Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Mopar Highlights from SEMA 2013
The SEMA show is a great place to showcase the latest and greatest in the automotive marketplace, be that from the aftermarket, or the factory...
Fortunate for us, Mopar delivered this year...You can watch the full presentation from Las Vegas at 4:40 PM:
http://new.livestream.com/chryslerlive/SEMA/videos/34080024
The conference began with a video introduction outlining the past of Mopar and the present state, while underlying it remains that is the people that drove the company and continue to drive the company. Mopar CEO Pietro Gorlier said his favorite line was "Mopar is in service of all those who drive us!" He continued stating that personalizaton had reached an all knew level and that companies strive to make that easier for the consumer.
The first item of interest was the Mopar Custom Shop.
The Mopar Custom Shops are located near every one of the North American manufacturing plants. They will be offering installation on factory parts and accessories to truly allow consumers to build their vehicle to order...just like back in the day. For those on a budget, the upgrades can be included in the financing. The best part for most is that any and all upgrades done via a Mopar Custom Shop are fully covered under warranty.
A Special Edition Chrysler 200 was utilized to showcase some of the potential parts that a Mopar Custom Shop could equip on the vehicle.
Our next features was the Mopar Jeep Cherokee Trail Carver. It features a lot of full functional and overly practical additions like the Cargo Management System, Rock Rails, Roof Rack, and Storage Locker. Sticking to the trails, the next feature was the Jeep Wrangler Recon...outfitted with a 470 HP 6.4L HEMI Crate Motor from Mopar.
We next saw a rehash of last year's surf hit Fiat with the Adventurer. This is a sporty model of the Fiat 500 that features the ever popular vintage red wheels...which will be offered in many colors and can be installed at, you guessed it, the Mopar Custom Shop.
Sticking to the sand, they highlighted the Ram Sunchaser. It is a Ram 1500 wearing Vibrance Orange and sporting some really unique features like the Flip-UP Seat Back Tailgate that converts your ordinary tailgate into a mini-couch. The Ram Box was also outfitted to hold water and made use of a fully functional shower head to allow you to clean up at the beach and carry on with living when reality called.
Next up we saw the Ram Promaster. This is a workhorse truck/van hybrid that was actually quite cool when outfitted in "race support" trim. It is targeted to business who need covered storage for delivers and/or tools, and a lot of real estate on the exterior for oversize graphics. This rig really is a driving billboard.
Now, the best, as usual, was saved for last....
Pietro turned the stage over to Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis and he once again hit on the aspect of personal customizations and how hard it was to do that with the late model cars. He also admitted that Dodge had dropped the ball the lats few years in terms of not offering up factory performance parts, in particularly the recalibrated engine controller to take advantage of all the upgrades.
He said, "We know, at the end of the day, our diehards are looking for solutions straight from the factory...That's about to change...We are going forward, buy going back."
The Dodge Scat Pack Club
Tim proceeded to announce that an angry giant had been awakened from slumber with the return of the Dodge Scat Pack Club. He stressed that despite only being active from 1968-1971, that the Scat Pack was still well known and continued to hold lore with enthusiasts. He stated that the Scat Pack existed outside of corporate walls because of the fan base and enthusiast culture.
The cameras then panned out to the arm of former Hot Rod Magazine writer and Mopar guy, Steve Magnante. Just last night, Steve got a tattoo of the new Dodge Scat Pack Bee. Tim mentioned that back in the day, guys like Steve turned to the factory for quality, dependable parts. He referenced the iconic "staged kits" also known as Scat Packages and proceeded to tell us they would be returning in Spring 2014 with Three Stages Available.
They only outlined the Scat Packages for the 5.7L HEMI, but I will assume other incarnations are coming for 6.1, 6.4, and likely the Dart. That said, let's take a look at what they amount to...
5.7L HEMI Scat Packages
Stage I: Cold Air Intake, Catback Exhaust, and Performance Engine Controller
Stage II: High Lift Camshaft
Stage III: CNC Ported Cylinder Heads and Tubular Exhaust Headers
In addition to the Staged Upgrade Packages listed above, Tim said they had stand alone upgrades available for Suspension and Braking. Something a lot of folks may have overlooked is that he then mentioned that they are even in the "test phase" of an electronic exhaust dump and side exhaust, similar to the original Challenger T/A.
To round out the return of the Scat Pack we have the coming launch of ScatPackForums.com. This is a nod to the original newsletter, in a modern format. We also got a look at the "new" Scat Pack Rear Window Decals that feature the "1" "2" and "3" Designations behind the Bee. I can only assume those will be available ONLY with the pre-installed Scat Package of matching designation. I would also venture to guess that the rest of us can pick up standard Scat Pack Bee decals...Note that these seem to be more of an adhesive backed emblem than "decal." Not sure how that will work for Charger owners...
