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.

Continue reading…

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:

Continue reading…

Check out this awesome muscle car face-off by InisdeLine including the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt.

Refresher:

Dodge Challenger SRT8: Power comes from a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 engine producing 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Pricing starts at $37,995.
Ford Mustang Bullitt: Power comes from a 4.6 liter V8 engine that produces 315 horsepower and 325 lb-ft. of torque. Pricing starts at $31,075 with a limited production of 7,700 units.

Click through for the video.

Continue reading…

The cost of owning a vehicle goes beyond the purchase price. Expenses like insurance and maintenance can add up.

But most of all, it must start life with a sticker price well below even the most affordable luxury cars. A low purchase price holds down insurance premiums, taxes and fees, financing costs, and, especially, depreciation.

That’s why the priciest car on our list of the Top 10 Least Expensive Cars to Own is the tenth ranked Honda Civic DX, which starts at just $15,010.

Click through for the list of Top Least Expensive Cars to Own.

Continue reading…

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.

Continue reading…

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.

Continue reading…

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.

Continue reading…

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.

Continue reading…

Chrysler is planning to bring a hybrid-electric Dodge Ram pickup to the U.S. market by 2010. According to Frank Klegon, Chrysler’s executive vice president of product development, a hybrid version of its pickup could reshape the company’s portfolio in the coming years.

Later this year, Chrysler will also introduce the Aspen and Dodge Durango hybrids. Supposedly this is just the beginning of Chrysler’s hybrid onslaught. Jim Press, Chrysler’s new vice president, said previously that that Chrysler “absolutely” expects to provide a hybrid or diesel variants of all their models.

Continue reading…

This year’s crop of new droptops doesn’t follow the ‘green’ trend — most are built for performance and speed.

Improvements in folding tops and other technology make convertibles much better suited to year-round driving than in the past, which means you now have fewer excuses not to buy one.

The latest crop of new and significantly revamped convertibles highlighted in our list of Hottest Convertibles of 2008 brings even more refinement, performance, and comfort.

Click through for the list of the Top 12 Hottest Convertibles of 2008.

Continue reading…

The guys at StreetFire were invited by Carpix.net to an exclusive photo shoot of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 alongside the classic 1970 Challenger. The photo shoot was being help for Top Gear Magazine. Speaking of which, we can’t wait to see the TV review of the new Dodge Challenger by Clarkson or Hammond.

Click through for the video.

Continue reading…

Introduced at the 2008 New York Auto Show, Dodge expects 40 percent of Challenger sales to come from the entry-level V6 version of the 2009 Challenger. Last week, Dodge took the covers off the Challenger SE, which is powered by a 3.6 liter V6 that produces 250-hp and the Challenger R/T, which is powered by a 5.7 liter HEMI V8 that produces 370-hp. 

According to Bryan Zvinelman, Chrysler expects the R/T trim level to be the volume seller, however the automaker believes that the SE will attract buyers who are less concerned with speed and more with the price or fuel-economy.

Continue reading…

For those of you that don’t need 425-hp (we don’t know you wouldn’t) or don’t want to spend $40k for a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, Dodge today revealed its affordable Challengers that will arrive on the market later this fall with a price tag in the low $20ks. We gave you all the details earlier this morning but if you don’t feel like clicking around, here they are again.

Power for the 5-speed automatic Challenger R/T comes from a 5.7 liter HEMI V8 that produces 370-hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. If you’d rather opt for a six-speed manual transmission, a first for a new-generation HEMI powered car, power jumps to 375-hp with a peak torque of 404 lb-ft. Both go from 0-60 in less than six seconds. The Challenger SE is powered by a 3.6 liter V6 that produces 250hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

The 2009 Dodge Challenger also offers customers a variety of features including Chrysler’s MyGIG, Remote Start and Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM) alerts driver about low tire pressure in order to improve safe handling.

Click through for the live images.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and SE:

Continue reading…