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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.

Dodge adds fire-breathing Durango SRT for 2018

The playbook for Dodge right now is pretty simple. Wring as much power out of as many things as humanly possible. Now comes the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT. Packing 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, this seven-seat school bus will scoot to 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds. Since the latest Durango launched for 2014, Dodge has unabashedly called it a three-row Charger. This beefy SUV makes that aggressive claim even more legit. "It does all the things we want a performance car to do," says Mark Trostle, head of performance, passenger, and utility vehicle exterior design. "It really is our three-row Charger." The 6.4-liter (392 cubic inches) Hemi V8 is considerably stronger than the already-potent 5.7-liter Hemi V8, which is rated at 360 hp and 390 lb-ft in the most powerful Durango available now. The SRT powertrain includes the TorqueFlight eight-speed automatic transmission used in the lesser Durango models (and many other FCA US vehicles), though it's calibrated specifically to the sportier demeanor of the SRT model. A similarly retuned full-time all-wheel-drive system rounds out the powertrain. Despite the fact this is a hot-rod SUV, it can still tow 8,600 pounds with a trailer, 1,200 pounds more than the most capable 2017 Durango (the rear-wheel 5.7-liter variant). View 9 Photos The Durango SRT is an obvious move for Dodge. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is built on the same platform in the same factory in Detroit, already has an SRT model. With rumors of a Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee swirling and another Demonic Challenger on the way, the Durango was overdue for an engine upgrade. "When we launched the Durango in 2014, this is the one we really wanted," says Tim Kuniskis, head of FCA US' passenger car brands. There's no doubt this is an enthusiast-oriented SUV. Dodge even went to the trouble of certifying the Durango SRT's 12.9-second quarter-mile time with the NHRA and tested it a Virginia International Raceway. Buy a Durango SRT, and you get a full day at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. When's the last time anyone did all of that with a three-row ute? It certainly looks the part. The hood bulges with new air-ducts to help keep the big Hemi chilled appropriately. There's a new front fascia with more air vents and LED fog lamps. Plus, the grille takes on a menacing new glare with a mesh pattern, and the body gets wider wheel flares. Click through the gallery, it really does look like a Charger from some angles.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat en route to dealers

Get ready, world: The 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has officially been unleashed. But rather than just have the big coupes quietly arrive at dealers, Dodge has released this video, showing Hellcats loading up onto car carriers at Fiat-Chrysler's Brampton, Ontario plant. And yes, that is Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart" playing in the background. Of course.
This really is worth all the fanfare, though, considering Dodge will sell its ridiculously powerful, supercharged machine for just $59,995. And if the Challenger isn't quite up your alley, just remember, there's an equally powerful, 204-mph, four-door Charger Hellcat on the way...