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Mopar teases four of 'nearly 20' SEMA Show concepts

Yesterday it was Chevrolet. Today, Mopar has dropped some SEMA knowledge, releasing a quartet of teaser images that give us some indication of what kind of cars, trucks, and crossovers Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram will be showing in Las Vegas. Like Chevy, Mopar's concepts utilize both production and concept accessories, although Fiat Chrysler has gone a bit more indepth on at least one of its concepts. Immediately, the most tantalizing teaser is the one shown above. Yes, that's the back of a Challenger, and aside from the bright orange accents on the gray body, you should take notice of the badge mounted on the spoiler – yes, that says "GT AWD." To be honest, such a vehicle wouldn't be a huge shock, as both the Challenger's LX platform-mates, the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, are offered with all-wheel-drive options. Still, adding such a vehicle to the production cycle would give Dodge a leg up on the rear-drive only Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Aside from that concept, FCA has also released teasers of a Ram-based concept, a 300-based concept, and what we're guessing is a Fiat 500X. We can't wait to see what the actual Fiat concept has to do with kiteboarding. As for the 300 and Ram, there's not a lot of hints on what sort of styling details they'll contain. The Chrysler has additional LED accents and what we're guessing is matte blue paint, while the Ram is based on a Hemi-powered 1500 with Rebel styling cues. This is just a very tiny sample of Mopar's final SEMA roster, which include "hundreds" of parts. There should also be a total of 20 vehicles covering all four former Chrysler Group brands, as well as Fiat. Naturally, we'll have plenty to report on each vehicle once the SEMA show kicks off in the next couple weeks.

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Jeep’s latest special edition tries to give the all-American Wrangler European appeal

Jeep has a long history in Europe, starting with GIs bouncing across the continent kicking Nazi ass and much later being a conspicuously American status symbol. It's been a varied existence, to be sure. And there have been a lot of Euro-only editions aimed at Continental tastes, like the Wrangler Polar and the Black Edition II. So this Mopar One Package version of the Wrangler Rubicon, which Jeep showed off at the Geneva show but was just showcased at the "Euro Festival" in Saint-Tropez, wasn't born in a vacuum. It really underlines the continuing appeal in Europe for stereotypically American things. "Euro Festival", after all, is a Harley-Davidson gathering. Harleys are expensive, conspicuous status symbols in Europe – and so is a Wrangler. The Mopar One Package is only available on the Rubicon, and is a little unusual in that it's more function-oriented than the normally cosmetic Euro packages. It has a 2-inch lift kit, larger 32-inch tires, a steering stabilizer, and accessory fenders. Jeep says this is the first time it's been able to offer factory-installed accessories in Europe, so now our friends over there can enjoy the highly addictive experience of ticking off boxes to customize a Wrangler. One thing the Euro Rubicon gets that we can't, which might make American Jeepers a little jealous, is the 2.8-liter CRD diesel engine. That's a VM Motori unit, similar to what was available over here in the Jeep Liberty for a hot minute. Euro Jeeps have used variants of this engine for years. If you want an off-road diesel comparable to the Euro Rubicon, you either have to move to the Euro Zone or buy a new Chevy Colorado ZR2 – which we just drove, by the way. No word on how much the Mopar One Package will set buyers back. It's likely that this is also just a beachhead for more factory customs from Mopar, not just in the Jeep world. It'll be interesting to see how Europe responds. Related Video: Aftermarket Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles