2014 Dodge Grand Caravan Avp/se on 2040-cars

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Cruise Woodward Avenue with Autoblog's Dodge Challenger Hellcat

While Autoblog was consumed by coverage of the increasingly important Monterey Car Week last weekend, there was another big even going on. The Woodward Dream Cruise is significantly lighter in terms of news, but there's no denying that it's a far bigger, and far more egalitarian than what the wine-and-cheese crowd experience on the links at Pebble Beach. The Dream Cruise crams tens of thousands of cars and over a million spectators along a four-lane ribbon of asphalt between Ferndale and Pontiac, MI. What's remarkable aren't these numbers, though, so much as the distances they travel. Owners and admirers come from far and wide, across the United States and in some cases across the globe, to take in the spectacle. This year, local radio and television coverage featured fans that traveled from Japan, Australia, and Europe, just to take in the cruise. Of course, we realize that not everyone can make the pilgrimage to Woodward Avenue. With that fact in mind, we decided to bring a bit of the Dream Cruise to Autoblog with a time-lapse video of the cruise route. You can experience the good (a Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Oldsmobile Cutlass 442), the bad (the traffic jams), and the ugly (no, your 2003 Ford Focus does not qualify as a classic, get the hell out of the cruiser lanes). So join us, as we turn off 8 Mile Road behind the wheel of our 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and run north, through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, and Bloomfield Hills, before ending up on Wide Track Drive in Pontiac.

Dodge has released 500 million horsepower onto American roads since 2005

Dodge started using horsepower to measure sales when it launched its Power Dollars rebate program in August 2019. The clever campaign has paid off, and the company reached its goal of putting 500 million horsepower in the hands of enthusiasts two months ahead of schedule. The ongoing Power Dollars program rewards buyers who think big when it comes to their car's specifications sheet. Motorists in the market for a 2019 Challenger, a 2019 Charger, or a 2019 Durango can save $10 for every horsepower their future car's engine generates. There's no replacement for displacement here; the more horsepower you take on, the more discount you'll see when you sign the dotted line. The 797-horsepower Challenger Hellcat Redeye is eligible for a $7,970 discount, for example, while the tamer Charger SXT with a 3.6-liter, 292-horsepower V6 between its fenders costs $2,920 less. The Journey got excluded from the deal. When Dodge announced the program, it explained it had put 485 million horsepower in the hands of enthusiasts since bringing back the Charger and the Challenger in 2005 and 2008, respectively, and it hoped to break the 500 million threshold by the end of 2019. Mission accomplished. Putting horsepower in the bargain bin lured a surprising number of buyers into showrooms. Dodge notably sold 18,031 examples of the Challenger during the third quarter of 2019, a record-setting figure that represents a 21% increase over the same time period in 2018. The Challenger was more popular than the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, its main rivals. The Charger posted its best third quarter in 13 years with 26,060 sales, a 46% increase over the third quarter of 2019, which is remarkable considering its age. Finally, 2019 might end up being the Durango's best year since 2005. As of the third quarter, year-to-date sales are up 6% to 52,622. Enthusiasts who want to configure the Challenger, Charger, or Durango of their dreams need to act quickly, because Dodge will stop taking orders for 2019 model-year cars on October 23 — that's this Wednesday. Those willing to take home a car from a dealer's inventory will be able to claim the Power Dollars rebate until January 2, 2020. 

Dodge and Jeep recalling 895k SUVs for possibility of headliner fires

Dodge and Jeep are announcing recalls of a total of 895,000 Durango and Grand Cherokee models worldwide from the 2011 through 2014 model years. There's a possibility that the wiring in the sun visor can short circuit and cause a fire. It specifically affects vehicles built between January 5, 2010, and December 11, 2013, and there are approximately 651,000 of them in the US, 45,700 in Canada, 23,000 in Mexico and 175,000 outside of North America.
Screws that fasten the sunvisor to the headliner may pierce wires in the visor, if the part has been removed or serviced, potentially causing a fire risk. If the wires short circuit, they could overheat and potentially combust. The automakers report three injuries caused by this defect, and according to the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "there may be a total of 52 unique fire incidents."
To fix the problem, Dodge and Jeep will inspect the vehicles for suspect wiring, and all of the models, whether damaged or not, will get a new sun visor spacer with a wire guide to stop the possibility of short circuits. According to the automakers' announcement, "this condition is not present in vehicles which have not had the headliner or vanity mirror serviced." They will notify affected owners, and repairs will begin in August.