1997 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Slt 4x4, Ca Smog, A/c L@@k! on 2040-cars

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Dodge Demon test mule spotted wearing unusual camouflage

The Dodge Demon apparently refuses to stay under wraps. The endless rollout of teasers continues each Thursday, but thanks to both Vin Diesel and our trusty spy photographer we have a whole suite of photos that show a nearly complete car in the flesh. This car appears to have been hiding in plain sight, as some of these photos were captured in the Detroit area. The car or cars in these photos is far less polished than the one shown in all of Dodge's teasers. The Air Grabber hood is unpainted, though it does come with some awesome hood pins. The same goes for the bolt-on fenders, as other pictures show a cleaner integration of the Demon's widebody modification. Despite the large Nitto logo on the top of the windshield, the cars in these photos are both wearing a set of Pirelli PZero All-season Plus tires on non-Demon wheels. It's as if drag radials aren't the best choice for winter driving. This car is fitted with two-piece Brembo brakes, but there's no telling if they're different than the standard Hellcat's. The decals on the side of the car may give clues to some of the Demon's equipment, but based on the LB Performance - commonly known as Liberty Walk- logo, the decals are likely more of a ruse than anything else. Liberty walk is famous in the tuning community for big, bolt-on body kits. The looks perfectly suit these test cars, though Borla exhaust and a Hurst shifter would be a wonderful addition to the Demon. Outside of that, there isn't much new to glean from these photos. Most of our questions about the Demon (horsepower, gearing, price) can't be had from pictures. Look for more news each Thursday in the lead up to the car's debut in New York in April. Related Video: Featured Gallery Dodge Demon Spy Shots View 14 Photos Related Gallery Dodge Demon Teasers View 17 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Dodge Coupe dodge hellcat

FCA issuing software update for 1.4M vehicles to prevent hacking

In the wake of a Jeep Cherokee being hacked remotely while on the road through its Uconnect infotainment system, FCA US is now issuing a software update for 1.4 million vehicles in the United States. Affected customers will receive a USB stick in the mail with the improved version; owners can check this website to see if their cars are affected. A large variety of models with FCA's 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system are affected. They include the 2015 Chrysler 200, 2015 Chrysler 300, 2015 Dodge Charger, and 2015 Dodge Challenger; 2013-2015 Dodge Viper; 2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500; 2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 chassis cab; 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee; and 2014-2015 Dodge Durango. According to FCA in its announcement, the new software "insulates connected vehicles from remote manipulation." As of July 23, the company also "fully tested and implemented within the cellular network" additional security to prevent access to many of a vehicle's systems. FCA US says that it's conducting this campaign out of an abundance of caution and disputes the notion that there's a defect with these vehicles. Beyond the demonstration of the hack in the Cherokee, the automaker says that it's unaware of any other reports of these attacks actually happening. Related Video: Statement: Software Update July 24, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is conducting a voluntary safety recall to update software in approximately 1,400,000 U.S. vehicles equipped with certain radios. The recall aligns with an ongoing software distribution that insulates connected vehicles from remote manipulation, which, if unauthorized, constitutes criminal action. Further, FCA US has applied network-level security measures to prevent the type of remote manipulation demonstrated in a recent media report. These measures – which required no customer or dealer actions – block remote access to certain vehicle systems and were fully tested and implemented within the cellular network on July 23, 2015. The Company is unaware of any injuries related to software exploitation, nor is it aware of any related complaints, warranty claims or accidents – independent of the media demonstration.

Ron Burgundy calls Durango a 'terrible car,' yet his ads help sales climb by 59% [w/videos]

Ron Burgundy was put on this planet to do one thing: to read the news. If that ever falls through, though, the womanizing, scotch-drinking anchorman could have a great career just as a Dodge salesman. Bloomberg points out that sales of the 2014 Dodge Durango have rocketed up 59 percent in the first month of Chrysler's funny new ad campaign (which began in early October). But then again, the entire year has been strong for the big SUV, with year-over-year sales increases in the double and even triple digit percentages - including an increase of 117 percent in August.
Of course, the Durango has also received a wealth of new content and a freshened look for 2014 in addition to the Burgundy campaign, and that has to be helping close sales, too. Whether or not the spots themselves are leading to more sales may be a moot point, since they are definitely getting plenty of attention. Almost two months into the marketing tie-up between Dodge and the movie Anchorman 2, Dodge's YouTube videos have received well over seven million views. More than just YouTube shorts and television commercials, the Durango has even received late-night attention, including when Will Ferrell showed up in character as Ron Burgundy on Conan earlier this week.
In the interview, he calls the Durango a "terrible car" that "cracked in half," a joke that probably had Dodge ad execs squirming uncomfortably in their Barcaloungers. Scroll down to watch the Conan interview as well as some of our favorite Burgundy-pitched Durango ads. And there's still plenty of time to "touch" Ron to win a new Durango.