| 'Macho' cars mellow | | Posted Wednesday, November 08, 2006 6:46:20 AM by Blog57 Team | | DETROIT | The Dodge brand, with its bullish Durango SUV and muscle car Charger, traditionally hasn't been much of a hit with female buyers. But a few strategically placed, subtle styling cues on its new Caliber and Nitro are generating more female attraction of late. The Chrysler Group brand's new sporty offerings, despite their testosterone-injected names, are helping boost the brand among female buyers, who currently make up about one-quarter of Dodge's customers. The Power Information Network reports that 44.9 percent of the Caliber's buyers in the third quarter were women and 39.2 percent of the newly launched Nitro's early buyers were women. The only other Dodge models to do as well were the Neon and the Stratus, both of which the company no longer makes. Just 27.2 percent of the total brand's buyers are women.... | |
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| | | Riggs, Dodge Dominate Qualifying at Lowe's | | Posted Sunday, October 15, 2006 10:46:10 PM by Blog57 Team | | Scott Riggs led six Dodge-powered cars in the top-10 capturing the pole for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 Nextel Cup race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. The No.10 Evernham Dodge driver circled the 1.5-mile speedway in 28.203 seconds (191.469 m.p.h.). He was also the spring race pole winner. The pole victory was Riggs' second of the season and third of his Nextel Cup career. "I'm proud of everybody," said Riggs. "I was almost more nervous this time because I knew we had a car capable of doing it and I put a lot of pressure on myself." Starting alongside Riggs will be teammate Kasey Kahne who posted a second-best time of 28.392 seconds. Kahne had a good Thursday leading Busch Series practice and Cup practice as well. Kurt Busch (28.464) and Casey Mears (28.479) will make up row two while Elliott Sadler and Kevin Harvick will start in row three.... | |
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| | | ON THE MARK: Martin offers take on Talladega's dust-up | | Posted Thursday, October 12, 2006 12:45:46 PM by Blog57 Team | | Among the contenders for the Nextel Cup championship, Mark Martin might be the driver most relieved at getting through Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega. "I do feel much better getting Talladega behind us," said Martin, 10 points behind former teammate Burton with six to go. Brian Vickers' run-in with teammate Jimmie Johnson on the last lap at Talladega was the big story Sunday. "I saw it like everyone else, at least 100 times," Martin said. "Brian was pushing his teammate, and was going to push his teammate to a win. When Jimmie went to the inside of Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., the two cars being side by side slowed up ever so slightly. "You don't much want to let off the gas in these things, and Brian went to turn down to follow behind Jimmie, and he just got a little beside him before he turned down.... | |
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| | | Dodge Caliber's look stronger than its bite | | Posted Friday, September 22, 2006 10:46:14 PM by Blog57 Team | | Dodge is one automaker that marches to its own drummer, and there are few of its products that fit that description more than the spunky new 2007 Dodge Caliber. Its four-door wagon/hatchback Caliber just barges in with a brutish "in your face" look abetted by the trademark Dodge Ram-style grille. Dodge has created an advertisement with this car, showing it propped up on a copy machine photographing its rear end -- and if this car were a living thing, that's just about what I'd expect. Raucous, a little sexy, a little over the edge -- and all Dodge. The Caliber slots just above the smallest entry-level compact cars, so let's tag it a premium compact. Our example, an all-wheel-drive Caliber R/T, came with a base price of $19,426 that, after adding a leather interior, power sunroof, Sirius digital radio and other goodies, came in at a final $24,035.... | |
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| | | Bristol: Kurt Busch NASCAR Nextel Cup Race Preview | | Posted Wednesday, August 23, 2006 8:45:52 AM by Blog57 Team | | Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch recorded his first win behind the wheel of his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in only his fifth start for Penske Racing back in the March Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hes returning to NASCARs most popular track hoping to win Saturday nights Sharpie 500 and make it a Bristol sweep for 2006. Busch arrived at Bristol the last time around with big shoes to fill. After all, the man he replaced behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce, Rusty Wallace, had won nine times on the high-banked .533-mile oval. Wallace had long declared Bristol as his favorite track. Fans and competitors alike acknowledged R.W. as the man to beat every time the top NASCAR racing circuit visited the Northeast Tennessee speed plant. Busch was quick to admit that following Wallaces footsteps was a big undertaking, but he was determined to prove he was worthy of his new ride and eager to show that he could continue the winning ways that had made Wallace the King of Bristol.... | |
