Dodge dodge's a Bullet by Pulling Out

Dodge is reportedly pulling out of the Nascar series for the upcoming 2013 season. Although it signed up for the Sprint Cup Car Series it has been missing from the recent track tests. Although many could see this as a huge blow to Nascar or to the Dodge Brand, it is not the first time the automaker pulled out of the Nascar Car series'. From 1985-2001 they were absent from all races and this could prove their absence from the driving series will be short lived. The root of the problem has been hinted at being a sponsorship mishap

Dodge hinted that sponsorship was part of the problem it encountered during the search for new teams. Ralph Gilles pointed out, "The sponsors are just not as flush as you would think as they used to be." Sponsorships have been dwindling in NASCAR, so Dodge's experience is not an unusual issue.

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Chrysler's New Eco-Diesel: Oxymoron or Redeemer

Chrysler is set to roll out its new Eco-Diesel Tag to certain Jeep Chrysler Dodge models. Expect it to come in the next few years (2014) and it brings a whole new light to the diesel fuel efficiency. Tagged as "clean diesel" it will be featured first on the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Quoted from GreenCarReports "Sources within Chrysler say that the 3.0-liter turbo diesel already available in Jeeps overseas will hit the U.S. market next year." The engine which is already featured in European models will have a 3.0 liter engine. This turbocharged beast will feature 241 horsepower and 406 pounds-feet of torque.Right now it is paired with a five speed transmission but a eight-speed auto has been rumored but unclear if the new diesel engine will be used in with the auto. 


Where is Really Counts
The Eco-diesel engine will help boost the Jeep Grand Cherokees miles per gallon fuel efficiency as well as any other car this engine inhabits. It should allow the Grand Cherokee to consummate up to 33 mpg on the highway, as well as 23 mpg in the city (5 speed). That's much better than the 15 mpg i got on my jeep 2004 Jeep. 

Louder Than An Engine: Social Media in the Car Industry and Reaching Customers

Social Media has come a long way in the past couple years, especially for the Car Industry. A few years ago we started a micro social media site called <www.MyJeepCommunity.com> We started getting users to sign on in the hopes of communicating with one another. The task seemed too daunting as other sites like Facebook and Twitter garnered millions of users to their sites. Now, rather than individual social media sites, Auto execs must scan through thousands of Facebook and twitter users looking for potential customers. Well with all of these users its easy to get lost in the crowd, especially when no one knows who your are. Many businesses are trying extremely hard to use social media to convert users into customers and computers into gold mines. Much of the online success has occurred through parts websites, selling car owners parts to their cars depending on models and makes. But social media has seemed to be stagnant. How can you track a customer coming from a "like" on a Facebook page or a "re tweet" from twitter. I believe real customers will come if you offer them something to engage in and some rich in content. Re-blogging or "retweeting" the same old Auto News Articles may get you a 100 likes on Facebook or maybe even more, but without new and orignal ideas about the industry no body will listen and they will scan you out of their news feeds. Rather than going and searching for customers ONLINE, i believe creating rich content will have customers searching for you instead.

Be new and creative and don't follow the mold.