This week’s flurry of Dodge announcements points to FCA aligning to fill voids Ford, GM are leaving in the market.

Photo: FCA Media website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) issued a flurry of Dodge-division announcements late this week that, although they tell us little that we didn’t know already, further clarify their strategic direction for Dodge going into the 2019 model year.

The Dodge announcements give us a snapshot of an automaker that is continuing to stay the course with two of their current strong suits: fleet sales and performance-focused passenger cars.

Don't Look Now, But the Hellcat is Getting a Dual-Snorkel Hood

Photo: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. media website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles just released a couple of semi-obscured teaser press photos of the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT. And, yes—it looks like they're on a mission to make the Hellcat look even more badass.

Looking for a Hot Car that will Hold its Value? Edmunds Gives Dodge Charger the Nod

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles earned kudos recently for building a product that holds its value, when Edmunds designated the winner of the Edmunds Best Retained Value Award in the large car category: the 2018 Dodge Charger. Edmunds selects winners of the Best Retained Value award in each vehicle segment based on the five-year projected residual value.

“Buying a new car is a huge financial decision, and our 2018 Edmunds Best Retained Value Awards are designed to help shoppers discover the vehicles that can help them get the most out of their investment,” said Avi Steinlauf, Edmunds’ CEO. “This year’s winners underscore a commitment to quality and reliability, and are good bets to hold their value over the course of ownership.”

Today’s Automotive Design Aesthetics: All-Time High, or All-Time Low?

Left: 1954 Chrysler Ghia Thomas Special. Photo by "Mr. Choppers"
(posted to Wikipedia).  Right: 2018 Ford Fusion (Photo: Ford media website).

Are you excited by the car designs you’re seeing today?

Or are the lineups, by and large, getting tiresome—because everything seems more and more alike?

The sad truth is that, today, with some notable exceptions, many models within a given category—sedans, crossovers, SUVs, even sports coupes—are tending to look dishearteningly similar.

To those of us who appreciate the breathtaking looks from the heyday of car design (which, for us, was roughly from the 1950s through perhaps the mid-1970s), the current generation of look-alike fastback sedans, for example, is sad to behold.