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Chrysler killing off the 200 Convertible, Dodge Avenger

When Chrysler rolled out the first-generation 200 to replace the Sebring range in 2010, it included replacements for both the sedan and the convertible. The Sebring Coupe, however, was left out of the mix. And now that the second-generation Chrysler 200 is descending upon us, Auburn Hills is paring things down even further. But this time, it's the convertible that reportedly isn't making the cut. Shame, too, since the rendering above shows what could have been quite an attractive droptop.
As our compatriots at Edmunds point out, sales of the convertible model accounted for less than five percent of overall Chrysler 200 sales, and at those numbers, the considerable cost of engineering a new drop-top couldn't be justified. With the Toyota Camry Solara and Volkswagen Eos also gone from the market (well, the VW isn't gone quite yet), the discontinuation of the Chrysler 200 Convertible leaves the affordable convertible segment largely to the sportier likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro and smaller European offerings like the Mini Cooper and VW Beetle.
The Chrysler 200 Convertible isn't the only derivative being left behind with the new model: so too is the Dodge Avenger. That will leave a glaring hole in the Dodge lineup, with nothing to bridge the gap between the compact Dart and the larger Charger. Whether the Dodge brand has any plans to replace the Avenger with another model, not to be based on the 200, remains to be seen.

Dodge Charger SRT Widebody spied filming a commercial

The voice you hear in the video just below appears to be from Instagram user eviil_srt, and as you can tell, he's quite the Mopar superfan. Thing is, the car you see in that video appears worthy of such a fan's adoration. It's clearly a Dodge Charger Widebody, a vehicle that we've been anxiously awaiting ever since it was revealed in prototype form by Mark Trostle, head of design for Dodge and SRT, at Spring Fest 14. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Actually, we've been seeing hints of the wide Charger far longer than that – it was spotted testing on public roads before its officialish debut, and even prior to that, the car's rumored existence had the Internet rumbling with the force of a 700-plus-horsepower supercharged Hemi V8 for months. All that preamble brings us back to the present and the aforementioned Instagram post, in which this upcoming production Widebody was spotted presumably filming for an official television commercial debut. Note the body-color license plate on the Charger Widebody in the video, which indicates it's probably being used for an official purpose by Dodge. It's a short clip, but just long enough that we can clearly make out a big rear wing, vented bumper cover, and deep diffuser punctuated by large dual exhaust tips. We also see some extremely wide tires front and rear, which makes sense considering that there's very likely a whole corral's worth of ponies underhood. The current Dodge Challenger Widebody style is offered on the 485-horsepower R/T Scat Pack trim level, the SRT Hellcat trim level that bumps horsepower all the way to 717, and, for buyers who really hate their rear tires, the 797-hp Hellcat Redeye trim level. Dodge hasn't yet extended the excessively powerful Redeye engine to the Charger line, but the other two levels seem likely. And who knows – the Widebody's introduction might be the perfect opportunity to build a Charger Redeye. In any case, the fact that Dodge is filming commercials indicates that we won't have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

Old Dodge vans are big in Japan

One of the great things about Japan and its car culture is that it plays host to some of the most unusual and unique vehicle trends in the world. Whether it's neon-clad Lamborghinis or luxury sedans with insane negative camber, the country always seems to have something new up its sleeve. One of the most surprising trends is track-ready, full-size Dodge vans called Dajibans, and the video above presents a great look at these absurd machines. This isn't the first time we've covered these racing Dodge vans, but it's a subculture too awesome not to merit a second look. For one thing, just as American fans of Japanese cars here like to use JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) parts on their cars, the owners of these Dodges like to use American parts. Many of the vans feature Little Tree air fresheners inside and even have Spectre air filters on the intakes. Who would've thought there would be a market for Autozone's bread and butter auto accessories? Plus, these vans get some other impressive mods. Notice that some vans that appear to have stock metal bumpers, but they're actually fiberglass replicas in the original shape and given a chrome-like paint job. The video's host, an Australian drift fanatic named Alexi who lives in Japan and runs website called Noriyaro.com, gets some great onboard footage, too. One of the vans he rides along in is powered by a generally stock 318 Dodge V8, and still has the original automatic transmission and column shifter. Impressively, the driver manages to manually shift it without grabbing the wrong gear, and even rev matches the shifts. Alexi explains that the driver can catch neutral in-between gears three and two, so there's a brief moment where he can blip the throttle. There's even more information in the video, and it's all fantastic fun to watch. If you decide you haven't seen enough of Dajibans, you can also check out our previous post on it, which is more polished and provides some history and context to the trend. Related Video: News Source: Noriyaro via YouTube Auto News Dodge Minivan/Van Performance Videos JDM trends