Falling outside of the traditional full-size van milieu, the Sprinter offers more room and, with the 10-passenger version, totes more people in comfort than any stretched conventional van. In addition, the Sprinter is offered in cargo and cab/chassis version, the latter ideal for converters. The Sprinter's vertical walls make work stations easy to fit, and the high roof and wide door ease passenger access. The truck's weakness has been its modest, yet efficient, diesel powertrain with only 153

Dodge will lead the cars built off the next-generation Chrysler LX platform--called LY--with a new Challenger ponycar for the 2010 model year. The Challenger will be a true Mustang-fighter, with 350-horsepower Hemi V-8 and 3.5-liter, 250-horsepower V-6 versions going up against the Mustang coupe. And given Chrysler's ambitions for its performance franchise, you can expect a 6.1-liter, 425-horse SRT* version as well. Dodge has no plans for a Challenger convertible, as that business will be left to the 2007 Chrysler {{{Sebring}}} replacement, although it's possible Chrysler Group could commission a coachbuilder like ASC to do one.

Since it was first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, we've seen the Dodge Caliber concept evolve into the closer-to-production model we caught on our way to work this morning. The 2007 Caliber keeps the familiar Dodge styling, with trademark crosshair grille, wide sculpted wheel forms, big 19-inch wheels and tires, broad shoulders, and bulging hood for a proud, powerful stance. Its yellow paint is certainly not subtle, either.

Dodge is serious about taking on the European market. Its new C-segment Caliber five-door is designed for the Old and New Worlds, and now it has unveiled the Mini Cooperesque B-segment 2006 Dodge Hornet concept at Geneva. Strip away the concept-car excess, and you can figure a production version of the Hornet would be similar in execution to the just-launched Caliber. Aimed at Europe's hottest market segment, it's designed to go wheel-to-wheel with the Ford Fiesta, GM Corsa, and {{{Toyota Yaris}}} as well as the VW Polo, Renault Clio, and the new Peugeot 207.

The Dodge Charger caused quite a stir when it first debuted as a 2006 model, owing mostly to its heretical four doors, but the new Charger became a popular model for Dodge. Like many Chrysler brand cars though, it has suffered from a lack of updates as the Pentastar wrestled with bankruptcy woes and a transfer in ownership to Italy's Fiat. Based on these latest spy shots, it looks as though that's finally about to change.

Compact trucks tend to be ubiquitous, entry-level vehicles, but at the 2002 North American International Auto Show, Dodge designers set out to change all that. One of a quartet of millennial-focused 2002 Chrysler Group concepts, the Dodge M80 breathes new life into what has become a bread-and-butter class of boring vehicles, sold mostly on price and ability to make a positive contribution to truck CAFE numbers. At the same time, in their typically coy manner, DaimlerChrysler is giving the auto world what may be a sneak peak at the next-generation Dakota pickup due in 2004.

Dodge has recently announced that 2010 will be the last year of production for the current Viper, and that it will be celebrating with a series of limited-edition models. Following the appearance-only ACR Voodoo Edition and ACR 1:33 Edition—the latter named for the unofficial Laguna Seca lap record set by the ACR—comes the Viper SRT10 ACR-X. (For the uninitiated, all those initials stand for Street and Racing Technology 10-cylinder American Club Racer [ostensibly] eXtreme. Thank goodness for abbreviations.)

Times, they are a-changing. As gas prices lurch upward, small SUVs and crossovers are popping up everywhere. Five-door compact wagons, traditionally huge sellers in Europe but dust-gatherers in U.S. showrooms, now have their big chance.

Hi, Neon. Sorry to hear the news about your death. Oh, didn't you get the memo? You had a good run but it would seem that you're being replaced by the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber. Hope you don't mind. If you can you leave your security pass at the door, that would be great. Thaaaanks. And, hey, there's always hope that you'll get resurrected when Dodge's marketing wonks run out of fresh ideas and start thinking retro. Check back with them in, oh, say, 2034.

"That ain't no Hemi," growls a disrespectful cruise night patron as he glances into the open engine bay of our Inferno Red 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT-8.