Chrysler to Add 1,800 New Jobs at Belvidere Plant by the Third Quarter of 2012

Around 1,800 new jobs will be added to the Chrysler Group's Belvidere Assembly Plant by the third quarter of 2012, the company's CEO Sergio Marchionne announced on Thursday during a ceremony at the facility with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Included in the 1,800 positions are close to 500 jobs that will be added to launch production of the 2013 Dodge Dart in the second quarter of the year. For this reason, the Detroit automaker will be adding a third shift to the plant, something that hasn't happened since March of 2008 when the Belvidere facility employed around 3,600 workers.

Read more »

Mopar's 2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute in the Flesh

On Tuesday, we brought the news on the 2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute that was developed by Mopar both to celebrate its 75th birthday and to preview the performance and styling parts that will be available for customers in the fall as stage kits or á la carte from the brand's catalog.

Today we have live photos of the Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute that offer us a better view of the car and the customizations made by Mopar.

Read more »

2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute with a Two Stage Kit by Mopar

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Chrysler Group's parts and service arm Mopar will be displaying four specially crafted models at next month's 2012 Chicago Auto Show including the Dodge Dart "GTS 210 Tribute".

Once it goes on sale later this year, Mopar plans to offer more 150 accessories and parts for the new Dart sedan, improving both its looks and performance.

The "GTS 210 Tribute" comes fitted with two packages. The first stage is all about aesthetics adding a ground effects kit with matte-black trim pieces such as a lower chin spoiler, side sills, rear spoiler and rear-diffuser panel.

Read more »

Is the 2013 Dodge Dart Sedan Using an Automatic Transmission Supplied from Hyundai?

It's no secret that, aside from the Fiat Group-sourced 168bhp 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir engine, the new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan continues to use two powerplants from Chrysler's past.

You see, while the Detroit maker is marketing its 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter four-cylinder units under the new "Tigershark" moniker, both have their roots in the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) family of engines.

To explain, GEMA was a joint venture of the Chrysler Group, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for the development of a line of shared four-cylinder gasoline engines. In 2009, Chrysler bought out the shares of Mitsubishi and Hyundai and continued GEMA on its own.

And here's where Hyundai comes into the picture. Citing unnamed sources, Car&Driver is reporting that the 2013 Dodge Dart's Tigershark engines are fitted with a Hyundai-supplied 6-speed automatic transmission.

Read more »