1972 Dodge Challenger 340 Four Barrel on 2040-cars

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2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with '600-plus horsepower' officially unveiled [w/video]

Dodge has officially unveiled the most powerful vehicle to ever wear the Challenger name - the SRT Hellcat - complete with over 600 horsepower courtesy of a supercharged, 6.2-liter Hemi V8. It will be offered alongside the 485-hp Challenger SRT.
The new, force-induced V8 isn't just the most powerful ever fitted to the Challenger, it's the most powerful eight-cylinder Chrysler Group has ever built. Power figures aren't finalized, so expect to see "over 600 hp" bandied about quite a lot. That fury will be channeled through either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. Yes, over 600 ponies through an eight-speed auto. So far, the only vehicle we know of that delivers more output through that many gears is the as-yet untested Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Sadly, we don't have performance metrics just yet, although if this thing can't crack four seconds to 60 miles per hour, we'll be pretty surprised.
As is the theme nowadays, the 2015 Challenger SRT features a number of driving modes, governing power output, shift speeds for the 8AT, steering effort, traction control settings and suspension settings. There are three pre-programmed options - Default, Sport and Track - and a Custom mode that allows drivers to mix and match to their heart's content.

FCA applies to trademark 'Hornet' and 'Dodge Hornet' names

FCA's trademark binge on March 6 isn't the only time this month that the automaker's appealed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Motor Trend discovered two applications FCA submitted on March 3, one for "Dodge Hornet," the other simply for "Hornet." The automaker requested to reserve both names in Canada and Mexico, too. The only time Dodge has ever used the Hornet name was on a chunky, four-door subcompact hatchback revealed at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, planned for the European market with a 170-horsepower engine developed with BMW. Crowds loved the car, encouraging Chrysler to find a way to put it into production. What followed was three years of aborted platform-swapping efforts first with Chinese automaker Chery and then with Nissan before Chrysler gave up. In 2009, analysts suspected new owner Fiat might try to get a Hornet done on one of the Italian automaker's European platforms. Nothing came of that, either, FCA opting to resurrect another historical nameplate for the Dodge Dart sedan in 2011. If a new Dodge model gets the Hornet label, the best guess for a product that needs to succeed in North America is a crossover. With the Grand Caravan soon headed to pasture and the Journey expected to follow soon after, the brand will be left with a big sedan, a big coupe, and a big three-row crossover. A reborn Hornet could pick up where the concept left off, slotting into the compact space left by the outgoing Journey and where models like the Nitro and Caliber once lived. Another guess posits something a little larger, based off the Chrysler Pacifica platform, to lower development costs and increase utilization at the Windsor, Ontario, plant that builds the Pacifica and Grand Caravan. Or the Hornet could be a PSA Group model reworked into service for our market; that opens up the size choices, although PSA is moving all of its products to two platforms, both front-wheel-drive based. It's possible Dodge won't do anything with the name, the recent application nothing more than an attempt to reserve company property. Hudson reserved Hornet in 1950 for a sedan built from 1951 to 1954. After Hudson merged with Nash to form AMC, AMC used the name on a compact sedan built from 1969 to 1977. Chrysler took over AMC in 1987, letting the Hornet trademark expire in 1992.

Kia leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2022

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.