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Chrysler may be testing a Hellcat 300

Another day goes by, and another mysterious, undisguised SRT prototype comes out of FCA. This time we have a Chrysler 300 SRT that looks nearly stock except for its footwear. Our spy photographer got up close and personal with this machine, and found that it has the same wheels with 315-mm tires that were on the early Dodge Demon prototypes. The only difference is the wheels on this 300 have Chrysler-branded center caps. All that extra width means these wheels stick pretty far out from the wheel wells, which would suggest that any production car running this setup would have flares to cover the wheels. Behind those wheels are four-piston Brembo calipers and slotted discs that looks similar to those on the current 300 SRT. We doubt that Chrysler is building a Demonized version of the 300, but the tires do suggest that this is a much more potent 300 than the current SRT, which was discontinued in the US in 2015 but is still sold in the Middle East and Australia. That's not all we have to go on, though, since our spy photographer says it sounded like it had Hellcat power under the hood. Equipping a 300 with a Hellcat engine would be a breeze, too, since the engine is already in the Charger, which is virtually identical mechanically. What you may be wondering is why Chrysler is adding a Hellcat version of the 300 SRT when that model hasn't been available in the US since 2015. One possible reason is that this would finally allow Aussies access to the 707-horsepower machine. Dodge is not a brand offered Down Under, so it doesn't get the Charger Hellcat, leaving the 300 as the only V8, rear-drive Mopar available. And for the Middle East, if the normal 300 SRT was selling well, it would only make sense to offer another variant. It shouldn't cost Chrysler too much to develop this model either, since the 300, mechanically, is virtually identical to the Charger. Related Video: Featured Gallery Chrysler 300 SRT Hellcat Widebody Spy Photos View 16 Photos Image Credit: Brian Williams Spy Photos Chrysler Performance Sedan chrysler 300 srt8

Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrid minivan coming in 2015

Among the multitude of models that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced as part of its five-year production plan in May was a plug-in hybrid version of the Town & Country minivan for sometime in 2016. However, according to the latest pronouncement from company CEO Sergio Marchionne, that timetable may have been moved forward quite a bit.
Marchionne told Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show that the PHEV minivan would now be launching in late 2015. That strategy does seem a bit confusing, though, because the next-gen platform for the T&C isn't supposed to hit the road until sometime in 2016, according to the plan. So it's not clear whether the boss means the PHEV rides on the current chassis or if the new model is going on sale early.
The technology underpinning the new plug-in hybrid has been shrouded in mystery. However, during the five-year plan meeting, FCA claimed the model could earn fuel economy figures around 75 mpge. Chrysler previously tested a 25-unit fleet of them as part of a demonstration test in Auburn Hills, MI, in 2012, but that didn't go so well.

Lee Iacocca's very first Dodge Viper RT/10 nets $285,500 at auction

The first 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 to roll down the assembly line, which was snapped up by Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca, yesterday hammered at the Bonhams auction in Arizona for $285,500, more than double the pre-sale estimate. According to a history of the car published by the auction house, Iacocca, in his introduction of the Viper to the press, pointed to the car on stage and said, "This one right here is mine." That historic Viper, with serial number 001, has never been available on the open market, as Iacocca kept the car from new until he passed away last year. The car has been driven just 6,200 miles and was being sold by his estate. Other Lee Iacocca cars offered at the same sale fared less well. A 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible — the ultimate expression of Iacocca's company-saving K-cars — with 20,500 miles on it sold for $19,040. That's less than the $20,000 to $25,000 the auction house had estimated the car would bring. A third car from the former auto executive's estate was a customized 2009 Ford Mustang. The pony car was one of a limited run of 45 Iacocca-branded custom Mustangs, which were reworked by Metalcrafters and sold by Galpin Ford in Los Angeles. The Iacocca Mustang, never titled and with 220 miles on it, hammered for $49,280. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Lee Iacocca's 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 View 13 Photos Celebrities Chrysler Dodge Auctions Automotive History