2011 Dodge Durango puts on a Fiery Show at Cherry Blossom Parade

There's an old saying that any advertising is good advertising, but something tells us that the media attention received by the 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel at this past weekend’s National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington D.C. isn't exactly what the Chrysler Group had in mind for publicity.

As you can see after the jump in a small sample of the videos that made their way onto the web, a brand new Dodge Durango that was towing a parade float carrying a band, suddenly started blowing smoke from under the hood.

The driver was forced to come to a halt and open the bonnet to see what was going on. The situation only got worse as flames started spilling out and eventually something blew up. At the same time, the parade came to a stop and the crowd went video-crazy.

Luckily, with the exception of the Dodge model, no one was hurt and the SUV was towed away in safety after the fire was put out. Scroll down to watch the video clips.

Source: Youtube & WTOP

Marchionne Says Jeep Grand Cherokee Platform Could be Used on New Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati SUVs

Launched in June, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has enjoyed a massive success, as sales last month were up 291% compared to October 2009. So it comes to no surprise that Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, is considering the use of the Grand Cherokee's architecture on a variety of new models including Fiat, Maserati and Alfa Romeo SUVs, and possibly for a future Chrysler variant.

"The [Grand Cherokee] architecture has legs. It's important for us to tap all of the hard work that has gone on inside Chrysler on the new Grand Cherokee," said Marchionne during a conference call on the Chrysler Group's Q3 financial results. "It has a level of solidity and resilience that we have underestimated."

Marchionne added that the Grand Cherokee's platform, which was developed with Chrysler's former partner Mercedes-Benz, is capable of handling more powerful engines.

If a decision were to be made, all versions of these SUVs could enter the market as early as 2012 with production to most likely take place at the Jefferson North plant, which already runs two shifts, but can easily accommodate a third should the need arise.

The Detroit plant is an obvious choice as it has shown critical progress in the quality of assembly. "I'm delighted with the performance of the Jefferson plant here in Michigan" Mr. Marchionne added.

The same plant is also used for the trial production of the 2011 Dodge Durango, which is also based on the new Grand Cherokee and is scheduled to go on sale next month.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Detroit News & Automonews

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Mopar to Show 35 Tuned Vehicles Including 2011 Dodge Durango at SEMA Show

Wrapping up our preview on the Chrysler Group's 2010 SEMA Show offerings, we've grouped up the rest of Mopar's products in a gallery after the jump. All in all, Chrysler's in-house tuning division will showcase a total of 35 vehicles in Las Vegas.

Aside from the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 and RedLine Charger, and Fiat 500 that we've already told you about in previous posts, it's worth mentioning that Mopar is reading a luxed-up version of the 2011 Dodge Durango called "Black and Tan" as well as an "Off-Road Edition" of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Durango's highlights include a special shiny black paint color, Nappa leather seats, 22-inch alloys, a lower suspension and chrome trim, while the Grand Cherokee's features include 33-inch BFG Mud-Terrain tires, skid plates, rock rails and tow hooks. Scroll down for the photo gallery.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________