1999 Dodge Durango Slt Plus Sport Utility 4-door 5.2l on 2040-cars

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How good would this look as a Dodge? New Peugeot 408 is a cool EV crossover coupe

Americans have long lusted after the forbidden fruits of the automotive markets: Vehicles offered elsewhere but not sold here in the United States. When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, former parent to Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and others, joined forces with PSA (Peugeot and others), there was hope that Americans could get hold of some quirky French cars as part of the deal. That hasn’t happened, at least not yet. As it turns out, Europeans get just as many boring crossovers as we do, though Peugeot thinks it has a solution with the new 408, an aerodynamic compact crossover with style for days. While we seriously doubt a rebadged 408 would ever show up on our shores, it's easy to imagine how a vehicle looking something like this on the same electrified platform could spawn a viable product for the American market. Squint a bit and "new electric Dodge Intrepid" comes to mind.  Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that France would come out with a new vehicle that seems well-matched to the American market. Utility vehicles made up 46% of new vehicle sales in France in May, matching the sales numbers of sedans in the country. PeugeotÂ’s banking on the fact that many people want the space and usability of a compact SUV but tire of the styling and ubiquity of the vehicle type. The fastback shape provides a more dramatic design look without completely sacrificing the characteristics that make SUVs so popular.  Peugeot offers a traditional SUV in the 3008, but the 408 is sleeker and more aerodynamic. The automaker says that the 408 “offers a feline stance and unique allure, engineering excellence focused on efficiency and intelligent electrification, as well as the emotions provided by cutting-edge technologies dedicated to driving pleasure and instinctive use." Two plug-in hybrid powertrains will be offered first, producing 180 and 225 horsepower. A standard gas model will also be available with a 130-horsepower engine. All variants get an eight-speed gearbox, and Peugeot says an electric model will come later. No Stellantis brand in the United States currently offers a purely electric vehicle.  Peugeot will build the 408 at its plant in Mulhouse, France, for the European market. The vehicle will go on sale early in 2023 and will later become available in China. Related video: Featured Gallery 2023 Peugeot 408 Green Green Dodge Citroen Crossover Future Vehicles

Say goodbye to the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne outlined an update to the company's five-year business plan Wednesday, and among the changes, the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 sedans will soon be phased out. The company's presentation to investors states that the "market shift from cars to trucks and UVs [utility vehicles is] now seen as permanent shift in demand," and FCA wants to respond as quickly as possible. Killing the 200 and Dart will allow FCA to build more Jeep and Ram models at the Sterling Heights, MI, and Belvidere, IL, plants where the sedans were produced. We already knew FCA was planning to shift 200 and Dart production to Mexico, to free up the Sterling Heights facility for Ram 1500 production, and the Belivdere site for Jeep Cherokee output. The Cherokee will move from its current home in Toledo, OH, to allow for increased Wrangler production. It's no shock that FCA wants to shift its focus to crossovers and trucks. In December 2015, for example, combined sales of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 were 15,310. The Jeep Cherokee, which uses the same platform as the Dart and 200, outsold both models combined, with 24,049 sales. Both the Dart and 200 had troubles from the beginning. Marchionne recently blamed designers for the 200 not receiving a Consumer Reports 'recommended' rating, and the Dart was one of the lowest-scoring cars in a CR reliability study. Featured Gallery 2013 Dodge Dart: Review View 27 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Chrysler 200 View 43 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM FCA confirmed

Dodge designer on yellow plastic splitter guards: 'I wish they would take them off'

About a year ago, Dodge began placing yellow strips of plastic on the leading edge of Charger and Challenger front splitters to prevent damage during transport from plant to dealer. Dodge embossed "To Be Removed By Dealer" into the plastic, but those instructions weren't always followed. By summer of 2018, so many owners had left the tabs on, or reinstalled a discarded set, or bought a set on eBay for $100 or more, that factions broke out. Some thought the protectors looked cool, some thought they looked foolish, some thought it didn't matter either way. Now Dodge and SRT lead designer Mark Trostle has stepped in with his thoughts, those being, "I wish they would take them off."  Trostle made the remarks at the end of a video by Canadian auto scribe Brian Makse that otherwise dove into the design and technology on the 2010 Charger Widebody. Part of the designer's remarks related to aesthetic aspects — designers are paid to be precious about every line they draw, after all. "When we did the sketch for the Charger and Challenger," he said, "it never had yellow strips on it," and, "To me, as a designer, it ruins the lines of the car." He had a functional reason as well, though: "You're just ruining the paint!" The paint issue convinced Tyler Grant, the Internet sales manager at a Dodge dealer, to make a Facebook post in April this year requesting owners remove the splitter guards. Grant wrote that because the guards aren't specifically molded to fit perfectly, dirt and moisture get between the plastic and the splitter and mar the clear coat or paint, illustrated by a scuffed example that had been driven just 18 miles with the protectors on. He ended with, "Please, on behalf of your splitter AND its paint, take off the splitter guards." Despite forum chatter, splitter-shaming Facebook photos, and Facebook groups like "Hey Pal, You Forgot to Take Your Splitter Guards Off," it appears too late for the protector color to curb (get it?) the trend. Owners have already dealt with the dirt issue by putting protective tape on the air dam, others have painted the spilitter guards to match the car, and the owner of a vintage Dodge pickup ran yellow tape across the width of his front bumper in an attempt to join the party.  In the Makse video, Trostle said that the automaker would soon be rolling out a "new fashionable purple color" for the protectors. "We'll see if that one takes off," he said. "I hope it doesn't."