Chrysler Group LLC Celebrates Seven 2012 Motorsports Championships

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Chrysler Group LLC celebrates seven motorsports championships won in 2012 for Mopar and SRT Motorsports programs with Dodge, Fiat, and Ram in NASCAR, NHRA, USAC and SCCA series
• Championship drivers visit Chrysler Group Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., to meet employees and sign autographs
• Seven Championship winning vehicles on display

After earning seven motorsports championship series titles in 2012, Chrysler Group LLC today celebrated those achievements by displaying the winning vehicles and inviting their championship drivers to their headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., to meet and sign autographs with company employees.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130129/DE50516 )

The event celebrated a year of motorsport series titles won by Mopar and SRT Motorsports programs with Dodge, Fiat and Ram vehicles in the NASCAR, NHRA, USAC and SCCA racing series. They include the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, won in a Dodge Charger by Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing, along with two 2012 NHRA Championship titles by Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson in his Dodge Avenger and Funny Car driver Jack Beckman in his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T.

"Following a spectacular season of motorsports for the Chrysler Group in 2012 with our seven championships between SRT and Mopar, we're excited to celebrate and show our appreciation for our champion drivers with our employees," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. "Every championship effort can be traced back to outstanding teamwork, and without the hard work of our dedicated employees none of these wins would be possible. This is our way to personally thank as many of them as possible."

"All of us at Mopar are very proud of these championships, the drivers and teams, as well as the efforts by everyone behind the scenes to showcase the strength of our products," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar, Chrysler Group's service, parts and customer-care brand. "Mopar-powered cars either led or were near the front of the field all year and it was tremendous to watch all our drivers and teams battle for wins and have efforts rewarded with championships titles, highlighting Mopar's 75th anniversary year. We look forward to building on that success again this season."

Also contributing trophies to the mantle are 2012 USAC Traxxas Off-Road Championship Pro4 driver Ricky Johnson and Pro2 driver Bryce Menzies, who earned their titles in Mopar-powered Ram trucks. Adding to the final title count are championship wins by DJ Kennington and his Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series, as well as Jonathan Start and his Fiat 500 in the SCCA B-spec series.

Mopar-first Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format and first to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
• Brand-specific customer care telephone lines: first to offer Sunday service hours for customers
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A, Mopar's global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA brands.

Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.

More than 75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s — the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of "special parts" for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support.

About SRT Motorsports
The engineering expertise within SRT extends well beyond our high-performance street vehicles. Technical support for Chrysler Group's motorsports programs is provided by the astute engineers at SRT, where lessons learned on the race track directly translate to improved vehicles for our customers.

About SRT
The Chrysler Group's SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brand uses a successful product development formula featuring five proven hallmarks: awe-inspiring powertrains; outstanding ride, handling and capability; benchmark braking; aggressive and functional exteriors and race-inspired and high-performance interiors to remain true to its performance roots.

The SRT lineup in the 2013 model year features five vehicles that are world-class performance contenders and bring the latest in safety technologies and creature comforts. The Chrysler 300 SRT8, Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Dodge Charger SRT8 and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 are joined by the SRT flagship Viper and Viper GTS models, which are making their highly anticipated return to the high-performance sports car market.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC