Chrysler’s new commercial vehicle website

In observance of National Small Business Week, Chrysler Group is launching a website devoted to commercial vehicles for small business owners and a kicking off a special contest contest.

This new website, www.ChryslerCommercialVehicles.com, is designed for firms that operate fleets of up to ten vehicles. It offers information focused on the total cost of ownership, allowing the business owner to compare vehicles based on fuel economy, cargo space, towing, passenger capacity and other factors.

“We are serious about small business,” said Michael Ring, Head of Small Business Sales and Operations, Chrysler Group LLC. “Chrysler Group is committed to providing small business owners with the best vehicles, sales and service experience, and special programs for their business. This new website is designed to help all small business owners, from the landscaper who needs a new Ram 2500, a florist or caterer that needs a Ram CV to a realtor that requires several Chrysler 200 mid-size sedans.”

Like consumer sites, Chrysler’s commercial vehicle website allows business owners to build and price vehicles, search new inventory, schedule a test drive, and find the nearest dealer. There’s information about current incentives, trade-in values, financing options, and tools to get a quote from a local dealer and even apply for credit. Currently Dodge and Ram Truck brand vehicles are on the site. Chrysler and Jeep brand vehicles will be added to the website in June.

The website features “The Working Blog” where small business owners can turn to for subject matter covering a wide range of business-related topics. The blog also will provide the latest product news from Chrysler Small Business/BusinessLink, tips on how to pick the perfect vehicle, and tricks on how to customize a vehicle to meet the unique needs of any business.

Chrysler Small Business/BusinessLink is also going social and will increase its presence on the web with two new social media sites at YouTube.com/ChryslerForWork and Twitter.com/ChryslerForWork.

New “Declare Your Business Drive” Contest: Starting today, eligible small business owners can submit their success stories to Chrysler Small Business/BusinessLink in the “Declare Your Business Drive” contest for a chance to win and select a prize consisting of one of a 2012 Jeep Patriot, Chrysler 200, Dodge Journey, Ram 1500 Tradesman, or Ram Cargo Van. Entry forms and official contest rules are at www.DeclareYourDrive.ChryslerCommercialVehicles.com.

The contest is open to eligible small business owners who already own Chrysler Group vehicles and those who want to own Chrysler Group vehicles. Owners must describe in 1,000 words or less how they use their Chrysler vehicle to drive their business and why they want another one. Prospective owners must describe their business and why they need a new Chrysler Group car or truck. Eligible entries will be posted on the contest website where the public will vote for their favorite essays.

Businesses entering the contest can bolster their chances by sharing their stories via email, Facebook and Twitter, rallying their friends, family, and other local businesses to vote for their stories. Public voting will determine five finalists in each category, and a panel of judges will determine the two grand prize winners. The names of the winners will be posted on the contest website on or about Aug. 1, 2012.

Chrysler to boost production?

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.

Double Dodge day in Topeka as Johnson, Beckman win Wallys

Pro Stock: Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson snared his second Pro Stock victory of the season, capping a perfect weekend at the the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 24th annual Dollar General Summer Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. Johnson and his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Avenger collected points as the top qualifier Friday and Saturday and added to his take by shutting down Greg Anderson in the Summit Racing Equipment GXP. Anderson was 0.010 seconds quicker off the line but got loose right away. Johnson quickly took a 100-foot lead to claim his eleventh Pro Stock Wally.

V. Gaines and the Kendall Oil Avenger had their best showing of the 2012 season, eliminating Team Mopar driver Jeg Coughlin in the first round before losing to Jason Line in the second Summit Racing Equipment GXP in the second round.

Vincent Nobile turned a perfect light and his quickest pass of the weekend into an easy first-round win over Kurt Johnson in the Johnson Racing GXP. Nobile got on the Mountain View Tire Avenger a little too quickly in the quarterfinals, pulling a red light and giving Greg Anderson a free pass to the semifinals.

Chris McGaha in the Harlow Sammons of Odessa Avenger made his best pass of the weekend in the first round but was eliminated by Erica Enders in her GK Motorsports Cobalt. Enders was quicker off the line and never trailed.

