Carl Hogan Automotive Blog

It’s that time again; Ram Truck Month 2012!

This year, Ram puts Chevy and Ford trucks to the test during truck month. Ram Truck Month offers $1,000 Bonus Cash and other great incentives on all Ram Light Duty, Heavy Duty and Chassis Cab trucks. To make sure everyone knows the power of Ram, they are comparing specs and features to other well-kown brands. Check out the breakdown:

Light Duty

Ram 5 Year Powertrain Limited Warranty at 100,000 miles vs. Ford 5 Year Warranty at 60,000 miles.

2012 Ram 1500 beats out both Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado 1500 in standard horsepower and torque.

Ram 1500 offers RamBox CArgo Management System, while Fordd and Chevy have no secure integrated storgae.

Suspension: Ram 1500 brings a 5-link Coil Rear Suspension against Ford F-150′s leaf spring/solid rear axle and Chevy’s multi-leaf rear suspension

Heavy Duty

The 2012 Ram Heavy Duty offers the same 100,000 mile 5 Year Warranty as the Light Duty and holds strong against Ford.

Ram 2500 Power Wagon offers a 5.7-HEMI V8 with 383 Horsepower, with Chevy sitting back at 360 HP.

Only the 2012 Ram Power Wagon was named Four Wheeler “Pickup Truck of The Year”

Be sure to check out our Ram Trucks for Truck Month and stop in to Carl Hogan Automotive to find out all the best deals and incentives for Ram Truck Month.

Have you been waiting for the return of the iconic Viper? We Have!

Chrysler’s SRT brand has released the first official teaser photo of the upcoming 2013 SRT Viper online. The new Viper is set to debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show later this year.

It’s a bit hard to catch any distinguishing features with the blacked out background, but it looks like the Viper may be getting an updated logo, LED-style light banks, and a different front end that will shy away from the Dodge grille of recent years.

One thing we do know, the 2013 SRT Viper is expected to enter production in Detroit later the year, which would set a target sale-date of early 2013.

Jeep is rolling out a brand new concept of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and was revealed this morning at the Houston Auto Show. Along with this unveiling, Jeep is announcing the “Name My Ride” contest. Yep, you get a chance to name the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee concept!

Jeep brought its concept Grand Cherokee to the Houston Auto Show to get an idea on consumer reactions and see if the concept gets the positive vibes they are hoping for. If you are loving this vehicle, you can go to Jeep.com/namemyride and enter your ideas for what this exciting new vehicle should be named.

So, what do you get for using all of your brainpower to come up with the best name ever? How about the chance to actually WIN the All-New 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee?!

So start your engines, and go submit your ideas for names! Also, if you need a little inspiration, stop by our dealership and test drive one of the 2012 Jeeps or get more details on our Website!

Dodge is adding another new seating option to its award-winning three-row Durango SUV: the availability of second-row captain’s chairs.

“The 2012 Dodge Durango has been incredibly well received by customers and critics alike,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand. “One message we hear repeatedly is how spacious and refined the Durango’s interior is. With the addition of second-row captain’s chairs, we’re now taking Durango to an even higher level of luxury and value, when combined with its best-in-class power, towing and driving range.”

Available on all trim levels – SXT, Crew, R/T and Citadel models – the second-row captain’s chairs with an innovative flip-and-fold feature and integrated soft-touch armrests are a $695 option. Between the seats is a floor-mounted console that can hold drinks and small objects. It is designed so passengers can easily walk from the second to third rows between the second-row captain’s chairs.

Chrysler Group LLC announced last week that it received three Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards for the 2011 model year.

The awards recognize manufacturers for superior owner loyalty performance, which is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make. For 2011, the awards were based off of 5.5 million return-to-market events during the year.

The Chrysler Town & Country won the “Minivan” category for the eleventh consecutive time, while the Dodge Challenger took the “Sports Car” segment for the second year in a row, and the entire Jeep Brand took the “Most Improved Loyalty to Make” award.

Christmas is sadly over, but the winter weather months are just beginning. Everyone loves to play in the snow; whether off-roading, tricks on a snow mobile, or simply making snow angels. But when you have your family on board, safety is number one when traveling on snowy roads.

