Dodge Viper Wallpaper, #1542

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge Recent reports have suggested that Chrysler may soon phase out its long-running Dodge brand, and while the company remains mum on the subject, you can't blame analysts for thinking that's the direction the Pentastar's everyday brand is heading. After all, Chrysler has shown a willingness to shutter brands, having killed off Plymouth back in 2001, and it's putting big dollars behind its bid to build Fiat into a North American force. Chrysler also recently took the step of spinning off its trucks into the stand-alone Ram brand and relocated its halo Viper supercar under the SRT banner. Couple that with long-held gossip that the full-size Dodge Durango utility vehicle and the Avenger sedan are both living on borrowed time, and you've got a dwindling product portfolio. That would leave Dodge with the Dart compact (a model that isn't selling particularly well), the Charger (which has a mechanical twin in the Chrysler 300) and the Challenger, which could be supplanted by a rumored Chrysler/SRT Cuda. On the people-mover front, Dodge offers the aging Journey and the Grand Caravan, which is the twin to the bigger-margin Chrysler Town & Country. Stories for some time have pegged Chrysler as only moving forward with one minivan, though there has been some waffling as to whether the next-generation MPV would wear the Town & Country badge or that of the Grand Caravan. A new report out of Canada - where the vehicles are built - says that the winner in the sippy-cup derby is the next Chrysler Town & Country, which will carry a 2016 model year designation. In addition, sources report that T&C production at the Windsor Assembly Plant will be joined by an as-yet-unnamed large near-luxury crossover for 2017, another long-rumored model that could be similar in concept to the long-defunct Pacifica. The brand for this new model? You guessed it - Chrysler.Next Chrysler minivan to be Town & Country only, fueling Dodge closure rumors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: PodcastsNHTSA fires back at Chrysler, Dodge shutdown rumors, possible return of the Toyota Supra, SRT taking Viper to LeMans Episode #337 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross talk about the possibility of the Dodge brand being shut down, rumors of a new Toyota Supra, NHTSA's response to Chrysler's recall reluctance, and SRT taking the Viper back to LeMans. Of course we start with the garage and end with your questions and comments. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #337: Topics: NHTSA chief on requested Jeep recall Dodge on the way out? New Toyota Supra possibly on the horizon SRT heading back to LeMans In the Autoblog Garage: 2013 Buick Enclave 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 Nissan GT-R Hosts: Dan Roth, Zach Bowman, Jeff Ross Runtime: 01:40:38 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #337Autoblog Podcast #337 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments