Dodge and SRT Brands Partner with Universal Pictures on 'Fast & Furious 6'

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dodge and SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brands today announced their partnership with Universal Pictures on the upcoming film, 'Fast & Furious 6,' opening in theaters nationwide on May 24.

The partnership supports Universal's latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise with multitier marketing initiatives – including co-branded national, local and multicultural advertising campaigns – events, gaming, social media and merchandising.

The SRT brand supplied a 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 as the hero vehicle driven by the film's hero, Dominic (Dom) Toretto, in various chase scenes throughout the movie. Toretto also drives a 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 and a vintage 1969 Dodge Daytona. The production used 10 Charger SRT8 vehicles powered by stock 6.4-liter HEMI® V-8 engines.

"Dodge has been at the heart of the Fast & Furious franchise since the beginning and we are proud to be part of 'Fast & Furious 6,'" said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO - Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "Like 'Fast & Furious 6,' Dodge fuels the passions of the automotive enthusiast. Our innovative vehicles stand apart in performance and style, providing our customers with a way to express who they are and what they can do in the world."

"Dodge continues to be as much a part of the Fast & Furious franchise as our all-star cast who have the opportunity to sit behind the wheels of the Dodge Charger, Challenger and Daytona," said Stephanie Sperber, President, Universal Partnerships and Licensing. "We're thrilled to showcase this partnership on screen, especially with the action-packed sequences involving Dodge vehicles, in what has become one of the most successful franchises in Universal's history."

Dodge created three new television commercials to promote "Fast & Furious 6," including national, dealer and multicultural spots. All ads feature clips from the movie interspersed with new vehicle footage. The first advertisements began running Sunday, May 5.

'How to Make Your Car Fast and Furious' National TV Commercial – The 30-second spot continues the 2013 Dodge Dart "How to" advertising theme, this time "infusing" the Dodge Dart with high-octane smash and flash "Fast & Furious 6" footage to create the fastest, most furious Dodge Dart yet. With stars of the film, the action-packed racing and the new, powerful Dodge Dart engine, viewers will be inspired to drive like they've never driven before.

The spot airs on network and cable television, including primetime, late night, sports and entertainment programming. It will be voiced over in Spanish and will run on various networks including ESPN Deportes, Galavision, Telemundo and Univision.

'Flash to the Future' Dealer Commercial – In this 30-second spot, a man is in a dealership and is interested in the 2013 Dodge Charger. As he sits in it and checks out the interior, a poster catches his eye – it is artwork of a Challenger promoting the Dodge Event and "Fast & Furious 6." Putting both hands on the steering wheel, he is instantly transported "into" the intense action of the new movie. He takes his hands off the wheel, and when the salesman comes and checks on him he quickly responds, "Awesome!" The spot ends with shot of the Charger, Challenger and Dart.

The spot will air in local markets across the United States.

Dodge is utilizing Shazam to create an interactive mobile experience for consumers, including the opportunity to enter their name for a chance to win a new 2013 Dodge Dart. When viewing Dodge Fast & Furious 6 television commercials from May 13 – June 30, viewers who have the Shazam App on their mobile phones or tablets will be able to tag the ads for expanded content (when prompted), including viewing the Fast & Furious 6 movie trailer, getting information on the 2013 Dodge Dart, and entering the giveaway.

Additional elements of the partnership include:

New Dodge.com/Fast-Six Website –  Fans can check out the www.Dodge.com/fast-six website to explore the muscle behind the movie and find out more about the Fast & Furious 6 good guys, bad guys and cars that also serve as characters in the movie. The site includes information about the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Dart, and vintage Dodge Daytona vehicles, as well as movie stills and "behind-the-rides" videos.

Fast & Furious 6 Gear –  Fans can also sport new Fast & Furious 6 hats and t-shirts available at www.life.dodge.com.

Fast & Furious 6 Licensed Products – Dodge, SRT, Ram Truck and Jeep® brand vehicles will be featured in an Activision console game launching this spring. In addition, Dodge and SRT brand products will also be featured in scale vehicles, mobile and Facebook games from different manufacturers. Dodge has partnered with Cie Games, a leading social and mobile game developer, and its Car Town Facebook game on a special promotion with Fandango.com and Regal Theaters. When fans purchase tickets to "Fast & Furious 6" on Fandango.com for a showing at one of the more than 500 Regal Theaters nationwide, they will be entered into a contest to win Dom's Dodge Charger SRT8 from the movie. The contest runs from May 3 – June 13, 2013. (Promo code expires July 1, 2013.)

No. 91 Fast & Furious SRT Viper GTS-R – Working closely with Universal Pictures leading up to the launch of "Fast & Furious 6," the SRT brand created a No. 91 Fast & Furious SRT Viper GTS-R, which proudly wore logos from the film at the first two races of the season and will again at the May 11 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Monterey event. At each of the three ALMS events so far in 2013, fans were given the opportunity to take photos with the actual Dodge Charger SRT8 seen in "Fast & Furious 6."

About Fast & Furious 6

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in Fast & Furious 6. Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.

Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian's (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.

Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

Building on the worldwide blockbuster success of Fast Five and taking the action, stunts and narrative to even greater heights, Fast & Furious 6 sees director Justin Lin back behind the camera for the fourth time. He is supported by longtime producers Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, who welcome producer Clayton Townsend back to the series. www.thefastandthefurious.com

About Dodge

For nearly 100 years, Dodge has defined passionate and innovative vehicles that stand apart in performance and in style. Building upon its rich heritage of muscle cars, racing technology and ingenious engineering, Dodge offers a full-line of cars, crossovers, minivans and SUVs built for top performance – from power off the line and handling in the corners, to high-quality vehicles that deliver unmatched versatility and excellent fuel efficiency. Only Dodge offers such innovative functionality combined with class-leading performance, exceptional value and distinctive design. With the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, the all-new Dodge Charger paired with the ZF eight-speed transmission that achieves a class-leading 31 miles per gallon on the highway, the new Durango and the significantly revamped Grand Caravan – inventor of the minivan – Journey, Avenger and iconic Challenger, Dodge now has one of the freshest dealer showrooms in the United States.

About SRT

The Chrysler Group's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) 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 vehicle lineup features five vehicles that are world-class performance contenders and bring the latest in safety technologies and creature comforts. The 2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8, Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Dodge Charger SRT8 and new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT are joined by the SRT flagship 2013 Viper and Viper GTS models which are making their highly anticipated return to the high-performance sports car market.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC