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Dodge Viper now available in matte finish

The prospect of buying a new Dodge Viper just got that much more enticing with the introduction of matte-finish paint direct from the factory. Available as part of the "1 of 1" customization program, the matte finishes aren't being offered in just a handful of colors like some other automakers do: customers will be able to specify a matte finish on any of the 8,000 colors that are already part of the program's palette. The matte finish option adds yet another step to the exhaustive hand-painting process that Dodge offers on the Viper - a painstaking endeavor that takes upwards of 145 man hours to complete. Specialists start by applying a base coat and a clear finish, followed by the paint and clear coat. The finished body panels are then smoothed with 1,000-grit paper and polished. A second sanding process is required for the matte finish before the application of a matte clear coat. Specify custom stripes (available in five colors or by custom order) and they're applied under the paint, not as decals on top. The availability of the matte finish in conjunction with the stripe options and new satin badging and fuel cap leads to over 50 million combinations. Needless to say, that means no two Vipers need ever leave the Conner Avenue assembly plant the same – though there will surely always be certain favorite combinations, especially on those units ordered from outside the customization program. Related Video: DODGE EXPANDS INDUSTRY-FIRST '1 OF 1' VIPER CUSTOMIZATION PROGRAM WITH NEW MATTE-FINISH PAINT OPTION - New matte-finish exterior paint available on all of Viper '1 of 1' program's 8,000 exterior color options and 24,000 stripe options - Viper's custom '1 of 1' exterior paint options double to 16,000 exterior colors and 48,000 unique strip combinations - Matte finish available in all exclusive '1 of 1' program and standard production colors - In addition to matte-finish exterior paint, Viper customers can choose between satin chrome or satin black badging and fuel filler door for a sinister appearance - Dodge Viper owners can build their one-of-a-kind Viper from more than 50 million unique build configurations for the ultimate in model year exclusivity June 19, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Dodge brand continues to expand the Viper's exclusive production elements like never before.

Dodge could enter Peugeot's Le Mans-bound 9x8 hypercar in IMSA races

Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group merged under the Stellantis umbrella in early 2021 to achieve economies of scale, and this benefit could surprisingly extend to racing. Executives are debating whether to give Dodge its own version of Peugeot's recently-unveiled 9x8 hypercar to race in America, according to a recent report. "While we only heard [the new rules] confirmed a week ago, it has certainly led to some very open discussion, not only about whether Peugeot might add races in the United States, but also about whether the spine of this car might have opportunities with other brands in the Stellantis Group. There are no conclusions yet, but there are now open discussions," affirmed Jean-Marc Finot, the Senior Vice President of Stellantis, in an interview with Racer. His comments refer to an agreement signed in July 2021 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). They chose to align their technical regulations to let manufacturers compete in different events on both sides of the pond without going through the resource-consuming process of developing a specific car for each series. As of writing, the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) categories fall under the newly-announced common set of rules. On the surface, this means Peugeot could enter its 9X8 (pictured) in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as soon as the 2023 season. While this is seemingly under consideration, Peugeot has little to gain from winning a major race in the United States. It hasn't sold cars here since 1991, and its long-mooted comeback was canned after PSA merged with FCA. Giving a variant of the 9X8 to Dodge is a more credible possibility, according to Racer. If not Dodge, then who else? Chrysler hasn't been linked to racing or performance for decades. Jeep is no stranger to performance vehicles, but IMSA would be pushing it. Ram is Ram, while Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati are rooted in Europe. The rest of the Stellantis brands (like Opel, Lancia, and Citroen) are not distributed in America. Nothing is official, and the publication stressed it's unclear whether Dodge will commit part- or full-time to the series (assuming the program receives the green light). Finot underlined the parallel car would use the 9X8's "spine," so don't expect to see a Peugeot hypercar with a Dodge emblem driving flat-out on the Sebring International Raceway.

NHTSA investigating Chrysler for airbags, ignition switches

Chrysler is being targeted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a pair of actions that focus on over 1.2 million Jeeps, minivans and crossovers.
The first is a "preliminary investigation" that focuses on an airbag issue afflicting the Jeep Commander built in model years 2006 and 2007 and Grand Cherokee from 2005 to 2006. In total, 700,000 vehicles could potentially be affected. It's not entirely clear what the airbag issue is, with The Detroit Free Press simply stating that the restraint systems in the affected Jeeps may be "faulty."
The other investigation is what's called a "recall query" and it covers a problem that General Motors should be familiar with. In this case, there could be a problem with the ignition switches of 525,000 vehicles, ranging from 2008 to 2010 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, to the 2008 to 2010 Dodge Journey crossover. Again, it's not entirely clear what sort of behavior prompted the 32 complaints that NHTSA has received on these vehicles.