Mopar® Marks 75th Anniversary : Unveils Four Custom Vehicles


Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, reveals the all-new Mopar '12 300 marking the occasion at Mopar World Headquarters.

CENTER LINE, Mich. : January 31, 2012 - For its 75th anniversary, Mopar® continues to work its magic.

Mopar revealed four custom vehicles, including the Mopar ’12 300, Fiat 500 “Stinger,” Mopar Jeep® Compass “True North” and Dodge Dart “GTS 210 Tribute.” Mopar ’12 will be available this summer straight from the factory, while components of the Fiat 500, Jeep Compass and Dodge Dart custom configurations will be available in the fall as stage kits or á la carte from the Mopar catalog.

“Customization is king,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “These head-turning ‘Moparized’ vehicles show how we can go to the next level of personalization. With our best-in-class offerings of parts and accessories, we give our customers every opportunity to further enhance the appearance and performance of their vehicles.”

Earlier this month, at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, the brand kicked off its year-long 75th anniversary celebration with the introduction of the Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar and the Dodge Charger Redline. Mopar, a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts, was trademarked in 1937.
The following “Moparized” vehicles were revealed today and will be on display at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show from Feb. 10-19.

Mopar ’12 300

Mopar ’12 300

Building on the success of Mopar versions of the 2010 Dodge Challenger and 2011 Dodge Charger, the new Mopar ’12 300 transforms the Chrysler 300 flagship sedan into a performance tribute to celebrate Mopar’s 75th anniversary with unique appointments, select high-performance parts and appearance items straight from the Mopar parts catalog.

Power and performance
Mopar earned its factory-designed performance reputation with enthusiasts and the most discerning racing drivers for the past 75 years – and the new Mopar ’12 is designed to showcase the brand’s prowess.

When looking under the hood of the Mopar ’12 300, an exclusive Mopar engine cover hints at the 363 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with innovative four-cylinder mode Fuel Saver Technology beneath. Backed with a proven five-speed W5A580 automatic transmission, Mopar aficionados will appreciate the unique Mopar shifter combined with Auto Stick. With Auto Stick, drivers may select a higher or lower gear while the transmission controller helps prevent the possibility of an over-rev condition.

At the rear, the differential has been boosted from 3.06:1 to a 3.91:1 final-drive ratio for enhanced acceleration – unique to the Mopar ’12 – enabling 0-to-60 mph blasts in the low 5-second range.

Track-tuned suspension delivers precision handling 

The new Mopar ’12 300 features the second-generation E-segment architecture’s performance-tuned suspension with 42 percent stiffer front and 23 percent stiffer rear spring rates compared to the Chrysler 300 models with touring-tuned suspension. For improved grip and braking, stickier P245/45R20 Goodyear Eagle F1 three-season tires replace all-season radials, and high-performance brake linings mounted to dual-piston front and single-piston rear calipers deliver fade-resistant stopping performance.

Unique Mopar 300 ‘Street Machine’ 

Similar to the new Chrysler 300S models, Mopar ’12 300 adds even more street credibility with its blacked-out appearance and unique Mopar appointments. A Mopar Black Chrome seven-bar grille and grille-surround matches the black-accented headlamp bezels and fascia accents for a low-key presence.

Highlighting the Gloss Black exterior contours of the Mopar ’12 300 are a Mopar Blue A-line body-side stripes. Large 20-inch by 8-inch Mopar forged-aluminum wheels are painted in Gloss Black and include Mopar center caps. Commemorating the brand’s 75th year, “Mopar 75” fender badges feature the Mopar Blue “omega” logo. On the deck lid, a “Mopar Design” badge hints at the select Mopar parts and accessories that have been infused to enhance performance and distinguish the Mopar ’12 300 from any other Chrysler 300.

Inside, Mopar ’12 300 features a monotone black interior environment with Mopar Blue accents throughout. Mopar’s Katzkin perforated leather wraps the large-bolstered 12-way power driver and passenger heated-front sport seats, and includes Mopar Blue accent stitching on the seating surface, along with French-seamed stitching at the perimeter and a black/blue two-tone leather combination. Rear heated seats feature the same perforated leather and corresponding Mopar Blue stitching treatment.

A thick-rimmed steering wheel with die-cast paddle shifters (for Auto Stick) and a unique Mopar shifter handle are wrapped in black leather and stitched with matching Mopar Blue thread. Mopar sill plates and a serialized “Mopar ’12 Limited Edition” badge complete the list of unique appointments.