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the vehicle for the job. The Grand Cherokee can easily maneuver on snow and ice covered roads, as well as provide a smooth ride on the treacherous roads. Here are nine safety features you’ll be happy you have when the next big snow storm flies in:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): The all-new ACC automatically adjusts cruising speed to maintain a safe, preset distance between you and the cars ahead.

Smartbeam Headlamps with Auto Leveling: These High Intensity Discharge headlamps shine up to three times brighter than regular headlamps during the heavy snowfalls.

Rain-Sensing Wipers and Rain Brake Support: When the snow switched to rain or vice versa, the wipers detect rain and activate on their own, and the new smart brake system helps dry the rotors on wet roads.

Active Head Restraints: In case of an accident, these head restraints help avoid injury during an impact.

Forward Collision Warning (FCW): Grand Cherokee can sense road hazards and warn you about dangerous object in your path.

Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM): When things get rough, the ERM takes immediate action to help you maintain stability.

Hill Descent Control (HDC) and Hill Start Assist (HSA): Climbing and descending snowy/icy roads are scary – these features allow for slow and powerful hill travel.

Antilock Brake System (ABS): Ideal for wet, slippery roads. But the ABS also kicks in when driving over rough terrain.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC): With ERM, ABS, Traction Control, Brake Assist, and Trailer Sway Control, driving in the winter storms just got a lot easier.

There have been just a few teaser photos of the exterior of the 2013 Dodge Dart, but we haven’t seen much of the inside. Now, Dodge has released a few pictures of the interior features before it’s unveiled in January at the Detroit Auto Show.

The Dart’s instrument cluster has a large tachometer with a seven-inch LCD screen that can be customized to show different types of data. In this picture, the screen shows the current speed, navigation direction, and the current song playing from an iPod. On a side note, the Dart’s glove box is said to be large enough to store an Apple iPad - convenient!

The dashboard is composed of organic, sweeping shapes that wrap around the Uconnect screen and instrument cluster, similar to that of the Dodge Charger’s layout.

At the top of the Dart’s interior equipment is the 8.4-inch Uconnect touch screen infotainment system. Uconnect controls everything from seat heaters to the navigation system. Other features include, radio and music controls, climate controls, and voice and phone controls. The Uconnect system easily wraps up all of the previously scattered buttons into one simple touch-screen system, allowing ease for the driver and fun entertainment for the front seat passenger.

Today, Dodge announced the official name of its new compact sedan, the Dodge Dart. The Dart will ultimately take the place of the Dodge Caliber as the brand’s smallest vehicle. Plans to unveil the all-new Dodge Dart were also announced, and the plan is to fully reveal the Dart at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January.

As most Dodge enthusiasts may recall, the name Dart was a used by Dodge back in the 1960s and 1970s, which started out as a full-size car in 1960 and became Dodge’s compact size by 1963. Read more about the history of the Dodge Dart online.

For the 2013 version, the Dodge Dart has a heavy similarity to the styling of the larger Charger, with full-width LED taillights and dual exhausts accenting the rear. Up front, the Dart’s headlights have an angled slant up over the car’s front fenders to give it that sporty look and feel. As for the mechanics of the car, Dodge has stated that the Dart will have three engine choices, a 2.0-liter inline-four “Tigershark” engine, a turbocharged 1.4-liter MultiAir inline-four, and a 2.4-liter “Tigershark” inline-four engine.

Keep your eyes out for more photos and details about the 2013 Dodge Dart as we get closer to the Detroit Auto Show in the next month. Until then, check out our New Dodge vehicles and keep coming back for details on when you can see the Dart in our showroom!

The annual Residual Value Awards are hosted by ALG, a subsidiary of TrueCar, Inc, announced today the winners of the 2012 ALG Residual Value Awards. Among the top winners, the 2012 Jeep Wrangler took first place in the mainstream Compact Utility category.

Take a test drive and see what helped rank the Jeep Wrangler number one, also be sure to browse our Website for other Jeep models.

Welcome to the new Carl Hogan Automotive Blog. Keep checking back, as well will continue to post about industry topics, events, and specials from our dealership.