Posts tagged chrysler
Dodge launches crowdfunding portal for 2013 Dart
Jan 19th
The 2013 Dodge Dart is aimed at young buyers, many of whom may not have enough money to buy one. The fix? Crowdfund it.
On Sunday, Chrysler will launch the Dodge Dart Registry with a TV ad (video below) during the NFL NFC championship. Powered by crowdfunding site RocketHub, the program lets buyers register to have friends and family donate towards their Dart purchase. Contributors can sponsor individual parts, so dad can pitch in for the engine and grandma for the steering wheel.
Dodge’s marketing for the Dart has centered on its “New Rules” slogan. ”Now, ‘New Rules’ transcends not only how we design, build and market a car, but redefines how consumers can purchase a new vehicle by mobilizing friends and family to help,” said Oliver Francois, Chief Marketing Officer at Chrysler.
Even if the program doesn’t upend the auto industry’s purchasing model or motivate hordes of people to start buying their family members Darts, Dodge’s main goal is get a social media and brand image boost among a generation that’s used to funding things on Kickstarter.
See Dodge’s TV ad for the Registry after the break.
San Francisco loses last domestic car dealership
May 11th
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Golden Gate City has lost its last domestic car dealer. Since San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury closed last week, the city lacks a single Ford/Lincoln, GM/Chevy/Buick/Cadillac, or Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer in its 47.6 square mile territory. The dealer’s original owner returned its franchise three years ago to Ford, which has been running the shop since. Ford Lincoln Mercury president Mel Turner said that when Ford’s attempts to sell the dealer fell through, the company had to make a “very tough decision” to close its doors in San Francisco.
While Ford is recovering nationally, with a new set of globally-competitive models that are selling well and boast higher quality almost at par with Japanese rivals, San Francisco car buyers don’t seem to have caught on. Mike Hollywood, a sales manager at Ellis Brooks Chevrolet — a seven-story, 195,000 square foot facility that stop selling Chevrolets 2.5 years ago and will soon become a flagship Nissan/Infiniti dealer — said, “People in San Francisco just weren’t buying Cadillac Escalades. You can’t even park them in the parking structures here.”
Meanwhile, dealers of import brands, from Audi to Toyota, Scion, Honda, VW, Mazda, BMW, and Mercedes are doing great business just down the road from the former Ford dealer. Dennis Fitzpatrick, regional VP of the California New Car Dealers Association, said “It’s a tough market. Imports have a much bigger share in San Francisco. ”When you can sell 100 imports a month as opposed to 25 domestic, and what with the rents and real estate, it’s tough to make a U.S. car dealership pencil.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Charger owner beheads robot in new Dodge ad
May 11th
Dodge’s recent ads depict people taking back control of their driving experience from computers, and the latest spot for the Charger follows in the same pattern. The sedan ironically no longer offers a manual transmission, but the ad is simple and works well. A passive owner literally rips the head off of a nanny driver robot and channels a streak of irresponsibility, driving the HEMI-powered gas guzzler through town like a madman. As in all of Dodge’s ads, the spot is narrated by a calm, deep male voice meant to appeal to Dodge’s target audience, which is almost exclusively male.
Ad video after the break.
Super Bowl 2011 Auto Ad Roundup
Feb 8th
This year’s Super Bowl had its fair share of entertaining ads. Here’s our roundup of some of the interesting automotive ads:
More >
Spied: 2011 Dodge Charger
Jun 5th
Earlier today, spy photographers caught an in-testing 2011 Dodge Charger R/T whose cover blew off. While we had seen photos of the car’s interior earlier, these are the first clear shots of the Charger’s exterior.
The 2011 model is an evolutionary step over the current sedan, with a larger, forward-canted grille and more aggressively chiseled hood coming together for an even angrier look than the first-generation Charger. The new bumper has revised fog lights and a larger air intake to match the grille.
The 2011 Charger is based on Chrysler’s LY platform (shared with the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Challenger) and is essentially a major refresh of the current model, rather than an all-new car. Interestingly, while Chrysler spun Dodge’s truck lineup into a separate Ram brand, the new sedan still sports the horned ram logo, suggesting Dodge might stick with the old badge for the moment (or might switch the badge later).
Photos: Autoblog/KGP
Full gallery after the break. More >
Spied: 2011 Dodge Charger Interior
Mar 10th
Spy photographers caught the next-generation Dodge Charger during a testing run earlier today. The car’s interior was photographed for the first time, showing a moderately improved design. The 2011 model sedan, based on Chrysler’s LY platform (shared with the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Challenger), is essentially a major refresh of the current model, rather than an all-new car. As a result, designers couldn’t completely revamp the interior, but it does have smoother lines and new, even if questionable, accents (such as a large, silver slab of plastic across the driver’s side).
The car photographed seems to be a top-spec model, with a large in-dash navigation screen and two-tone color scheme (cream-colored leather seats and matching door panels). Whether Chrysler is finally using soft-touch materials instead of hard plastic remains to be seen.
More photos of the new Charger after the break:
Recent Comments