If you watch the video from the link above, you will hear and see the start up on a Challenger sporting the side exhaust.
After that clip, Tim said we might have noticed something was missing. He said that the #2 Most Requested item was the Shaker Hood. He then went in to how hard it would be to offer it from the factory due to current governmental regulations, but that if it could be figured out it would be a big hit and could be retrofitted on all Challengers due to them having the same hood structure.
Simultaneously, the tarp came off a Scat Pack Equipped Challenger featuring the all new Factory Shaker ala the 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker.
The Shaker is factory engineered, fully floating just like the original, and meets all current bs requirements like noise restrictions and crash test ratings.
Tim wrapped up his time on stage by stating that every day, 40,000 people buy new cars and that is from a global brand count of 40 manufacturers. He stressed, once more, how Dodge and Mopar didn't want to offer a car for everyone like other brands try to do, but rather offer a car that will sell itself to people of the right mindset. He closed with a lead in to how Mopar had recently begun a long line of leading the way with unique and limited cars via the Mopar 10, Mopar 11, Mopar 12, and Mopar 13. Pietro returned to the stage...
Pietro hit on the pedigree of the Mopar branded cars and how they embodied the concept for the Mopar Custom Shop and individual identity with your car. He said, "No one should drive a car that can be confused with another one in the neighborhood." He then reiterated that Mopar took customer requests from the web to help formulate a strategy for the Mopar 14. He highlighted the Pistol Grip Shifter, as seen on the Mopar 10, 20" Gloss Black Wheels, Rear Spoiler, Performance Suspension Kit, Cat Back Exhaust, Mopar Blue Body Side Graphic, Custom Leather Seats with Mopar Blue Stitching etc...
He then unveiled the Mopar 14!
The Mopar 14, is based once more, off the Challenger. It will hit showrooms in the Spring of 2014 and is offered in two exterior colors (white and black) and with three stripe configurations (no details on colors or layout changes). He then said that stepping up the personalization there would be the option to install 20 factory options, 20 custom shop upgrades ,and more than 100 other accessories. He said that there can literally be 100 Mopar 14s with all of them completely unique.
He concluded with the line there was no doubt Dodge and Mopar are back to the glory days and echoing a popular sentiment, "Mopar or No Car!"
What are your thoughts on this presentation? Are you planning to order up a Mopar 14, Challenger R/T Shaker, Scat Pack Stage Upgrades, or just check out the forum? Let us know!
We will be updating info here at LPS via LoneStarMopars.com and the Mopar 10 Registry. Check back for all the latest!
Fortunate for us, Mopar delivered this year...You can watch the full presentation from Las Vegas at 4:40 PM:
http://new.livestream.com/chryslerlive/SEMA/videos/34080024
The conference began with a video introduction outlining the past of Mopar and the present state, while underlying it remains that is the people that drove the company and continue to drive the company. Mopar CEO Pietro Gorlier said his favorite line was "Mopar is in service of all those who drive us!" He continued stating that personalizaton had reached an all knew level and that companies strive to make that easier for the consumer.
The first item of interest was the Mopar Custom Shop.
The Mopar Custom Shops are located near every one of the North American manufacturing plants. They will be offering installation on factory parts and accessories to truly allow consumers to build their vehicle to order...just like back in the day. For those on a budget, the upgrades can be included in the financing. The best part for most is that any and all upgrades done via a Mopar Custom Shop are fully covered under warranty.
A Special Edition Chrysler 200 was utilized to showcase some of the potential parts that a Mopar Custom Shop could equip on the vehicle.
Our next features was the Mopar Jeep Cherokee Trail Carver. It features a lot of full functional and overly practical additions like the Cargo Management System, Rock Rails, Roof Rack, and Storage Locker. Sticking to the trails, the next feature was the Jeep Wrangler Recon...outfitted with a 470 HP 6.4L HEMI Crate Motor from Mopar.
We next saw a rehash of last year's surf hit Fiat with the Adventurer. This is a sporty model of the Fiat 500 that features the ever popular vintage red wheels...which will be offered in many colors and can be installed at, you guessed it, the Mopar Custom Shop.
Sticking to the sand, they highlighted the Ram Sunchaser. It is a Ram 1500 wearing Vibrance Orange and sporting some really unique features like the Flip-UP Seat Back Tailgate that converts your ordinary tailgate into a mini-couch. The Ram Box was also outfitted to hold water and made use of a fully functional shower head to allow you to clean up at the beach and carry on with living when reality called.
Next up we saw the Ram Promaster. This is a workhorse truck/van hybrid that was actually quite cool when outfitted in "race support" trim. It is targeted to business who need covered storage for delivers and/or tools, and a lot of real estate on the exterior for oversize graphics. This rig really is a driving billboard.
