As part of Mopar’s 75th anniversary celebration and the 2012 edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, Mopar and the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team collaborated with comedian Jeff Dunham and his crew from Palmer’s Customs of Camarillo, Calif., to create a custom 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8. Mopar, SRT, and Dunham revealed the modern-day hot rod, dubbed Project UltraViolet, today at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Dunham is a lifelong car enthusiast and well-known comedian who premiered his fifth special, “Minding the Monsters” on Comedy Central earlier this month and will launch his new “Disorderly Conduct” tour next month in Canada.

“It’s a major understatement to say that I’ve been looking forward to the SEMA show this year, as we’ve had an awesome time creating this one-of-a-kind Challenger,” said Dunham, who touts the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda “as my favorite muscle car of all time” and recently purchased a 1970 numbers-matching four-speed convertible ‘Cuda as proof. Click on Read more for more!

Chrysler Group LLC to Introduce Mopar® ’10 Challenger

Company Continues to Leverage, Grow Mopar Brand

- Mopar ’10 will be available in August
- Pricing starts at $38,000, which includes destination
- Five hundred special-edition cars to be built, customers may pre-order now

For the first time in its history, Chrysler Group LLC will launch a special-edition Mopar® version of one of its vehicles. The Mopar ’10, a Mopar 2010 Dodge Challenger, arrives in Dodge dealerships next month.

“Our Mopar ’10 Challenger is a collaboration of two iconic brands with tremendous heritage,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC. “Dodge put the heart into this Challenger and Mopar added the soul. The result is a unique, special-edition car that only we can offer.”

The U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for Mopar ’10 is $38,000 for an automatic transmission and $39,000 for a manual transmission. Both prices include $750 for destination. Customers may pre-order now.

It seems that Chrysler’s upcoming 6.4-liter V-8 gasoline engine will only be available for the SRT vehicles and not Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks. Joe Veltri, Chrysler vice president of product planning, said “it’s designed for performance, not low-end torque. It’s designed for off-the-line 0-to-60 times.”

He also added “it’s a struggle to recrank that engine to make it a truck engine.” As we can see, Chrysler maybe needs a gas engine with more horsepowers than the current 383 horsepower, 400 pounds-feet of torque 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 used in the Ram HD trucks.

Actually, in the heavy-duty segment between gasoline and diesel engines there is a tendency – from 75%/25% to 70%/30% today and maybe 60%/40% in the future (gas/diesesl). And the price of the diesel engines is rising up.

Official press release:
Geneva, Mar 2, 2010 – The Dodge Car Brand continues to offer customers around the world driving excitement, functionality and aggressive styling.

“The focus of the Dodge Car Brand is creating an all-new spirit and life built around strong American heritage in products that provide performance and personality,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President – Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Dodge Charger SRT8 and Challenger SRT8 command attention by offering benchmark, all-around performance that appeals to unique customers who celebrate their achievements by living life to the fullest.”

At the 80th Geneva International Motor Show, the Dodge Car Brand showcases two iconic models – Dodge Charger SRT8® and Dodge Challenger SRT8 – both of which deliver the best of modern American muscle-car characteristics: unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful engines and proven technology.

In 2009, the Dodge brand comprised nearly 35 percent of Chrysler Group LLC sales in markets outside North America, led by Dodge Journey as the highest sales volume vehicle and Dodge Caliber also as a top-five sales contender.

As the Chrysler Group product portfolio develops in markets outside North America, Dodge will become a specialty brand with a focus on regional sales for specific models.

Chrysler Group LLC sells and services vehicles in more than 120 countries around the world.

Mopar – Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer care brand will present mobile TV into Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram and the first “winner” is going to be the Ram 2500.

If this really happens, Chrysler will be the first automaker in the United States to offer live, mobile TV to its clients – college and professional sports, breaking news, children’s shows, prime-time sitcoms, reality TV and daytime dramas.

Pietro Gorlier said “We are the first automaker in the United States to offer live, mobile TV in more than 100 metropolitan markets. Live, mobile TV gives our customers the ultimate in entertainment and it’s a great example of how Mopar adds value to our Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands.”