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| | | Man injured in two-vehicle crash | | Posted Monday, August 21, 2006 10:45:53 PM by Blog57 Team | | ROSEBURG: An accident that occurred around 6:15 p.m. Thursday left two cars wrecked and sent one person to the hospital. Deborah Strong, 45, of Roseburg, rear ended a U.S. Army-owned 2006 Dodge Stratus with her 1995 Dodge Intrepid while both were driving southbound in the left lane on Northeast Stephens Street, according to the Roseburg Police Department. Neither the driver of the Stratus, Ian Mitchell, 27, of Tumwater, Wash., or his passenger Rosa Manning, 28, also of Tumwater, were injured in the accident. Strong's passenger, Richard Strong, 45, of Roseburg, was not wearing a seat belt and may have been injured. He was transported to Mercy Medical Center by W.E.S.T. Ambulance, where he was treated and released. Deborah Strong was cited for following too closely and driving uninsured, and Richard Strong was cited for not wearing a seat belt.... | |
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| | | Police: Suspects stole, damaged 4 cars, tried to burn auto ... | | Posted Monday, July 31, 2006 12:45:54 PM by Blog57 Team | | GARDNER -- Police apprehended two suspects who allegedly stole four cars from a dealer and smashed them up early Saturday morning, according to a press release. Police arrested Zachery Nims, 17, of 620 Winter St., Gardner, according to Sgt. Guy Bibeau, and a juvenile The two parties allegedly broke into Chair City Auto Sales, 144 Pearson Blvd., and smashed things up inside the building and on the lot, stole four cars and tried to light the building on fire, the release reads. Both suspects are being held on $10,000 cash bail until arraignment, according to police. The estimated damage is in the thousands of dollars, according to the release. "I couldn't even begin to think of how much the damage costs," said Mark Babincsak, owner of the dealership. "They vandalized everything, broke windows and threw trash on the inside.... | |
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| | | Dodge driver just wants to 'be competitive' | | Posted Saturday, July 29, 2006 10:45:52 PM by Blog57 Team | | Dodge driver David Roberts lost a lot of weight this week -- 100 pounds. But he had to go on a restricted diet to do it. For several weeks, Roberts' Dodge had been the class of the field in the Late Model Stock division at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and when he won both ends of a Twin 50-lap program two weeks ago, the track decided something had to be down. Officials made Roberts add 100 pounds to the weight of his car, and last week Roberts finished fourth. This week, Roberts was told he could remove the 100 pounds. "But now I'm going to have to put a restrictor plate on my car," Roberts said. .... | |
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| | | Dealership fined for unlicensed personnel | | Posted Saturday, July 08, 2006 12:45:48 PM by Blog57 Team | | A Provo automobile dealership has been fined $135,000 by the Utah State Tax Commission for employing unlicensed sales personnel for a 20-month period that ended in July of 2004. Dealer Brent Brown, owner of Brent Brown Automotive Group, which sells Toyota, Chevrolet and Dodge cars, termed the fine excessive. "The thing is, there was no one harmed," he said. "Not a single customer was hurt or even complained." Brown called the problem a "clerical error" that stemmed from his purchase of a Chevy and Dodge dealership in 2002. "At that time, an employee at the dealership we acquired was handling all of the license applications," he said. "She did the work for about six months and then just stopped doing it, and we didn't catch it." Originally, a tax commission investigator involved in the case suggested fining Brown's dealership $1.1 million for allowing up to 51 unlicensed sales personnel to sell 306 cars during the 20-month period.... | |
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| | | Goodwill turns to Internet auction | | Posted Friday, July 07, 2006 6:45:56 AM by Blog57 Team | | A Hot Wheels collector sealed a sweet deal June 14 when $2,001 was bid for a Hot Wheels Race Case and 36 vintage cars on Goodwill's Internet auction site, shopgoodwill.com. Included in the collection is a pink 1968 Dodge Charger, an extremely rare and highly sought Hot Wheels car. "The items on our site are as diverse as our 58 million donors," says George W. Kessinger, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "From an original, signed Picasso to collectible toys, there's something for every collector on shopgoodwill.com." .... | |
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