Now, the best, as usual, was saved for last....
Pietro turned the stage over to Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis and he once again hit on the aspect of personal customizations and how hard it was to do that with the late model cars. He also admitted that Dodge had dropped the ball the lats few years in terms of not offering up factory performance parts, in particularly the recalibrated engine controller to take advantage of all the upgrades.
He said, "We know, at the end of the day, our diehards are looking for solutions straight from the factory...That's about to change...We are going forward, buy going back."
The Dodge Scat Pack Club
The cameras then panned out to the arm of former Hot Rod Magazine writer and Mopar guy, Steve Magnante. Just last night, Steve got a tattoo of the new Dodge Scat Pack Bee. Tim mentioned that back in the day, guys like Steve turned to the factory for quality, dependable parts. He referenced the iconic "staged kits" also known as Scat Packages and proceeded to tell us they would be returning in Spring 2014 with Three Stages Available.
They only outlined the Scat Packages for the 5.7L HEMI, but I will assume other incarnations are coming for 6.1, 6.4, and likely the Dart. That said, let's take a look at what they amount to...
5.7L HEMI Scat Packages
Stage I: Cold Air Intake, Catback Exhaust, and Performance Engine Controller
Stage II: High Lift Camshaft
Stage III: CNC Ported Cylinder Heads and Tubular Exhaust Headers
In addition to the Staged Upgrade Packages listed above, Tim said they had stand alone upgrades available for Suspension and Braking. Something a lot of folks may have overlooked is that he then mentioned that they are even in the "test phase" of an electronic exhaust dump and side exhaust, similar to the original Challenger T/A.
To round out the return of the Scat Pack we have the coming launch of ScatPackForums.com. This is a nod to the original newsletter, in a modern format. We also got a look at the "new" Scat Pack Rear Window Decals that feature the "1" "2" and "3" Designations behind the Bee. I can only assume those will be available ONLY with the pre-installed Scat Package of matching designation. I would also venture to guess that the rest of us can pick up standard Scat Pack Bee decals...Note that these seem to be more of an adhesive backed emblem than "decal." Not sure how that will work for Charger owners...
If you watch the video from the link above, you will hear and see the start up on a Challenger sporting the side exhaust.
After that clip, Tim said we might have noticed something was missing. He said that the #2 Most Requested item was the Shaker Hood. He then went in to how hard it would be to offer it from the factory due to current governmental regulations, but that if it could be figured out it would be a big hit and could be retrofitted on all Challengers due to them having the same hood structure.
Simultaneously, the tarp came off a Scat Pack Equipped Challenger featuring the all new Factory Shaker ala the 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker.
The Shaker is factory engineered, fully floating just like the original, and meets all current bs requirements like noise restrictions and crash test ratings.
Tim wrapped up his time on stage by stating that every day, 40,000 people buy new cars and that is from a global brand count of 40 manufacturers. He stressed, once more, how Dodge and Mopar didn't want to offer a car for everyone like other brands try to do, but rather offer a car that will sell itself to people of the right mindset. He closed with a lead in to how Mopar had recently begun a long line of leading the way with unique and limited cars via the Mopar 10, Mopar 11, Mopar 12, and Mopar 13. Pietro returned to the stage...
Pietro hit on the pedigree of the Mopar branded cars and how they embodied the concept for the Mopar Custom Shop and individual identity with your car. He said, "No one should drive a car that can be confused with another one in the neighborhood." He then reiterated that Mopar took customer requests from the web to help formulate a strategy for the Mopar 14. He highlighted the Pistol Grip Shifter, as seen on the Mopar 10, 20" Gloss Black Wheels, Rear Spoiler, Performance Suspension Kit, Cat Back Exhaust, Mopar Blue Body Side Graphic, Custom Leather Seats with Mopar Blue Stitching etc...
He then unveiled the Mopar 14!
The Mopar 14, is based once more, off the Challenger. It will hit showrooms in the Spring of 2014 and is offered in two exterior colors (white and black) and with three stripe configurations (no details on colors or layout changes). He then said that stepping up the personalization there would be the option to install 20 factory options, 20 custom shop upgrades ,and more than 100 other accessories. He said that there can literally be 100 Mopar 14s with all of them completely unique.
He concluded with the line there was no doubt Dodge and Mopar are back to the glory days and echoing a popular sentiment, "Mopar or No Car!"
What are your thoughts on this presentation? Are you planning to order up a Mopar 14, Challenger R/T Shaker, Scat Pack Stage Upgrades, or just check out the forum? Let us know!
We will be updating info here at LPS via LoneStarMopars.com and the Mopar 10 Registry. Check back for all the latest!
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