With the win, Johnson remains in third in the driver standings, but has cut Jason Line’s second-place lead from 81 to 39 points. Vincent Nobile leapfrogged Mike Edwards to take fourth place; V. Gaines moved up two positions, to 16th; Chris McGaha remained in 17th and Jeg Coughlin dropped from 12th to 13th.

Funny Car: It was an all-Dodge finals as Jack Beckman in the Valvoline NextGen Charger faced Ron Capps in the NAPA Brakes Charger in Capps’ fourth consecutive final-round appearance. Beckman collected his first Wally of the 2012 season with a hole-shot win. Capps had the quicker ET: 4.107 seconds at 304.39 mph to Beckman’s 4.158 seconds at 303.09 mph, but Beckman had a 0.098-second advantage at the start with a near-perfect 0.004-second reaction time.

Tim Wilkerson and the Levi Ray & Shoup Mustang and Matt Hagan in the Aaron’s Charger got nearly identical times off the start, but Wilkerson was faster down the track, eliminating Hagan in the first round.

Johnny Gray in the NTB/Service Central Charger took on John Force Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang, overcoming Force’s faster start and early lead to trip the timers 0.0126 seconds and six feet ahead of the Ford. In the second round, Gray ended his racing weekend in the quarterfinals when he was 19 feet behind Capps at the end of the quarter-mile.

At the end of the day, Ron Capps had sole ownership of second place with a nice lead over Mike Neff; Jack Beckman’s win put him past Cruz Pedregon, who fell to fifth, and Johnny Gray, who dropped from fifth to sixth. Reigning Funny Car champ Matt Hagan dropped farther out of Countdown to the Championship contention, falling to 13th.

Kligerman subs for Keselowski, finishes 8th in Iowa

Parker Kligerman switched from trucks to cars today, taking over the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger, and posting an eighth-place finish in the Purina Hi-Bred 250, his first NASCAR Nationwide Series event this season.

“A solid day for the Discount Tire Dodge Challenger,” said Kligerman. “Not exactly the day I was hoping for other than we had clean car at the end, ran solid all day and brought home a top-10 finish. We ran solid all day. The first run the car was tight and it looked like we corded right-front tire. We got lucky that it didn’t blow out. We fought all day. We just couldn’t get ahead of the track. None of us anticipated that the track would get that tight.

“The biggest thing for me driving this car with crew chief Jeremy Bullins for the first time is that we improved the car every (pit) stop of the race. We got better and better all race. We had top-five pace; we just couldn’t get the track position. I think that we were a fifth or sixth-place car. I’m proud of the guys that work on this race car. We’ll have a few more chances this year to go out and try to get these guys a win.”

Sam Hornish Jr. and the No. 12 Detroit Genuine Parts Dodge Challenger didn’t have a good day at Iowa Speedway: tire problems dogged him all through the 250-lap race.

The early portion of the race looked good for Hornish: After qualifying second, he quickly turned his front-row advantage into the lead for the first 30 laps. Then he told crew chief Chad Walter the car’s handling had gone tight and that there was a vibration. Hornish had dropped to sixth by the time the first caution allowed him to pit on Lap 74. The crew found that a corded right-front tire was the troublemaker.

The problem repeated itself on Lap 172, when Hornish was running seventh. A vibration in the right front forced Hornish to pit under green, costing him 15 spots and two laps. Hornish was able to return to the lead lap by using a wave around under the third caution and the Lucky Dog on the fourth.

But Hornish’s tire problems weren’t over: the right front tire blew out on the last lap and he limped across the finish line in 12th place.

“We corded the right-front tire on the first run. We corded another on the third run of the day and blew a right-front out on the last lap with only 40 laps on the tire after we worked our way from a two laps down and getting back on the lead lap. It looked like we were going to bring home an eighth-place finish until the right-front blew out on the last lap. It was a frustrating and confusing day for sure. Our tire issues kept getting worse and worse all day long. Something was moving and allowing us to gain camber and getting us more and more on the inside of that right-front.”

Hornish remains fourth in the Nationwide driver standings, 74 points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.