The President and CEO of Dodge, Reid Bigland, revealed that the Beats by Dr. Dre audio system will bring recording-studio quality experience to the new Charger, this is thanks to a total of 10 speakers located in various places in the car, there will be 3 x 3.5-inch speakers in the instrument panel, 2 x 3.5-inch speakers in the rear doors, 2 x 6 x 9-inch woofers in the front doors and three speakers located on the rear shelf (2 x 6 x 9-inch speakers and a centrally-mounted 8-inch speaker) also there will be 8-inch subwoofer in the trunk for the bass we have come to love from Beats audio.

Previously we have seen Beats audio as an option for the Chrysler 300 models, however it comes as standard with the 2012 Chrysler 300S, we are told that the Beats Audio system will come as standard with the 2012 Dodge Charger R/T Max and Dodge Charger SXT and SXT Plus models as part of the Blacktop Package or Rallye Appearance Group, also it is included when you buy the Sound Group and Wheels and Tunes Group on Dodge Charger R/T, R/T Plus and R/T Road and Track models.

To control your audio experience there will be Uconnect Touch 8.4 mounted in the dashboard, this 8.4-inch touchscreen display will show the easily recognizable Beats by Dr. Dre splash screen upon start-up, here you can control the 12-channel amplifier to ensure that you hear music as it was intended.

It’s great to see Beats audio being brought to a wide-range of products we use on a regular basis, now we have seen HP notebooks, HTC smartphone and Dodge cars – what’s next? Perhaps future TVs will feature Beats audio, or perhaps a dedicated Beats by Dr. Dre surround-sound system will launch – we sure hope so!

Check out the official press release for yourself here.

More About: 2012 Dodge Charger, Beats by Dr. Dre, Chrysler

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The group has just seen an impressive comeback year by increasing market share and paying back government loans ahead of schedule. Now with the introduction of the new Dodge Dart revealed at the Detroit Auto show, this year promises to be good as well according to Motorauthority.

Chrysler believes the new Dart will cover a part of the market that the automaker doesn’t really represent currently. This sector accounts for around 15 percent of the US market and 25 percent in Canada.

At least one model in the Dodge Dart model range is thought to achieve 40 mpg on the highway, which with the concerns surrounding gas prices may tempt many drivers. Pricing for the entry level Dart SE will be only $15,995, and will still come sporting ten standard airbags, reconfigurable TFT gauge display, and enhanced interior materials.

There will also be a variety of model combinations that will include three different power plants, three transmissions, seven wheel options, 14 interior and 12 exterior color options, and 150 Mopar add-ons. Meanwhile according to Torque News the 2013 Dodge Dart will have the 2.0 and 2.4 Tigershark engines along with the 1.4l MultiAir unit that is also found in the American Fiat 500.

More About: 2013 Dodge Dart, Chrysler, Detroit Auto Show 2012

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

An article over at The New York Times by Christopher Jensen, is reporting that the Chrysler Group is recalling just shy of 243,000 of its Ram pickup trucks. The Ram pickup is the biggest selling vehicle for the company, and the recall is down to a faulty steering linkage.

The problem can occur during low speed maneuvering such as parking, and the linkage may break and result in a loss of steering control to the left front wheel. The list of models affected includes the 2008 Chrysler Ram 1500 Mega Cab 4 x4, also the 2500 and 3500 heavy duty models which were made between 2003 and 2011.

Most of the pickups affected, around 168,000 are from the 2008 through to 2011 model years. Back on the 6th of this month the company used a letter to post on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem. It has been put down to a tie-rod fracturing, which is caused by “a weakening of the ball stud”.

A Chrysler spokesman said there have been a few minor incidents and one injury reported. Last year the company recalled around 15,000 of its 4500 and 5500 Ram pickups because of the same problem. The recall is voluntary, but the compnay had to inform the NHTSA of its decision to ovoid civil penalties.

Dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the faulty part and align the wheels if needed. The company hasn’t yet decided when it will contact owners, but you can contact them yourself on 1-800-853-1403. Alternatively owners can contact the NHTSA on 1-888-327-4236.

Do you have one of the Chrysler Ram pickups affected by the recall?

More About: Car Recalls, Chrysler

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Thankfully there have not been any crashes due to the problem, but Chrysler still needs to address the issue, as they do not want to take any risks. The route of the problem is due to the fact that a rivet has either been installed wrongly or not at all. Chrysler currently has 20 2011 models on the market, so this means that over half of them will be affected by this latest recall.

The list of vehicles are as follows: Caliber, Caravan minivan, Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger, Journey CUV, Jeep Compass wagon, Liberty, Nitro SUV, Patriot, Town and Country minivan and finally the Wrangler. All of the aforementioned vehicles were built in April or May.

The NHTSA had first made the issue sound much worse that it was, but did retract what they said. Chrysler is expected to contact both dealers and owners in July on their plans, but AJC reports that they will check to see if the rivets are there or have been installed correctly; if they have not then the issue will be dealt with free of charge.

