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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Mopar Preparing More than 150 Accessories and Performance Parts for the 2013 Dodge Dart

Dodge has calculated that with three available engines, three transmissions, 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim options in either cloth or leather, the highly customizable Dart will offer buyers some 113,000 different configurations.

And if that ain't enough, Mopar has just announced that it will release more than 150 accessories and performance parts for the new Dodge compact saloon that arrives in U.S. and Canadian showrooms later this year.

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All-New 2013 Dodge Dart Compact Sedan Makes its Official World Premiere in Detroit

We might have lost count of the times Alfa Romeo has announced its return to the U.S. only to push it further back a little while later, but we can say that the first 21st-century Alfa has already landed on the Land of the Free – sort of.

That’s because the all-new Dodge Dart compact sedan that has been officially unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show is based on a modified version of the platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and is the first sample of the Fiat-Chrysler cooperation since the former gaining control of the latter in 2009.

Its design bears no resemblance to its Italian cousin, though, as the 2013 Dart, apart from being a four-door sedan and not a five-door hatchback it is longer and wider. It also features its own, distinctive design with the Dodge-trademarked crosshair grille and the Charger-inspired rear lights.

The Dart measures 183.9-in. (4,672mm) long, 72-in. (1,830mm) wide, 57.7-in. (1,465mm) tall and rides on a 106.4-in. (2,703mm) wheelbase, or roughly the same size as the latest BMW 3-Series!

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2013 Dodge Dart Photos and Video Leaked Ahead of Detroit Motor Show Debut

There has been much excitement over the brand-new 2013 Dodge Dart as it's the first Chrysler product to be based upon a Fiat architecture – in fact so much that some couldn't just wait and unleashed a slew of pictures as well as the first video of the compact sedan on the road.

The Dart effectively replaces the Caliber in Dodge's lineup offering the Chrysler Group a direct rival to the Ford Focus and Chevrolet saloons.

It is based on a wider and longer version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta's platform and will offer American buyers an initial choice of three gasoline four-cylinder engines including a pair of natural aspirated units with a displacement of 2.0-liters and 2.4-liters rated at 160 and 184-horses respectively as well as a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine from the Abarth 500 with 160-ponies.

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Dodge Dart gets "Unadjusted" 40 MPG Combined, Fiat Automatically Increases its Chrysler Stake by 5%

Chrysler announced that Fiat S.p.A.’s ownership interest in the company has increased from 53.3 to 58.5 percent, in accordance to the June 10, 2009 Operating Agreement.

As stipulated by the agreement, Chrysler issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury stating that the company “has irrevocably committed” to begin assembly of a mass-production vehicle with a combined fuel economy of at least 40 mpg in a plant located in the United States.

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2013 Dodge Dart Compact Sedan: First Official Shots of the Interior

Last week, the Chrysler Group gave us our first look at the exterior details of the brand-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan with the promise of teasing the interior on December 13.

True to its word, the Detroit automaker published a fresh batch of photos today giving us a sneak peek into the interior of the new Dart saloon, which will officially break cover at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in the second week of January.

The futuristic looking instrument binnacle houses an available 7-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) customizable cluster display with a light surround between the analog tachometer and fuel gauge.

On the upper side of the center console, we find the Chrysler Group's UConnect multimedia system sporting an 8.4-inch touchscreen that Dodge says is the largest of its kind in the compact segment.

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Marchionne Says 2013 Dodge Dart will be Certified at 40mpg, will get 9-Speed Auto

The Chrysler Group gave us our first taste of its sporty looking all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan on Tuesday with the release of a teaser photo gallery and the initial data on the car's specifications.

The Dart may prove to be one of the most important models in Dodge's recent history not only because it is the first Chrysler product to be based upon a Fiat architecture and in particular, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but also because CEO Sergio Marchionne told Reuters that he believes its fuel efficiency will be certified at "40 mpg or more by the end of the month".

The reason why that matters is that, under the deal made with the U.S. government to allow Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy protection in 2009, the Italian company will receive the final 5 percent of stock if it develops a Fiat-based car that will be built in the U.S. and can get at least 40 miles per gallon.

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New 2013 Dodge Dart Compact Sedan Based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The Chrysler Group has resurrected the Dart nameplate from the 1960s for its new Dodge compact sedan model that will receive its world premiere at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in the second week of January.

The new Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle to be based upon a Fiat architecture as it makes use of a modified version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback's platform named Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW), which has been lengthened and widened to improve interior space.

The Detroit automaker says that 68 percent of the Dart's body is composed of high-strength steel, resulting in a "very strong and rigid structure".

Powering the 2013 Dodge Dart will be three four-cylinder gasoline powerplants including a new Tigershark 2.0-liter unit, a 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine that will most likely be shared with the Fiat Abarth 500 in the U.S., and a new Tigershark 2.4-liter MultiAir engine.

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