2010 Dodge Challenger R/T and SRT8 in Furious Fuchsia - Click above for high-res image gallery
For the record, the Dodge Challengers you see above are not pink. Despite a Pepto-ish hue, they're actually Furious Fuchsia. It would seem that Chrysler is choosing not to remember that it offered a similar shade back in 1970 and 1971 known as Panther Pink. This despite the fact that Dodge president and CEO Ralph Gilles tells us in the press release after the break that the R/T Classic and SRT8 Furious Fuchsia editions "[commemorate] four decades of Challenger performance" and "modernize one of the most memorable hues from 1970."
It seems to us that if it's acceptable to reintroduce Plum Crazy in its original purple flavor that it's equally okay to call these cars Panther Pink, but whatever. In any case, there's also an optional set of Pearl White performance seats with Furious Fuchsia stitching that we think would look just dandy with the Bright White A-line body-side R/T stripes and functional hood scoop on the R/T Classic (above left).
If the R/T's 376 horsepower just aren't enough for your tire-screeching needs, you can always upgrade to the SRT8 (above right) and its 6.2-liter Hemi V8, which offers up a willing 425-horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque... but act fast as there's only 400 slated for production. Base price for the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Furious Fuchsia Pearl Coat comes in at $35,140 with the SRT8 model at $45,150 (both prices include $725 destination) and cars will hit dealerships in March. We'll do our best to bring you live shots of the pair from the Chicago Auto Show later this week.
2010 Dodge Ram HD - Click above for high-res image gallery
It's tough to sell a heavy-duty pickup truck without a diesel engine offering. Ford uses Navistar, General Motors has worked with Isuzu Motors and Chrysler has Cummins. Of all the automaker diesel offerings, Chrysler's pact with Cummins has lasted the longest (since 1989), and word from Chrysler's official blog is that the two companies will continue to play nicely together into the future. According to a new post on the website, Cummins and Chrysler have agreed to extend their cooperation on a multi-year basis.
Cummins currently builds the 350 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque 6.7-liter diesel, which is optional on the Ram 2500 and 3500 and standard on the Ram 4500 and 5500 commercial trucks. Chrysler brags that the very capable powertrain is the only big diesel in the US without a selective catalytic reduction system that requires the owner to add diesel exhaust fluid. The Cummins 6.7 has been able to pass 2010 EPA emissions standards since its 2007 introduction.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested five compact pickup trucks for both rollover and side impact crashes, and overall, it would seem that the trucks' performances were pretty dismal. Only the Nissan Frontier was given a 'Good' rating from the IIHS for rollover protection, with the Ford Ranger falling to second place with an 'Acceptable' rating and the Chevrolet Colorado, Dodge Dakota and Toyota Tacoma earning lowly 'Marginal' scores.
Side impact scores also failed to live up to expectations for some trucks, with the Frontier, Ranger and Tacoma getting 'Good' ratings and the Colorado getting the lowest 'Poor' rating. Equally as disturbing, though, was the performance of the Dakota, which was tested with optional side air bags (all the other trucks come standard with the bags) that failed to deploy in IIHS testing. Chrysler has reportedly identified the software glitch that caused the air bags not to deploy and is working on a fix. The Dakota will be retested with properly functional air bags at a later date.
See the results of the testing in our image gallery below and click past the break for the official press release from the IIHS.
We remember the last time we reached for a Cohiba and said to ourselves, "Man, this illegal Cuban cigar would taste so much better if we had a Chrysler branded humidor. Hey Jeeves, we're running a little low on Pernod here. Getting chopping." Well sir, from our lips to the Chrysler marketing department's ears (except the Pernod part). That's right, for the low, low (we think) price of $199.95 we can have our very own laser-etched Chrysler humidor. And so can you!
There's more than just cigar boxes for sale. Travel goodies, pens, clothing - you name it - is all branded Chrysler and up for sale on a new website. But not just Chrysler. Dodge, Jeep and Ram are in on the action as well. And we must say, the Dodge store is really cool. From the Super Bee T-shirts to the 1:64 scale trucks to the '68 Charger R/T ladies shirt we do want.
The Jeep store is a bit too Eddie Bauer meets Kennebunkport for our tastes. We were hoping that Jeep would go more with its new "I Live. I Ride. I Am. Jeep." tagline, which seems to feature nothing but pretty ladies exiting hair salons, but no such luck. Still, we wouldn't mind a Jeep T-shirt. And then there's the Ram Trucks store which sells tough guy-stuff like work gloves, Leathermen, tool bags and shock-proof watches. Howie Long would fit right in, if he weren't working the other side of the fence. Press release after the jump.
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