More About: Car Recalls, Chrysler

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Evan McCausland over at Automobile is reporting in an article, that the prototype being tested which you can see below is actually a 2010 model, but engineers are working on a new stability control system for the new model. This will be a first for the Viper which has not had such electronics featured in the cars, but in 2012 a federal mandate requires ESPs.

The new Dodge Viper could be labeled the 2013 model, and it looks like we could see the new model by the end of 2012. There are not many other details of the supercar at the moment but it is thought we can look forward to between 600 and 700 horsepower.

Chrysler has also said the new Viper will be taking part in the next “Supercar Olympics” which will be taking place late in 2012. Recently a 2010 Viper ACR set a new lap record of the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. It managed a time of 1.59.995 round the 3.048-mile course, betting the previous best by four seconds.

More About: Chrysler, Dodge Viper

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

This looks to be a very good year for not only Chrysler but the 200 model sedan as well, as a convertible version will be on show at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show 2011 in just a couple of days time. Freep reports that not only did Eminem appear in the commercial driving the 200, but his track “Lose Yourself,” could also be heard in the background.

As you may remember, we informed you that the new 200 is a replacement for the Sebring, which we said was a vast improvement over that older model. Chrysler needs this new sedan to be a success, as this market has been getting tougher over the years. They must want this to work, as the CEO admitted that they spent $9 million on this ad.

Inside Line has been looking more closely at the Chrysler 200 Convertible ahead of the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, but they do believe that it will not be much of a surprise for the press or the public. The reason they say this is because we already know so much about the car, and they are certainly right about that fact.

Do you think it is a good or a bad thing to already know this much about a car ahead of such a large auto event?

More About: Chrysler, Chrysler 200, Sedan

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The Prius V as you know is still a Hybrid, and as you will notice is larger than the standard model. This will make it an ideal car for families, which should help the Japanese automaker appeal to a broader market. Even though this is a 2011 model, it will still be known as the 2012 Toyota Prius V. You might not know this, but the upcoming car will come with iPad and Android integration thanks to a new app, which we recently discussed.

InsideLine has said that the new larger Prius will have 50 percent more cargo space, and will come with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine,. As always this will work in conjunction with an electric motor to help it achieve 38mpg highway and 42mpg city. For more details visit the Toyota website.

Next up with have the Chrysler 300, there is to be a Hybrid model, but that will not be for a year or so. However, let us not get ahead of ourselves, what the American carmaker has here is a sedan that oozes prestige. The styling is distinctive and comes with more than enough power under the hood.

Edmunds explains that there are four 300 models, the LX, Touring, Limited, and “C” – so more than enough choice to suit your budget. So these are a choice of just two new 2011 car models, but which others have you got your eye one?

More About: 2011 Cars, Chrysler, Toyota

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

A number of photos were leaked a few days ago ahead of the official unveiling, which you can tell by a recent article on Autoblog – the photographer of the new car was not happy. He has directed his anger at Chrysler – well just one worker really – saying that five weeks work has now been wasted.

That aside, the Chrysler 200 Convertible certainly has much better styling than the Sebring, but it’s not all about looks. According to Consumer Reports, the automaker has now decided to make a change to the engine lineup, by including the new 3.6-liter V6 engine, which produces 283BHP. There is to also be a smaller more economical 2.4-liter engine, which only pushes out 173BHP.

The new 200 is still a large convertible, which is why rental cars tend to have them, but as the Sebring lacked the fun-factor, as well as looks and performance it was always going to be left sitting there in the rental car park all on their own. Do you think that the 200 is an improvement on the Sebring?

More About: Chrysler, convertible

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

On November 12 we reported that Nissan recalled over 650,000 vehicles; these included the Sentra, Frontier and the Xterra SUV. The reason for the recall was due to battery and steering issues. For more details read Alan Ng’s article.

Also on the same day in November we told you of a GM recall, which involved Cadillac and Buick Models. 14,425 were affected by this recall. The reason for this was due to issues with the cables for the starter and alternator, if for some reason fluid leaked onto these cables then there could be a potential fire risk.

Mercedes-Benz issued a recall for their 2009/2010 M, GL and R-Class vehicles on November 7th for potential fuel leaks. The cause of this was due to faulty fuel filters; thankfully there have not been any reports of accidents.

These are just a handful of the car recalls this month, but there have been many more. Have you been affected by any of these recalls, or any other come to that?

More About: Car Recalls, Chrysler, gm

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The Avenger sedan, Journey SUV, Grand Caravan minivan and the Challenger sports car will have more changes than the two models above, these will be getting a mid-cycle update to the exterior and interior. Chrysler and Fiat has to be confidant with these changes considering the target they have set themselves?

Retail sales have already started to increase, and having a goal is key to success. However, the automaker still needs to increase fleet sales, as according to an article on Bloomberg they will remain flat. Rebecca Lindland from IHS Automotive added to this by saying “While fleet can sustain you for some amount of time, it’s not going to be able to be your lifeblood.”

Getting the pricing right on these new models will be key to Chrysler’s success, to low and they will not make a profit, to high and they will not sell in the kind of numbers that they have projected.

More About: Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad