Waldorf Dodge Blog

From its sleek exterior design to its modern, spacious interior, and intelligent, fuel-efficient and powerful powertrain options, the 2011 Dodge Durango is all-new from the inside out. And the changes are more than skin deep. The Durango’s stiffened unibody structure is engineered with the driving enthusiast in mind. The end result is a vehicle that delivers premium driving performance combined with SUV capability and crossover versatility.

The all-new Durango features two engine options: the standard fuel-efficient 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and the available 5.7-liter HEMI engine with fuel-saving, Multi-displacement system (MDS) four-cylinder mode. Both engines feature variable-valve timing (VVT) and are available with all-wheel drive. In addition to great efficiency, the engines provide exceptional V-6 and V-8 towing capability with standard trailer sway control (V-8 – 7,400 lbs. and Best-in-class V-6 – 6,200 lbs.). When equipped with the HEMI® V-8, the all-new Durango can tow more weight than a 24-foot boat and trailer.

We think this is going to be a big hit in Southern Maryland.  We’ll be sure to post updates on Facebook, so become a fan today or stop by and see us.  Waldorf Dodge is located on Route 301 north in Waldorf, jsut 15 minutes south of Washington DC.
Full article here.

Your friends at Waldorf Dodge have always thought that a Dodge could save your life…today we found the proof….

Thomas Magill apparently attempted to end his 22 years of life by jumping off a high-rise building on the West Side of New York yesterday, only to survive by landing on a 2008 Dodge Charger parked 39 floors below.

Thomas Magill is a 22-year-old New Yorker not unlike most twentysomething New Yorkers, according to his Facebook page. He studied English at Fordham University, and had a job as a “stylist” at Club Monaco until recently. His family’s from Staten Island, but the New York Daily News says he once lived in the building he jumped off of yesterday.

Complete story here

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade; When PETA complains about the chimp used in your commercial, digitally erase it — kind of. This might be the best Dodge commercial yet. Before and after commercials below.

Commercial before PETA’s bellyaching

http://www.youtube.com/v/SM81w3F4lxE?fs=1&hl=en_US

The above commercial was created to build buzz for Chrysler’s big tent event and features a monkey dressed like a stuntman setting off some lame fireworks. It was a marginally cute advertisement, but someone at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals saw it and complained. We’ll let their spokesperson/primatologist explain:

Most top ad agencies in the country won’t even consider producing an ad featuring a great ape these days given the well-documented abuse that young chimpanzees and orangutans suffer in the entertainment industry. This abuse starts when they are prematurely removed from their mothers and continues when they are trained to perform through savage beatings, denied even the most basic necessities, transported and housed in barren steel cages, and then discarded at seedy roadside zoos around the age of 8, even though they can live into their 60s. You won’t find a great-ape trainer without a history of Animal Welfare Act violations and a reputation for dumping animals when they’re no longer profitable. After watching a video narrated by Anjelica Huston about the use of great apes in entertainment, savvy ad agencies such as BBDO, Young & Rubicam, Grey Group, Draftfcb, and Saatchi & Saatchi made the compassionate decision not to exploit great apes in future ads. Dodge isn’t going to dodge a bullet on this one. It needs to pull the ad – and we’ve contacted the company asking it to do just that.

Dodge, displaying a rare sense of humor and cleverness, created the new advertisement below with what looks like a digitally-erased monkey. It’s even more humorous than the original.

Commercial after PETA’s bellyaching

http://www.youtube.com/v/CXYfDO9mS4o?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

The Mopar division of Chrysler has, in a way, been one of the automaker’s silent heroes. This brand continues to build standard-spec and aftermarket parts for a range of Chrysler products, and while these optional goodies have always been offered in an a-la-carte fashion, Chrysler is now offering a true Mopar version of the 2010 Dodge Challenger.

Mopar starts with a Challenger R/T, fitted with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and adds a hood-venting system, cold-air intake, front strut brace, unique engine cover and a strut-tower brace. Chrysler hasn’t released official numbers, but we’d say that these modifications are good for an additional 10 or 15 horsepower – nothing crazy.

Inside, there’s a Katzkin leather seating package, special gear shifters for either transmission, a custom leather-wrapped steering wheel and – you guessed it – a serialized dash plaque. Only 500 of the Mopar ’10 Challengers will be built, finished in a brilliant black clear coat with a choice of either red, blue or silver accents. (What, no white?) Other exterior changes include things like a black chrome grille surround, black wheels, functional hood vents and hood pins.

The Mopar ’10 Challenger hits dealerships next month, priced from $38,000 with the automatic transmission (including the $750 destination charge). Want a do-it-yourself shifter? Add $1,000 to that price. (Wait, what?) For the full details, give us a call at Waldorf Dodge.

Source [AutoBlog]

Here is some interesting news we stumbled across this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed that Waldorf Dodge will be one of the dealerships chosen!

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 6 (UPI) — U.S. automaker Chrysler said it had invited its dealerships to bid on rights to sell the Fiat 500 and that only 125 outlets would be approved.

Potentially, 2,300 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram truck dealers could bid on the option to sell the small Fiats, which are scheduled to go on sale in the United States in December, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.

In addition to a general investment in the brand, Chrysler is requiring dealerships arrange for showroom space that is separate from their Chrysler brand vehicles, company spokesman Ralph Kisiel said.

The four-cylinder vehicle is scheduled for construction in Toluca, Mexico, using engines made in Dundee, Mich.

The company has said half of the 100,000 Fiat 500s would be sold in the states, while the other half would be targeted for South America.

Source: UPI.com

Wow, what a weekend.  All week last week we prepped the dealership and staff for what we expected to be one of the biggest sales we have ever had here at Waldorf Ford Used Car-Truck Center.  Advertising done…check; cars clean and inspected…check, fence up…check, staff assembled…check.  Phone calls from folks who wanted to pre-register, started coming in on Tuesday and  by closing time Saturday, the day of the sale, we had fielded 561 phone calls!  The staff was a little overwhelmed to say the least. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/JKoR6HyyDuU&hl=en_US&fs=1&

MARK THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR…SATURDAY JUNE 12TH, BECAUSE IT WILL BE A DAY OF FUN FOR EVERYONE AT WALDORF FORD AND DODGE. IT’S CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY AND YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THEM AT THE DEALERSHIP. IT’S THEIR WAY OF SAYING ‘THANK YOU’ SOUTHERN MARYLAND FOR YEARS OF PATRIONAGE. THERE WILL BE CLOWNS, FACE PAINTING, BALLOON ANIMALS AND KARAOKE. AND SAFEGUARD YOUR CHILDREN WITH A FREE DNA LIFE PRINT.  IT’S A PHOTO VIDEO KIT ENDORSED BY JOHN WALSH.  IT’S CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY AT WALDORF FORD AND DODGE RT. 301 IN WALDORF.

The latest aftermarket company to transform the Dodge Challenger into a high horsepower beast is SpeedFactory who is a leader in modern Mopar supercars.  They have just announced their latest creation, a 600 horsepower six-speed Challenger dubbed the ‘SF600R’ that will be added to already potent lineup of Mopar supercars.

Check out what we found this morning. While we admit it is a wee bit of a stretch to make this Dodge related it does have a 1,000 hp Hemi! So if you see this next to you at a stop light don’t bother asking if it has a Hemi and just keep your foot on the brake. Somethings you just cant win.

Early last year, Drew Phillips spotted the Frogman Rocket II doing its best to blend in among the other, less-outrageous creations at the Grand National Roadster Show. At the time, he wondered what it must be like to throw a leg over a trike powered by a supercharged Hemi V8 with over 1,000 horsepower. Now we know. The owner is a kindly soul by the name of Tim Cotterill who decided to have a short film made about the creation.

The action focuses mainly on long, dreamy shots of the Rocket II doing what it does best – generating speed and shoveling bucketfuls of fuel down the engine’s throat via two Holley double pumpers. The sound of this thing is beyond intoxicating, and the craftsmanship only helps to return us to our wide-eyed elementary school selves. Crafted by none other than the Blastolene – the same crew that’s responsible for Jay Leno’s tank car – the Rocket II wears the kind of over-the-top style that makes us downright giddy.

http://www.youtube.com/v/oeNLMN_RqSI&hl=en_US&fs=1&

While you woun’t be able to get one of these for your very own here at Waldorf Dodge you can come by and check out what we do have with Hemi’s in them. Maybe you can make your own fun.

SOURCE [AutoBlog]

The 500 EV will be developed at the company’s headquarters in Michigan, and it will use a lithium-ion battery. Pricing will be announced closer to launch, but Chrysler says it will competitive with similar electric vehicles. When it arrives, the 500 EV will compete for early adopters with the Mitsubishi iMiev and Nissan Leaf electric cars.

The first vehicle from Chrysler and Fiat’s union, the gasoline-fueled version of the Fiat 500 is scheduled to debut at the end of 2010. Your sales staff at Waldorf Dodge will keep you informed as we start getting closer to these hitting the lot.

In other Chrysler news, the company has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a grant up to $48 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Vehicle Electrification program. Chrysler plans to build 140 electric Dodge Ram pickups for a three year test in real-world conditions.

The Ram PHEV powertrain will include a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, hybrid transmission, and a lithium-ion battery. The vehicle will be able to go up to 20 miles using only electric power. Overall fuel economy is expected to improve more than 65 percent.

Dodge is not new to exploring the potential for a hybrid truck. Dodge had previously built a 2000 Ram Contractor hybrid and later a 2002 Ram 2500 HD diesel-hybrid pickup truck as demonstration vehicles for potential military and commercial applications. A Ram hybrid went into limited production in 2004. And hybrid versions of the HEMI-powered Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs were briefly sold in 2009. Chrysler had recent plans to sell a hybrid Ram, due to difficulty making a business case for the truck, development work was halted.

Source: Consumer Reports