2005 Chrysler Crossfire Convertible Low Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler 300 soldiers on for 2021 with pared-down range, higher price

Chrysler's last remaining sedan, the 300, will enter the 2021 model year with fewer trim levels and a higher price, according to a recent report. The 2021 model will be the second-generation 300's 10th year on the American market. Well-informed website CarsDirect received a dealer ordering guide, which reportedly confirms the Limited and 300C trims levels will not return for 2021. They're the two most expensive trims offered for 2020, and the publication added that removing them will likely mean upscale features like wood interior trim, Nappa leather upholstery, and quilted seats will no longer be available. It concluded the 2021 300 lineup will consist solely of the Touring and the 300S models, though it oddly made no mention of the Touring L. It doesn't sound like Chrysler will make any major visual or mechanical changes to the 300 — sorry, Hellcat fans. Available with rear- or all-wheel drive, the entry-level Touring model will be powered by the company's venerable 3.6-liter V6 tuned to make 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Marketed as a sportier sedan, the rear-wheel drive-only 300S will come standard with a 300-horse version of the V6, but buyers who want more power will be able to order a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 rated at 363 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque at extra cost. Pricing for the 2021 300 Touring will start at $31,940 including a $1,495 destination charge, a $405 increase over the 2020 model. Stepping up to the 300S will require spending $38,980, but the cost of the optional V8 will increase from $3,000 to $4,000, bringing its price to $42,890 once the aforementioned destination charge enters the equation. Keep in mind none of these figures are official, and Chrysler hasn't commented on the report. Most of the carmakers operating under the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) umbrella will announce the changes they're making for 2021 on September 1 — that's next Tuesday, so we won't have to wait long to find out what's in store for the 300. Chrysler has kept its lips sealed about what's next. Rumors claiming the sedan wouldn't live to see 2020 were evidently false, yet it can't remain in production for another decade. Sales fell by 37% to 29,213 units in 2019. Chrysler can either develop a third-generation model that will likely need to represent it in the sedan segment through the 2020s, or it can hike the path blazed by many of its rivals and throw in the towel.

Will the Dodge Charger keep a gas engine? It's always been a possibility

The automotive rumormill has been working at a frenetic pace ever since images of what's thought to be the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona body-in-white hit the internet a week or so ago. When we initially posted the pictures, which had been uploaded to various social media channels and web forums, we took immediate note of the presence of an unmistakable transmission tunnel. We wondered out loud (virtually, at least) "if there have been some changes to battery and component layout, or if this is to allow for an internal-combustion powertrain option early on." Well, if you believe a report from "a source connected to a supplier with firsthand information of Dodge's production plans" who reportedly "agreed to speak about the next-gen Charger program in exchange for anonymity" to The Drive, that transmission tunnel is for — you guessed it! — a transmission. An upcoming and updated version of the eight-speed automatic currently in use in any number of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles, to be specific, hooked up to the Hurricane-branded inline-six-cylinder engine that debuted under the hood of the Jeep Wagoneer. That engine is destined to replace the Hemi-branded V8 engines that have admirably served across the Stellantis portfolio for just about as long as anyone can remember. Here's where things get tricky. There's actually zero reason to be surprised that there's a transmission tunnel buried inside the Dodge Charger Daytona. Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis basically said there would be a transmission tunnel a year ago. "I've been very transparent that our next cars are built on the STLA Large platform, and the STLA Large is a multi-energy platform," he said. He further reinforced the point, adding, "I can put an ICE engine in there. Doesn't mean we're going to. We're certainly not launching with anything like that." Removing all further doubt about the matter, Kuniskis concluded, "We're launching with full battery-electric and we think that by the time we get to that point the offering we're going to have is going to be really attractive in the marketplace. If some day we want to add ICE to that car, could we? It's totally [possible], but maybe we'll never get there." Is there any way to reconcile the information anonymously provided to The Drive with the statements made earlier by Dodge honchos? Sure. It's entirely possible that we don't know all the vehicles, or the names of those vehicles, that will be built atop the STLA Large platform.

Chevy Bolt wins 2017 Green Car of the Year

We knew that a plug-in vehicle was going to win the 2017 Green Car of the Year award this year, given that all five finalists have a way to charge up. And when Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, announced the winner – the 2017 Chevy Bolt EV – he said that the car itself represents one of those times in the auto industry when everything is about to change. Similar to the invention of the starter motor, things are about to get different. For now, though, the fact that the Bolt EV won an award sounds like the same old thing all over again. Just this week, it was named Motor Trends Car of the Year and to the Car And Driver Top 10 list. The other four finalists for Green Car of the Year included the Toyota Prius Prime, the Chrysler Pacifica, the Kia Optima (including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models) and the BMW 330e iPerformance. Last year, the winner was the 2016 Chevy Volt. Did Green Car Journal make the right selection this year? See the award ceremony below.