The enthusiast-designed interior of the Mopar ’12 300 is enhanced further with matte carbon hydrographic accents on the instrument panel and center console areas, while Piano Black is used on the interior center stack, instrument panel, steering wheel, gauge cluster and door panel elements to provide a unique lacquered appearance.

World-class connectivity with segment’s largest touchscreen display

State-of-the-art Uconnect® Touch 8.4 provides Mopar ’12 300 passengers with the segment’s largest touchscreen display (8.4-inches) and next-generation mobile infotainment, connectivity and multimedia features. In addition, the Mopar ’12 300 features a unique “Mopar” start-up screen.

Uconnect Touch also controls Mopar ’12’s 506-watt Alpine nine-speaker premium audio system with subwoofer 12-channel amplifier with 506 watts of power and digital signal processing (DSP) for 7.1-adapted surround sound.

SafetyTec Group: Advanced Active-safety features for 360-degree perspective

The new Mopar ’12 300 provides customers the latest in accident-avoidance features with its standard SafetyTec Group, combining advanced active- and passive-safety technologies for enhanced driver confidence.

The SafetyTec Group includes adaptive-forward lighting (AFL), high-intensity discharge (HID) projector high and low-beams with automatic headlamp leveling, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with adaptive-cruise control (ACC), Blind-spot monitoring (BSM) with Rear Cross Path (RCP) detection, ParkSense® front and rear park assist system, LED-illuminated rear fog lamps, exterior mirrors with supplemental turn signals and approach lamp. Additional safety features include a HomeLink universal transceiver, rain-sensing wipers and SmartBeam® headlamps.

Available this summer
The Mopar ’12 300 will be built in Brampton, Ontario. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the limited-edition Mopar ’12 300 is $49,700, which includes $825 for destination.

Customers who purchase one of these 500 limited-edition Chrysler 300 models will receive a personalized owner kit in a customized Mopar ’12 300 box, Mopar-branded key fobs and Mopar ’12 300 merchandise. The kit will include a certificate with the vehicle identification number (VIN), exact date of manufacture and the number of the vehicle. The kit also will include an original sketch of the car signed by the designer and a brochure highlighting the unique features of the vehicle.

2013 Dodge Dart ‘GTS 210 Tribute’ 

2013 Dodge Dart ‘GTS 210 Tribute’

For the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, Mopar will offer more than 150 accessories, the most in the compact-car segment.

Hot off the heels of its worldwide production debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Mopar wasted no time giving the 2013 Dodge Dart even more sporting pretensions both inside and out. The all-new Dodge Dart embodies class-leading and class-exclusive features in many areas including aerodynamics, technology and safety, and the stage kits by Mopar enhance these attributes. The Alfa Romeo-based Dodge Dart already has sporty driving dynamics baked into its DNA, and Team Mopar added even more distinction to reinforce the car’s fun-to-drive nature.
Stage 1 appearance package

The exterior picks up several matte-black trim pieces, including a lower chin spoiler, side sills, rear spoiler and rear-diffuser panel. A lightweight carbon-fiber hood with large air scoop and 18-inch, 10-spoke forged alloy titanium-colored wheels finish off exterior modifications.

Red and black is carried over into the interior, which has been refined beyond the 14 interior color and trim options available in the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart. Ruby Red is the dominant color used on Katzkin leather seat fronts, door panels, center armrest and map-pocket inserts. Black accent stitching is used in the seats and armrest, as well. Piano Black trim is used on the shifter bezel, cup holder bezel and the dash-vent bezels. Final interior touches include a black suede instrument cluster brow with red accent stitching, a Piano Black accented floating island bezel and a Ruby Red and black leather-wrapped steering wheel with red accent stitching.

Stage 2 performance package

The Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute performance calibration has been employed maximizing fuel/air mix and spark advance, with an improved air-flow intake and low back-pressure exhaust to achieve 210 horsepower from a base engine of 184 horsepower.

2012 Fiat 500 ‘Stinger’

2012 Fiat 500 ‘Stinger’

Building on the Fiat 500’s “Hottest Sports Compact Car” award by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) this past November, the new Fiat 500 “Stinger” integrates two Mopar stage kits that deliver bold styling appointments and select high-performance parts from the Mopar catalog.

