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Explore Dom's 1970 'off-road' Dodge Charger from Furious 7

The Aficionauto, Christopher Rutkowski, already drove Dom's 1970 Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious and Fast Five. Now he's returning to the franchise for an interview with Dennis McCarthy, the vehicle coordinator on the last five Fast and Furious films, plus a close look at the custom off-road Charger that's one of the automotive stars in Furious 7. Given his resume, when McCarthy admits this is his new all-time favorite vehicle from the franchise, it really means something. Don't worry. McCarthy is careful not to spoil any of the film's action while he shows off the Charger and Shaw's fast attack vehicle that takes on the Dodge. McCarthy does reveal the one car that he still dreams to build for the series, and it's something that every fan should see. This looks like a fantastic blockbuster movie season for anyone that loves to watch cars crash and explode on the big screen. Furious 7 is in theaters right now, and based on the trailer, it promises the biggest stunts ever from the long-running franchise. And in just a few weeks, Mad Max: Fury Road hits cinemas to add a dystopian tinge to the automotive action. Related Video: Related Gallery Dodge Charger Off-Roader for Furious 7 News Source: The Aficionauto via YouTubeImage Credit: The Aficionauto Celebrities Design/Style TV/Movies Dodge Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos Fast & Furious furious 7 the aficionauto aficionauto

Is Mopar readying a special-edition Dart for Chicago?

Chrysler has released the above teaser of a limited-edition Mopar 2013 model that will be unveiled at next month's Chicago Auto Show. Although the automaker doesn't announce what vehicle will get the Mopar treatment, closer investigation of the seats and center console suggest that this car will be a special version of the 2013 Dodge Dart.
This will be the fourth Mopar model in as many years, following on the heels of the Mopar 2010 Challenger, Mopar 2011 Charger and the Mopar '2012 300. There are no details for the Mopar '13 Dart, but we do see that the car will retain the signature black-and-blue color scheme as past Mopar editions. Like these previous models, we expect production of Mopar '13 Dart to be limited to just 500 units.
Scroll down for Chrysler's press release teasing the new Mopar model, and we'll be sure to bring you plenty of live images from the show floor in a couple weeks.

2023 J.D. Power APEAL Study shows new-car customer satisfaction scores slip

J.D. Power survey results have been slightly up but mostly down for automakers this year, literally. In February, the 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study showed an overall decline compared the 2022 a month before the Customer Service Index Study did the same. The trend reversed in June with a better overall score on the 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study than in 2022, then declined again the same month on with a lower overall score on the 2023 Initial Quality Study. The declines continue with the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, overall satisfaction among the 84,555 respondents down two points overall compared to 2022, to 845 out of 1,000 points. Because last year's score dropped compared to 2021, this year marks the first consecutive decline in the study's 28-year history. The study tries to "[measure] owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement with new vehicle" after 90 days of ownership by asking new owners to rate 37 attributes in 10 areas around the vehicle, such as the feeling they get when they hit the accelerator. Satisfaction with nine of the attributes is down this year versus last, fuel economy the only segment to show better results with 15 points more satisfaction. Styling and infotainment are big drags on satisfaction. Responses to new car exterior looks tallied 888 points, down from 894 last year, the largest drop in this year's study. On the digital side, less than half of those surveyed this year said they prefer using a manufacturer's built-in infotainment. From 70% of respondents in 2020 preferring to use a manufacturer's in-house software to play audio instead of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, that's 56% in 2023. Going all-in on Google appears to have the best effect. J.D. Power said that vehicles with both Google's Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) and Google Automotive Services (GAS) "score higher in the infotainment category than those with no AAOS whatsoever. AAOS without GAS receives the lowest scores for infotainment of the three categories."  Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, said, "Despite the technology and design innovations that manufacturers put into new vehicles, owners are lukewarm about them. While innovations like charging pads, vehicle apps and advanced audio features should enhance an owner’s experience, this is not the case when problems are experienced.