As gas prices hit an all time high with oil now hitting $126 a barrel, automakers are having a hard time moving cars out of the showrooms. With sales down 2.5% last year to 16.1 million cars sold, automakers are now offering incentives that have never been seen before by the industry.

Chrysler recently announced that it will offer buyers of new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge customers a gas card to immediately lower their gas price to $2.99 a gallon.

To keep from sales to go down further and to save new vehicles from premature death, automakers are offering incentives on cars considered by auto experts as reliable and of good quality.

So if you’re one of the few in the market for a new car, be sure to check out Forbes list of Top 11 America’s Best New Car Incentives.

Click through for the list.

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You would think with all the hype surrounded around the Dodge Challenger, Chrysler has no intentions of going green. However, if you remember Jim Press recently said that Chrysler will offer a hybrid variant of every model in its lineup. We have no idea if that’s every going to become reality, but the auto maker is now quickly looking to add small and mid-sized cars to its lineup.

“The bottom line is to shift the portfolio into mid- and small cars as fast as we can and balance the portfolio and the technology,” said Tom LaSorda.

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Chrysler today is celebrating the production launch of its most anticipated model for this year, the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. Production will kick off of roughly 7,000 units at its Brampton Assembly Plant which also builds Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300.

The 2008 year model run will be produced before production kicks off for the 2009 model year in August. For the 2009 model year Chrysler will offer three models including the base Dodge Challenger SE, Dodge Challenger R/T and the Dodge Challenger SRT8.

Dodge has already sold out its allocation for the 2008 model year of the SRT8 which was priced at $37,995.

Click through for more images and the press release.

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8:

   

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FoMoCo and the General said today that they have no plans to match or compete with Chrysler’s offer to cap the cost of gas for its new Chrysler cars, pickups and SUV buyers.

Chrysler announced yesterday that it will offer a gas card to buyers of new and unused Chrysler models to immediately lower their gas price to $2.99 a gallon.

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According to InsideLine, this is the world’s first test of the new Dodge Challenger SRT8. We believe it since we really can’t recall any other auto publications flaunting their testing of the new muscle car.

Power comes from a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 engine that produces 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. InsideLine clocked a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds and 4.8 seconds with a 1 foot roll out.

Make sure you check out the Dodge Challenger SRT8 burnouts videos we posted a couple of days ago.

Click through for the video.

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In an effort to increase sales of gas-guzzling sedans, SUVs and pickups, Chrysler announced today that it will offer a gas card to immediately lower their gas price to $2.99 a gallon.

The ‘Let’s Refuel America’ program kicks off this Wednesday and is available through June 2nd to buyers of new and unused Chrysler models. Customers can enroll in the program and will pay the pump price to refuel their vehicles. Chrysler will then split the invoice and pay the difference above $2.99.

Of course, there’s a catch and it is a process. Once you fill out forms and register through the web site or toll-free 800 number, you will get a gas card with your own PIN within 4 to 6 weeks. Chrysler will only pay up if you purchase 87 octane regular, E86 or diesel fuel at an eligible gas station. The program will be effective for three years.

Click through for the press release to learn more and for the list of eligible vehicles.

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Finding out what appeals to female drivers takes more than just putting on a skirt and high heels. But that can be a start.

To find out which vehicles women prefer, we compiled two lists. One looks at luxury vehicles most driven by women, and the other ranks the overall top 10 vehicles most driven by women, regardless of whether they are luxury or non-luxury.

Click through for the list of the Top 10 Cars Driven by Women.

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At a recent press event for the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Chrysler put on a major burnout and drifting show for the media. After watching the videos, we’re just wondering how many miles were burned off those tires.

Refresher: Power comes from a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 engine that produces 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. 0–60 mph comes in at the low 5-second range.

Click through for the videos.

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The big shots of Chrysler, CEO Bob Nardelli along with Jim Press and Tom LaSorda, have a different vision of Chrysler than what is considered as being one of the ‘Big Three.’ In a recent interview with The Detroit News, the three spoke of a Chrysler that will be smaller, partner with others and will built fewer but higher quality products.

Chrysler has “a long way to go” but is on the road to profitability, Nardelli said. “Getting there will require being smaller.”

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Kelley Blue Book has announced its picks for the Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. To make the list, the editors at KBB.com thought like consumers, picking cars that they felt were safe, good in fuel-economy, interior size, comfort, technology and fun-to-drive.

Now remember just because a vehicle is listed first doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the cheapest or the coolest on the list. All cars on the list are considered cool and are under $18,000. They are just listed in alphabetical order.

All the cars on the list were chosen using Kelly Blue Book’s New Car Blue Book Value which reflects real transaction prices and provide a useful comparison to the MSRP of the car.

Let us know what you would buy in the comments section below.

Click through for press release and the list.

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After Daimler sold its majority control in Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management in August 2007, it retained a 19.9 percent stake in the American automaker. However, Daimler has now reduced its stake in Chrysler by almost two-thirds after Chrysler made a 340 million euro punch to Daimler’s pretax profits in the first quarter of 2008.

According to Wall Street Journal, Daimler now values its stake at 547 million euros, down from the original 1.4 billion euros when it sold Chrysler to Cerberus.

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All 6,400 copies of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 have been officially sold out but if you’re still dying to get behind the 70’s style muscle car, you still have some hope. According to KickingTires, 28 of the 6,400 units sold have popped up on eBay, but expect to pay a premium to get one to stand in your driveway.

24 of the 28 are being sold by dealers with prices starting in the low $40k going all the way up to $60k. The base price of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 starts at $37,995, but with options such as the power sunroof for $950 and the MyGig for $890 bring pricing up to $42,710 before tax and other fees.

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At the 2008 New York Auto Show, Dodge stated that the entry-level Dodge Challenger SE will start in the low $20,000 range. According to a top executive who spoke with the Detroit Free Press, Chrysler plans to begin selling the 2009 Challenger in August for as little as $23,995 (pretty exact estimate if you ask us).

Chrysler’s executive vice president for North American sales, Steven Landry, said that prices for the Challenger lineup could go as high as $39,995 for the 2009 model year.

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