Adding even more style to the new 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, the Fiat 500 Stinger features Giallo (yellow) exterior paint combined with unique blackened exterior and interior appointments – all designed to amplify the hatchback’s athletic Italian styling.

Stage 1: athletic and purposeful styling enhancements

For a more aggressive appearance, the Fiat 500 Stinger’s signature “whiskers and logo” face and circular projector headlamps are finished in Black Chrome. Accenting the Giallo bodyside are exterior door handles and mirror caps finished in Black Chrome, while larger 17-inch by 7-inch Abarth Hyper Black aluminum wheels with wider 205/40 R 17 performance tires provide the hatchback with a menacing stance below. Tinted head and taillamps and license-plate brow, and Mopar’s vinyl bodyside and roof graphics in black checker add to the Fiat 500 Stinger’s serious look.

The interior of the Fiat 500 Stinger continues the duality of Giallo and black with Mopar’s Katzkin leather seats. Based on the Fiat 500 Sport’s athletic-styled seats, the 500 Stinger’s seats feature Alcantara seat centers sandwiched by smooth and Giallo black leather bolsters and Giallo accent stitching. Below, a Mopar carbon-fiber instrument panel decal provides this Cinquecento’s interior with a technical appearance. A Mopar shifter ball is finished in Gloss Black completes the appearance.

Stage 2: track-tested performance upgrades

Delivering factory-designed performance, Mopar’s new Stage 2 kit ensures that the Fiat 500 Stinger delivers improved power and braking capabilities to match its aggressive styling upgrades.

Mopar’s cold-air intake and free-flowing cat-back exhaust enable the Fiat 500 Stinger’s fuel-efficient 1.4-liter 16-valve MultiAir™ engine to deliver even more power and torque.

And to make sure this Cinquecento delivers track-ready brake performance, the Fiat 500 Stinger features performance brakes with cross-drilled rotors for additional surface-heat dissipation.

2012 Mopar Jeep Compass ‘True North’ 

Like all Trail Rated® Jeep models, the Jeep Compass is a capable off-road machine. With the Mopar Jeep Compass “True North” model, Mopar further improves its off-road form and function.

The exterior features a matte black finish on the roof, wheel flares, lower fascia, door cladding and black grille with body color inserts. Other exterior touches include black-headlamp and fog-lamp surrounds, rear fog lights, custom front and rear brush bars and custom rock rails. Matte black 16-inch alloy wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain tires and a 2-inch lift kit from Rocky Road Suspensions add some additional off-road go.

The interior received lots of attention from Mopar and renowned audio component manufacturer Kicker. The entire audio system, including front and rear speakers, amplifier, sub-woofer and lift gate speakers are provided by Kicker, and transform Jeep Compass into a rolling high-end sound studio. A custom center stack gauge pod that houses pitch and roll inclinometer gauges, add to the vehicle’s off-road credentials. A Mopar bright pedal kit, door-sill guards, rear-cargo tray, shift knob and neoprene seats complement each other while enhancing the quality feel of the cabin.

Mopar-first features

Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

  • Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
  • Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
  • Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
  • Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
  • 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
  • Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
  • WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

Images : Mopar Custom Vehicles


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


[Source : CHRYSLER]

About the Impact of Flooding in Thailand on Honda Operations

Flood damaged cars while waiting to destroyed at Honda plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya
Photo : AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand : January 31, 2012 – Following is the most current information regarding the situation of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC), the Honda automobile production subsidiary in Thailand (headquarter in the Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya), which experienced damage from the flooding, as well as other Honda group companies located in neighboring Asian countries.  

 1.    Situation of automobile production plant (HATC) in Thailand

HATC, which has been suspending production since October 4, 2011, is making progress in restoring plant facilities and manufacturing equipment since completing the drainage of the flood water and cleaning of the plant facilities which began at the end of November 2011. HATC is expecting to resume production by the end of March 2012. 
  
2.    Situation of production operations in neighboring Asian countries

Honda’s production operations in the neighboring Asian counties, which suspended or made production adjustments due to the disruption in parts supply from Thailand, began resuming production. The production is expected to be normalized at all production operations by April.

3.    Flood control measures for the future

Honda is planning to take some additional flood control measures including conducting stationary measurement of water levels and working together with Rojana Industrial Park to build water protection walls around the plant. Honda will also make requests to Thai governments and the industrial park as needed to prevent the risk of flooding in the future. In addition, Honda will address the issues related to its supply chain, which became evident in the face of this disaster, and work together with suppliers to strive to avoid such risks in the future.

For an overview of the impact of the flooding in Thailand on Honda’s financial results, please refer to the press release titled “Consolidated Financial Summary for the Fiscal 3rd Quarter ended December 31, 2011.”  

About Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Location:                        Ayutthaya province, Thailand
Representative:             Hiroshi Kobayashi/President
Capital Investment:       5.46 billion baht
Capitalization Ratio:      75.94% Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
                                         13.05% Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
                                         11.01% Others
Business Areas:            Production and sales of automobiles
Established:                    December 2000
Employment:                   Approximately 4,000 associates
Production Capacity:    240,000 units per year  

[Source : HONDA]

Ducati reveal 2012 model range and The 1199 Panigale at MCN London Motorcycle Show

Ducati 1199 Panigale S

Ducati UK head to the MCN London Motorcycle Show this week with the headlining 1199 Panigale and an equalling enticing 2012 Model range.

Ducati Diavel

The ground-breaking 1199 Panigale begins a new chapter in Ducati’s Superbike history setting the benchmark and future for Sportsbikes. The most powerful twin-cylinder production engine on the planet is now an integral part of an innovative monocoque chassis that combine to deliver an astonishing 195hp from 164kg (dry weight) (361.5lb), the highest production motorcycle power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios in the world. The 1199 Panigale also boasts an almost endless specification list that includes ABS, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS), Engine Braking Control and Ride-by-wire.

Despite taking centre stage, the 1199 Panigale will have a supporting cast that will include the Diavel (MCN bike of the year 2011), the Multistrada, the new Streetfighter 848 and 848 Evo Corse as well as the Hypermotard and the iconic Monster range.

Ducati 848 EVO Corse Special Edition

Ducati UK will be displaying the new 2012 Apparel collection and will have a retail area selling the latest clothing selection available from Bologna. Visitors will also be able to see Ducati Performance accessories on display on selected motorcycles from the range.

[Source : DUCATI via NEWSPRESS]

4.2 TDI V8 - more muscle from MTM

MTM A8 4.2 V8 TDI

Diesel engines, formerly the preferred engines for large and small vehicles, have long since been at home under the bonnet of luxury limousines and trendy SUVs. Powered by voluminous self-ignition engines, these cars glide smoothly along the spacious boulevards and park in front of opera houses, art galleries and boutiques. Often, the owner is sitting in the back, with a chauffeur at the wheel. And he has every right to be happy. As a rule, he has at his disposal torque that produces irresistible power delivery even at an engine speed significantly lower than 2,000 rpm, thus confirming the theory that you can get “a lot of power out of a low engine speed”

MTM Q7 Crossliner 4.2 V8 TDI

And then there is MTM, the maker of exclusively equipped cars – mostly Audis and Volkswagen. Managed by Roland Mayer, owner of the company, MTM engineers have got to work on the 4.2 litre TDI that is deployed in the A8, as well as in the Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg. By no means weak with 350 HP, but with enough potential for much more power at a low engine speed as well at the upper end of the rev range.

Tried and tested methods are used to increase power: standard engine management is out, MTM systems are in. When a V-Cantronic is deployed in the A8, it is true that performance remains the same at 350 HP, but the high speed of the saloon is no longer abruptly suppressed at 250 kph. The limit doesn’t kick in until 282 kph. This version only comes with the A8. It takes a good two hours of skilled workmanship and is available at less than € 1,400.


MTM Touareg II 4.2 V8 TDI

Those who want to compete in the Champions League with their V8 TDI can get themselves into the top division of the engine speed league for just under € 1,800. As well as 410 HP, the MTM high-tech laboratory gives you 930 Nm  of torque - for a hold that could rip up paving stones.

No less powerful, but around €100 cheaper, is the MTM version that uses an M-Cantronic. Those who are looking for more than the top class power output of 930 Nm, however, are catered for by MTM with a combination of the M-Cantronic and V-Cantronic, which slow down the engine speed limitation at 250 kph. This additional "powerhouse doping" costs less than €2,700 and is only available for the A8.

For all versions, a beauty and safety concept in line with the company style is available: wheel rims, brakes, exhaust systems and chassis components which coupled together with the A8, Q7 or the Touareg make for an imposing ensemble. Then you are ahead of the field on the road but not the first in the queue at the fuel station.

Images : MTM 4.2 litre V8 TDI Family



 
 
 
 
 

[Source : MTM]