Posted on May 21st, 2012 • by David Zatz
A source within the Tower of Power wrote that Chrysler is working on boosting production at numerous factories, including, not surprisingly, the all-important Ram plant in Warren, Michigan. The latter is not surprising, since the Ram will be dropping its sturdy but somewhat dated 3.7 liter V6 and five-speed TorqueFlite-based automatic for the new Pentastar V6 and “TorqueFlite 8″ eight-speed automatic, boosting gas mileage and acceleration alike. The hot automatic will also be coupled with the Hemi engine on Rams, and, as far as we can tell, only on Rams, at least as model year 2013 opens. Once the Kokomo, Indiana plant ramps up ZF HP8 (845RFE) transmission production, the LX cars will get that combination.
Warren is not the only plant to get a boost; nearly every Chrysler assembly plant appears to be adding production one way or another, putting pressure on Dundee and Trenton (four cylinder and V6 engines) as well as Kokomo.
Chrysler executives might be gambling that good press for the Dodge Dart and continued sales increases will lead to more sales; they might also be assuming that Chrysler will shoot up in quality surveys, tempting more buyers.
Posted on May 19th, 2012 • by Bill Cawthon
Chrysler Group has notified the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration that the company is voluntarily recalling approximately 67,872 U.S. market 2010 Jeep Wranglers to replace the automatic transmission skid plate with a skid bar. The recall includes only 2010 model-year vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and built prior to July 14, 2010.
For the 2010 model year, the catalytic converter was relocated for emissions compliance. The new location is closer to a skid plate, a condition that could permit debris accumulation, particularly when driving off-road or through heavy brush. If debris is not cleared from the underbody, as the owner’s guide instructs, it could pose a fire risk because of its proximity to the catalytic converter.
Chrysler Group will replace the skid plate on 2010 Jeep Wranglers with a skid bar, a design change implemented in late 2010 and in subsequent model years as a weight-savings measure.
Chrysler Group is unaware of any injuries associated with these incidents. Affected owners will be contacted by Chrysler Group.
Posted on May 9th, 2012 • by David Zatz
Intrepid editor Alex Gary of the Rockford Register Star reported a missing link from the “Dart starts production” story: the fact that the next two weeks or so hold nothing but more test cars. In his story, Gary wrote that Chrysler spokesman Jodi Tinson put the first shipment of Darts to dealers at “a couple weeks” away. Given early reviews, plant workers are highly optimistic of the car’s prospects, according to his article [read the original]. Thanks, Don Hommes.
Posted on May 7th, 2012 • by David Zatz
The Dodge Dart has finally entered official production. After it was delayed past January, insiders told Allpar that the target date was near the end of April (before some outlets ran stories about how April 1 was the target date, which as far as we know was never the case.) The first true production cars appeared to have rolled off the line today, May 7.
The first vehicle off the line was a red Dodge Dart Rallye with a black and red interior, powered by a 1.4-liter engine with manual transmission. Optional features included a rear camera and sunroof.
