2013 Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab on 2040-cars

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2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee

I can pinpoint the exact moment when I fell in love with this car. It was starting down a nearly straight entrance ramp at 15 miles per hour when I buried the throttle. In a moment, I was thrown back into my seat as the big SRT8's engine came to life with commensurate sound, fury and force, bringing me up to 75 mph in what felt like two blinks of an eye. This thing feels so much quicker than its 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque would lead you to believe. And mashing the right pedal never, ever gets old.
But beyond sheer speed, I found a whole lot to like about the Charger SRT8 during my week with the Pitch Black test car here in Detroit. And while the whole Super Bee kit isn't really my style, it's really easy to overlook those badges for a package that offers so much for so little.
Driving Notes

2013 Dodge Challenger V6 recalled for fire risk, owners asked not to drive

Chrysler has issued a recall for the V6 version of the 2013 Dodge Challenger (as pictured above in 2012MY) over the possibility of a wiring harness that could short circuit and lead to a fire. Owners of these V6 Challengers built from November 2012 through January 2013 are being urged to contact dealers immediately and, in the meantime, not to drive their cars or park in or near any buildings.
Chrysler estimates around 2,500 potentially affected Challengers are in owners' hands, while another 1,900 are still sitting on dealer lots. The total number of recalled vehicles is 4,459.
So far, Chrysler says that seven fires have been reported - none resulting in injuries. The company is instructing vehicle owners to contact their dealer to find out if their vehicle is included in the recall, but owners can also find the build date information of their vehicle by checking the label in the driver's door jamb.

Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast

Chrysler has some good news and some bad news. First, profits were up 16 percent over the second quarter of 2012, bringing the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer $507 million on the back of strong demand for trucks and SUVs (a recurring theme this quarter, particularly in the US). Q2 revenue was up as well, from $16.8 billion in 2012 to $18 billion in 2013. The bad news is that the Pentastar's overall earnings forecast for net income in 2013 has been trimmed from $2.2 billion to between $1.7 and $2.2 billion, according to Automotive News.
In addition to the adjusted net income forecast, Chrysler tweaked its operating profit from $3.8 billion to between $3.3 and $3.8 billion. This has gone largely unexplained by Chrysler, perhaps hoping the news of a three-percent increase in its transaction prices for Q2 will allow it to sweep this adjustment under the rug.
The star of the show for Chrysler has been its US sales, which saw a 10-percent jump, both bettering the industry average of eight percent and improving over the same stretch of 2012. As with the increase in transaction prices, Chrysler has the new Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee to thank. Perhaps most worrying from this report, though, is that every brand in the automaker's stable saw an increase in sales... except for the Chrysler brand itself.