1 of 1 customization it pioneered with the Viper GT earlier this year. That means that not only can you get the fastest Viper ever built, but it'll be entirely your own when you take delivery.