Dubbed the Pentastar V6, the engine first saw action in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and is making its way under the hood of just about every model in the Dodge range, from the 2011 Charger to the new Grand Caravan. We can expect the company’s new engine to offer anywhere between 283 hp (2011 Grand Caravan) to 305 hp (2011 Dodge Challenger), depending on the vehicle. Regardless of the exact figure, the new output will be a a huge leap forward compared to the the asthmatic 202 ponies under the current Wrangler’s hood. Buyers willing to wait for a stronger Wragler can expect to wait until as late as 2012.
Marchionne also went to great length to mention that the previously-announced new small Dodge car will not come in a hatch form but rather as a sedan, arguing that hatches tend to be less popular with American customers.
The new sedan will be based on parent-company Fiat’s platform that serves the new Alfa Romeo Guiletta. The new platform will be the “architecture that will govern all of Chrysler’s C- and D-segment vehicles, both passenger cars and SUVs, for the foreseeable future,” according to the executive. So we can expect very similar small sedans from both companies in the future. The Dodge sedan will go into production in early 2012 at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, which is currently undergoing $600 million in renovations for the model.
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