1972 Dodge Challenger on 2040-cars

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Dodge Charger Widebody is rumored on its way for 2020

Grab all the salt you have, save the amount you need for your recommended daily allowance. Mopar Insider reports its sources as having confirmed Dodge will unveil a Charger Widebody for the 2020 model year, in SRT Hellcat and R/T Scat Pack trims. Such a move would copy the trim and aesthetic formula used — to excellent affect — on the Dodge Challenger. The Charger widebodies would get also get unique suspension tuning, and the same 305/35 ZR 20 Pirellis as on the Challenger widebodies, but wrapped around unique, dual-five-spoke designs that are 11 inches wide. There has been talk of a widebody Charger for at least two years, many of those conversations carried out in the same way sleuths parse grainy photos of monsters. In April 2017, Instagram user gtpprix caught a standard Dodge Charger wearing Challenger widebody wheels, spaced so that the rubber extended beyond the fenders. A month later, a YouTube account in the name of Sinister Life caught the same car on video. The license plate doesn't appear to be from Michigan, which is where almost all Dodge prototypes get licensed. On the other hand, early spy shots of Challenger widebody prototypes from 2016 featured this same setup — a normal version with protruding tires. The SRT CEO at the time, Tim Kuniskis, joked about testing the Challenger widebody openly, knowing everyone would think it was a prototype Demon. According to Mopar Insider, engines and outputs won't change on the Charger widebody versions. That means sticking with the 485-horsepower, 6.4-liter V8 in the R/T Scat Pack, and the 717-hp, 6.2-liter V8 in the Charger Hellcat. Looks would change, however, with new front and rear fascias to differentiate the model and cohere with the new lines. That includes a new dual-snorkel hood grille and repositioned intakes, plus tweaked side sills. If it's really on the way, we should know this summer. Such a model would also support recent comments from Steve Beahm, head of Dodge, Fiat, and Chrysler brands, when Automobile asked about how the company will maintain any momentum in difficult days for sedans. Beahm said, "[Our] our job was to [ask,] 'How do we differentiate within the brands that are going to remain passenger-car brands?' ... What we do is we try to make our vehicles look different." Related Video:

NHTSA investigating power modules on Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans

The Center for Auto Safety is officially petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin scrutinizing alleged problems with the totally integrated power module (TIPM) on about 24 Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans. The advocacy group claims that the part's failure can cause affected vehicles to stall or not start at all. NHTSA is still looking into the accusations and deciding whether a full investigation is actually warranted.
The CAS petition claims at least 70 TIPM failures, but according to NHTSA, six of the complaints are for models that don't have the modules. In 34 of the reported cases, the vehicles refused to start, and in 17 of them the engine stalled. There were also two allegations of smoke and one of a fire. However, none of these affected airbag deployment or resulted in a crash.
This petition isn't the first TIPM-related problem for Chrysler Group. A recent report in the New York Times alleged that it found 240 complaints potentially related to the issue on NHTSA's website alone. In September, the automaker also recalled 230,760 examples worldwide (188,723 in the US) of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango replace the fuel pump relay circuit inside of the TIPM-7 with one external to the unit. The original part could allegedly cause the models to stall without warning. Even earlier, the company also recalled about 80,000 examples of the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro in 2007 to have the module reprogrammed.

Porsche and Dodge lead JD Power's 2020 APEAL Study

This may sound obvious, but we'll say it anyway: if an automaker delivers exactly the ownership experience that buyers are looking for and have come to expect, they are going to score well in studies designed to measure a vehicle’s appeal. ThatÂ’s why Porsche, with a score of 881, sits at the top of all vehicle brands in JD PowerÂ’s 2020 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, which is designed to gauge how owners feel about their vehicles on an emotional level. And it's also why Dodge's score of 872 leads all Mass-Market brands, followed closely by corporate cousin Ram. It's worth noting that Dodge — a brand primarily known these days for packing as much horsepower into its aging lineup as possible — was also atop JD Power's 2020 Initial Quality Study (IQS) rankings, making it the first domestic automaker to lead both categories in the same year. Before we continue on with the rest of the winners and losers, we'll mention that Tesla is only unofficially included in this year's study because it did not grant JD Power permission to contact owners of its vehicles in 15 states. Still, the study includes results from surveys completed in the remaining 35 states, and if Tesla had been officially included it would have led all brands with a projected score of 896. Conversely, Tesla would have sat at the very bottom in JD Power's IQS rankings. That means Tesla owners report more problems with their vehicles than owners of any other brand, yet they still love and connect with them on an emotional level. In the Premium rankings, the top five brands were Porsche, Lincoln (876), Cadillac (874), BMW (869) and Land Rover (866). At the bottom of the Premium rankings sit Acura and Audi (tied at 845). Following Dodge and Ram (871) in the Mass-Market category are GMC (857), Ford (853) and Mini (846). Interestingly, there isn't a Japanese brand anywhere in the top five of either category, with Lexus' score of 859 only good enough for eighth spot in the Premium category. The worst performers overall were Volkswagen (832), Mitsubishi (829), Chrysler (828), Toyota (825) and Jeep (822). When asked why Jeep, a brand with a massive fanbase and desirable models like the Wrangler and Gladiator, could land at the very bottom of its rankings, JD Power's Dave Sargent explained that what people love about Jeeps is not necessarily captured in this study.