Four Chrysler Group LLC Models Receive MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• The 2013 Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, Fiat 500 Abarth and SRT Viper all earn MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award

MotorWeek, television's original automotive magazine, has released its annual list of Drivers' Choice Awards and four Chrysler Group vehicles have earned top honors, including:

• Dodge Dart: Best Compact Car
• Ram 1500: Best Pickup Truck
• Fiat 500 Abarth: Best Sport Coupe
• SRT Viper: Best Dream Machine

"We are honored to have MotorWeek recognize the Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, Fiat 500 Abarth and SRT Viper as winners of its Drivers' Choice Awards," said Reid Bigland, Head of U.S. Sales, Chrysler Group LLC. "These awards from influential third-party reviewers recognize the time and resources we've invested in revamping our product lineup to deliver high-quality vehicles that offer a solid balance of both power and fuel-efficiency and are fun to drive."

MotorWeek has judged the best new cars and trucks of the year for the past 32 years. Its annual Drivers' Choice Awards looks at vehicles from a buyer's point of view, judging on value and reliability, while also taking the latest trends and innovation into consideration.

"The Dodge Dart is the perfect mix of Italian flair and American ingenuity, while the very European Fiat 500 Abarth transforms to American taste with its mean look, great sounds and exceptional handling," said John Davis, host and creator of MotorWeek. "The Ram 1500 made us all believers that a V-6 engine can be a standard bearer in the full-size truck ranks, and the SRT Viper returned beautifully with all of its V-10 fury intact."

An episode of MotorWeek featuring all of its Drivers' Choice Awards winners is currently scheduled to air beginning Feb. 9 on PBS and Feb. 19 on Discovery's Velocity Network.

About the Dodge Dart

The all-new 2013 Dodge Dart leverages the world-class architecture and DNA of Alfa Romeo and then infuses it with Dodge passion and design, creating an agile, fun-to-drive compact car with mid-size levels of interior roominess and unmatched style, technology, safety and customization. The Dodge Dart brings features and content never before seen in the compact car segment. With a U.S. manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of just $15,995 (excluding destination), the new Dodge Dart is a thoroughly modern vehicle that's beautifully designed and crafted with high-quality materials, attention to detail and precision craftsmanship.

With an available fun-to-drive 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine offering up to 41 mpg highway, great ride and handling characteristics compliments of the Alfa Romeo-based chassis, innovative interior style featuring high-quality materials, splashes of color – like Ruby Red and Citrus Peel – and cool technology not found in the segment, like the available class-exclusive 8.4-inch Uconnect Touch Screen and 7-inch thin film transistor (TFT) customizable gauge cluster, as well as class-leading safety features, such as 10 standard air bags, and innovative style including available class-exclusive LED "racetrack" taillamps and integrated dual exhaust, the 2013 Dodge Dart sets a new standard in the compact car segment.

About the Ram 1500

The 2013 Ram 1500 marks a milestone for Ram as this truck delivers best-in-class fuel economy of 18 MPG city and 25 MPG highway with a truckload of pioneering, fuel-saving systems including a more fuel efficient and more powerful 3.6-liter V-6 engine and first-in-segment technologies: eight-speed TorqueFlite 8 transmission, stop-start and active aerodynamics, including grille shutters and air suspension. Ram engineers changed every area of the truck – from a newly designed frame to new engines and transmissions to a new interior with the next-generation Uconnect® system. With best-in-class ride and handling and best-in-class aerodynamics, the 2013 Ram 1500 delivers unmatched content, performance and capability to truck buyers. The 2013 Ram 1500 is available in nine trim levels and starts at $23,585 including $995 destination charge.

About the Fiat 500 Abarth

Faithful to the "small but wicked" saying coined for Karl Abarth's cars in the 1960s, the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth embodies the racing traditions that have made it a success on European roadways and racetracks — world-class performance and precision, purposeful and aggressive styling, high power-to-weight ratio and limited-production volume.

Building on the excitement of the 2013 Fiat 500 (Cinquecento), the Fiat 500 Abarth is designed for track-day enthusiasts and driving purists who want the ultimate high-performance small car with the pedigree of an exclusive Italian exotic.

With its 1.4-liter MultiAir® Turbo engine, Abarth-tuned suspension and brake systems, race-inspired design, and technology features not traditionally included on a small car, the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth unleashes legendary Italian performance heritage to American streets.

About the SRT Viper

The fifth generation of iconic American-built supercar returns in 2013 as the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brand's flagship performance machine with more power and performance, superior craftsmanship, new technologies and creature comforts. Power from the all-aluminum, 8.4-liter mid-front V-10 engine delivering 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque – the most torque of any naturally aspirated sports-car engine in the world, combines with triple-digit weight reduction to produce the best power-to-weight ratio of any Viper ever. Standard safety features include electronic multistage stability control, traction control and new 4-channel anti-lock brake system (ABS)

Two new models of the iconic supercar will be hand-built at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit – the Viper's home since 1995. Both SRT Viper and SRT Viper GTS models offer new interior and exterior designs incorporating premium materials and new exterior surfaces with aerodynamically functional details that are beautifully integrated into the high-tech carbon fiber and aluminum skin. On the inside, designers and engineers strived to rethink all its touch points and upgrade all its material appointments and technologies. The Viper GTS model adds a driver-selectable, two-mode suspension system for street or track use.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC