2012 Dodge Challenger R/t With 5.7 Liter Hemi on 2040-cars

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The Dodge Demon sheds some weight in pursuit of speed

The Dodge Demon teaser train isn't stopping until it hits New York City. In case you need a reminder, the upcoming Demon is the more pedestrian Hellcat's stripped-down and hopped-up sibling that promises to be built for the sole purpose of traveling a quarter-mile mile quicker than any of its rivals. The weekly video rollout on www.ifyouknowyouknow.com continues with the latest sneak peak, "Reduction." While there were early rumors that the Demon may pack an all-wheel-drive system and in turn gain enough grip to rotate the Earth underneath it, Dodge and SRT look to be going down a simpler route. The press release reveals the Demon is 200 pounds lighter than the standard Hellcat. It's unclear where all that weight is coming from, but at nearly 4,500 pounds, the Challenger Hellcat could stand to go on a bit of a diet. The video hints at adjustments to the wheels, steering, suspension, and brakes, as well as some modifications to the car's interior. Don't be surprised if the Demon is a bare bones stripper model with no back seat, no A/C, and no radio. Who needs music when you have 2.4-liter supercharger and a 6.2-liter Hemi V8 making sweet love under the hood? Related Video: Image Credit: FCA Design/Style Marketing/Advertising New York Auto Show Dodge Coupe Future Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance dodge demon dodge hellcat

China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.

Dodge rolls out Shaker package for 2015 Challenger

Having an awesome Hemi engine under the hood can deliver impressive performance, but for those who lament not being able to see that big V8 engine doing its thing, hidden away under the hood, Dodge offers the Shaker hood on its Challenger muscle car. And it's just released the option for the updated 2015 model. Now available on two engines and three trim levels – including the Challenger R/T and R/T Plus with the 5.7-liter V8 and the 6.4-liter Challenger 392 – the new Shaker hood brings cold air into the engine compartment and lets everyone see that V8 (or at least an appendage thereof) shaking away in plain view. Arriving 45 years after the original Shaker Challenger, the package includes a satin black hood scoop, cold-air intake, conical air filter and optimized air box, along with Shaker graphics inside, out and under the hood. The 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker are available to order now, priced at $35,495 and $38,495, respectively (plus a $995 destination charge), and come bundled with the Super Track Pak. Order books open in March for the 392 HEMI Shaker, which also comes with the Scat Pack, for $42,495 (plus destination and $1,000 gas-guzzler tax if equipped with the manual transmission). Dodge is Shaking Up the Muscle Car Segment Again; Opens Orders for New 2015 Challenger 'Shaker' Models Dodge Celebrates 45 Years of Its Functional "Cold-air Grabbing" Hood Scoop That "Shakes" With the Legendary HEMI® V-8 Engine's Movement - Back by enthusiast demand, Dodge returns the "Shaker" to the Challenger lineup – now expanding the functional cold-air induction hood scoop on two HEMI V-8 engines and three performance-packed models - "King of the Shakers" – all-new 2015 Dodge Challenger 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker combines the ultimate combination of 485 best-in-class horsepower and legendary Dodge heritage cues with a functional Shaker hood - Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker models feature the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with unique hood and intake design combined with a functional exposed-element cold-air intake system - New 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and R/T Plus Shaker are available for ordering now, with the 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker model available for customer orders in March February 13, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich.