Rumors are brewing that Chrysler may be considering dropping their Dodge Avenger within three years in order to focus on the better-selling Chrysler 200 sedan – which is built on the same platform as the Avenger.

With the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto just around the corner, the finalists for Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year (the winners of which will be announced during the opening ceremonies of the show on February 16) have been announced.

The Dodge Dart is being billed as Chrysler– Fiat‘s foray into the increased efficiency market that is growing quickly in the U.S. Now, Dodge customers who are already planning on buying one when they become available in 2013 have a little more to look forward to.

For some of the more minor auto shows, a Top 10 list of the most important cars often covers most of the new debuts, but not so at the North American International Auto Show. Held each January in Detroit it’s the obvious launch site for major products by the Big Three domestic automakers and over the years has also become the venue for important new models by the rest of the auto industry.

The compact car category continues to grow and is increasingly becoming the most important and highest volume segment in America. For years Chrysler hasn’t had a competitive offering, something it is looking to change with the all-new Dodge Dart.

Replacing the now almost invisible Caliber, the 2013 Dart is the car Dodge hopes will reinvigorate its presence in the compact segment. At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Dodge Brand CEO Reid Bigland unveiled the highly anticipated Dart to a captive audience.

Dodge is showing off a new Blacktop edition Charger at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The menacingly dark Charger features black wheels, tinted windows and a black exterior, giving it a truly evil appearance.

One of the debuts everyone has been anxiously awaiting for has been leaked, with the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart hitting the interwebs ahead of its official 2012 Detroit Auto Show debut.

The statistics for the new Dodge Dart seemed a little to good to be true, because that is exactly what they are. One of the stipulations in the Fiat takeover was that Chrysler needed to develop a car with at least 40 mpg before the Italian automaker could lock down more shares in the American company.

There’s no question that Chrysler product interiors have improved dramatically over the last several years. Now it appears that trend is set to continue, at least on the 2012 Dodge Durango.

Oh how compact cars have changed…   Chrysler, or Fiat as it were, is taking a march through the elephant graveyard and bringing new life to some old bones.

Since Fiat restored Chrysler after its humbling bankruptcy, the third American automaker has been reinvigorated, and boasts industry leading statistics in growth.

While the majority of candidates on the campaign trail for the Republican presidential nomination are traveling in giant buses, Rick Santorum has decided to take a down-to-earth American approach, crisscrossing the state of Iowa in his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.

Okay, so it’s a show car and despite the rendering above, the chances of  being able to drive something like it on the road, unless you perhaps live in the Middle East are on the far side of slim.

The first ever, original General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard will be heading to a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona that starts on January 14th, 2012. Nicknamed “Lee 1”, the 1969 Dodge Charger will have no reserve price and is probably one of the most iconic vehicles in the history of Hollywood.

The upcoming 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 refresh will also be getting some new tweaks to its suspension, employing the services of Jeep‘s Grand Cherokee.

Dodge‘s announcement that the Caliber’s production has ended was no surprise, and now the Nitro SUV has also been confirmed to share the same fate as the Caliber. Nitro monthly sales had continued to be dismal with its lowest in July 2009 with just 1,115 vehicles sold.

Easily the highlight of this month’s video car reviews is our test drive of the Scion FR-S, the U.S.-spec version of the highly anticipated Toyota GT 86. In addition, we reviewed the V8-powered Dodge Charger R/T, as well as the Mercedes SLK350.

Read the AutoGuide new car reviews here and see all our video reviews at our YouTube channel here.

And watch the rest of this month’s video reviews below:

No real surprises here, but Chrysler has finally pulled the plug on the  Dodge Caliber’s production in anticipation to the unveiling of the all-new Dodge Dart next month at the Detroit Auto Show.

While others left the rear-drive full-size sedan segment, Dodge carried on an American tradition, defying trends by offering a big car that refused to be a boring car. All-new for 2011, Dodge reaffirmed its commitment, with a second generation of the modern Charger, with updated styling, a vastly improved interior and an all-new base V6 engine.

The Big three do some things really, really well: like building pickup trucks that turn construction guys giddy. While each company has had their fair share of foibles over the past decade they’ve managed to stay more-or-less true to themselves.

Now that it’s confirmed that Dodge is producing the  2013 Viper at its Conner Avenue plant, Chrysler corp decided to shake things up by announcing the new Viper will be known as the “2013 SRT Viper” and not as the “2013 Dodge Viper”.

The Chrysler Group announced today that they’ll be reopening their Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit for production on the next-generation Dodge Viper.

With the Dodge Dart’s official debut around the corner at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler has decided to continually tease us with exterior photos and now interior shots of the upcoming compact. Dodge is looking to make a statement with the interior of their Dart, boasting that it’ll feature materials and precision craftsmanship normally found in more expensive vehicles.

Dodge revealed teaser shots of their Dart compact car, designed to replace the wretched Caliber crossover, and so far it looks to be the first hit of Alfa Romeo-inspired product for North America.

There’s no arguing with it— the Dodge Viper is a badass beast that churns out tire smoke faster than a hillbilly bonfire.

After announcing that the new Dodge compact won’t be called a Hornet, speculation began on what it will be named when it’s released. Even though it’s set to unveil at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne still isn’t hinting at what the new Dodge compact will be called, nor has he said what the 2013 replacement for the outgoing Jeep Liberty will be.

Chrysler has issued a recall on Dodge Journey and Fiat 500 models produced between October 24th, 2011 and October 26th, 2011. Even though it’s such a narrow timeframe, 340 vehicles are impacted by the recall due to a faulty brake issue.

Canadians should get ready to kiss the Chrysler Town and Country goodbye, as Chrysler seeks to trim its minivan lineup down to a single nameplate – but the opposite will be occurring in the United States, with the Dodge Caravan getting the axe, as the Caravan will now become the exclusive minivan sold by Chrysler LLC in the Great White North.

Chrysler is getting some Italian style thanks to former Ferrari designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti, 63, who will now be lending a hand at Chrysler and Lancia.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles slapped Chrysler this month to the tune of $955,000 in fines.

Dodge’s new compact, set to debut at the North American International Auto Show will actually not be called the Hornet, according to the brand. The compact sedan is the first Chrysler Group vehicle to be engineered by Fiat.

Prior to this year’s LA Auto Show, there appeared to be a great deal of buzz surrounding the Dodge stand, after all the limited production Yellow Jacket Challenger and Charger Super Bee were due to make their debut here, most attendees expecting them to make a splash, finished in retina scorching yellow.

Gas, tires and insurance probably don’t matter much if you’re in the market for a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang, but safety does.

Chevrolet has announced pricing of their 2012 Camaro Zl1 at $54,095. Chevrolet claims that the car compares favorably to more expensive cars like the Audi R8 GT, Mercedes-Benz SLS and Maserati Gran Turismo, which cost between $122,800 and $196,800 based on available performance.

Chrysler‘s Mopar brand has launched a new website dedicated to Chrysler Group owners so that they can regularly view their vehicle information, service history, learn how to use vehicle features, roadside assistance, share vehicle galleries, and receive special offers.

Dodge will unveil its new 2013 compact car during the January 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Since this is the first all-new car designed by the combined Chrysler and Fiat Company that will debut three months from now, we are used to expecting information to leak prior to the car’s official unveiling, whether from spies and insiders or scheduled leaks from the company itself.

After teasing us with a single back shot, Dodge has now released a whole selection of photos, highlighting the very-yellow Charger SRT8 392 Super Bee.

Joining the new 2012 Charger SRT8 Super Bee at the LA Auto Show will be the official unveiling of another shocking yellow creation, the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket. Painted Stinger Yellow, it’s powered by the impressive new 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 470-hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, and is capable of hitting 60 mph in the 4.0 second range with a top speed of 182-mph.

It was a logical step. With a revitalized Charger SRT-8 out of the gate it was only a matter of time before Dodge unveiled a limited run Super Bee based on it.

Law enforcement gets a severe-duty upgrade beginning this month, with Chrysler’s Ram Truck brand offering their new Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4×4 Special Service package for police enforcement and emergency services support.

In the stretch for the 2011 minivan sales winner, it’s Dodge and Toyota out in front, and when the results are this close, it could still be anyone’s race.

The 2012 Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Volkswagen Routan all earned Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Mopar Underground has unleashed their Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR on the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor and it’s every bit as awesome as we expected. The Challenger SRT8 392 has been influenced by the Viper SRT10 ACR’s styling while the 392 under the hood packs even more punch with Mopar’s custom headers and cat-back exhaust.

What’s better than a 2011 Dodge Ram R/T? Mopar Underground’s Ram 392 Quick Silver of course. The 392 6.4L HEMI V8-powered Dodge Ram made its presence known in the Mopar booth, tossing out the factory 5.7L V8 for the 470-hp counterpart. Boosting performance is a cold air intake, headers and a cat-back exhaust system courtesy of Mopar.

So over the last week, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) had assembled in the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to see which cars are the best in their category. The winners in each category will then go head to head with each other to name just one Car of the Year and Truck of the Year, which will be announced at the Toronto International Auto Show on February 16, 2012.

Today’s total nonsense rumor comes from Chrysler fansite Allpar, which is reporting that the 2013 Dodge Viper will get an 8.7L V10 and doesn’t cite any source, anonymous or otherwise.

Dodge will be showing off a flashy Durango “Tow Hook” at this year’s SEMA Show, featuring a vibrant four-coat orange and satin-black color scheme that has been applied inside and out on the vehicle. Accenting the bright orange paint is a satin-black roof, bumper and hood accents, and blacked-out lighting. On all four corners are 22×9.5-inch forged Superalloy wheels paired with Pirelli rubber.

For all the Dodge Ram enthusiasts out there, Chrysler has something for you at this year’s SEMA Show. Based on a 2011 Ram R/T, the team at Mopar Underground outfitted the Ram with a collection of modifications, enhancing performance while giving the truck some good looks. Powering the Ram 392 Quick Silver is a 392 HEMI V8 from Dodge’s SRT lineup packing 470-hp. The motor was mated to the R/T’s 4.10 gear set with a high-stall converter. Additional performance comes from Mopar’s cold-air intake kit, headers, and cat-back dual exhaust.

Developed by Chrysler Group’s Mopar Underground team, the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR is heavily influenced by the success of the Mopar Drag Pak Challenger and more recently, the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR that reset the production lap time record at the Nurburgring. Based on the Challenger SRT8 392, Mopar Underground focused on paying homage to the original option-delete cars of the 1960s and 70s with the SRT8 ACR that will make its debut at this year’s SEMA Show.

During its annual Truck Rodeo in the city of San Antonio, the Texas Auto Writers’ Association, one of the largest such organizations in the country, declared two Chrysler products as winners in the SUV category.

A new Viper is rumored to surface from the unlikeliest of venues. Rather than the typical selection of an international auto show to unveil the new Dodge supercar, the new Viper will be one of the cars displayed next month at the charity event, Rides and Smiles.

However, due to a fall in demand, this model was axed in the North American line-up. But in Europe, the wagon lived on, albeit with a different nose and badge. It was called the Chrysler 300C estate, which was basically a Magnum body with a 300C nose.

Villeneuve in his Williams-Renault was on pole, but Schumacher’s Ferrari got the better start and took the lead by the first corner. However, as the race progressed, Villeneuve started clawing back at Schumacher, and then on lap 48, took the inside line at the Dry Sack corner to take the lead. In an attempt to take out his opponent, Schumacher turned in and hit Villeneuve’s car. However, the hit proved more lethal to Schumacher, as he had to retire from suspension damage. Villeneuve’s car was damaged, he nursed the car for the next 22  laps and finished the race in third position, enough to give him the F1 Driver’s Championship.

Chevrolet’s decision to offer a diesel-powered Cruze compact in the U.S. is a sign that GM is testing the waters to see how American’s react to the gasoline alternative. Chrysler, says company CEO Sergio Marchionne, has much more ambitious goals for the often-criticized fuel.

Toyo Tires has just announced their vehicle lineup for this year’s SEMA Show, bringing four high-profile and customized vehicles to their booth and announcing three of them today.

With a new look, a new engine, a much improved interior and better ride quality you’d think the folks at Chrysler would be pleased with their new Dodge Grand Caravan? After all, it has even been met with much-improved comments from the automotive media.

This coming Sunday, October 9th, a very special event will air on Versus at 3 pm Eastern Time. It’s the Duel in the Desert, a special edition of the Viper Cup race series, where a talented collection of drivers and motorsports heros, from all different forms of the genre, race against each other at Miller Motorsports Park, in Toole, Utah.

The design of a modern day classic automobile isn’t shaped so much by the outward shell as it is by the memories it stirs up inside you. It’s a feeling in your gut as much as it is a visceral connection to the sounds of quad exhaust pipes or the way sunlight glistens from the polished alloy wheels.

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