Accelerate Mpls

We have all heard from sometime that the Ford Ranger plant here in Minnesota is going to close.  Some wondered if the recent tax breaks that went into effect in April would keep the plant open.  The Detroit News reported yesterday that Ford officials met with Governor Tim Pawlenty to discuss the future of the St. Paul plant.  The plant only builds the Ranger which has been slated for death for quite some time now.  With the F150 continuing to get more and more fuel efficient, the Ranger’s role is becoming less necessary.  Despite meeting with the Governor and the recent tax breaks, Ford continues to say they plan to shutter the plant.  The date of closing has not been given though neither has the death date of the Ranger.  I am betting those two dates will be somewhat close to each other when revealed in the future.  It has been said numerous times that the new larger Ranger that will be sold around the world will not be sold in North America.

Source- The Detroit News

Not content to let Ford and Chevrolet take the Police departments over fully Dodge has revealed the upcoming Police Pursuit vehicle.  This is the 2011 Dodge Charger in all it’s glory.  In fact this is the first official picture released by Chrysler of the 2011 Dodge Charger.  Details are still flowing in but you can bet the pursuit vehicle will feature both the new Pentastar V6 (that just launched recently in the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee) and the Hemi V8 with MDS.  Rear wheel drive will of course be the drive train set up and it is still murky as to the transmission choice, though I would assume the current 5 speed automatic will be in the police Pursuit vehicles.  Oh by the way, they finally got around to adding a column mounted shifter for the police package thus freeing up some space between the seats for other equipment.  Also inside the Pursuit vehicle they are touting red and white LED interior lighting which is for night-vision equipment and more.

Source- Chrysler

So Dodge has finally launched the new upcoming 2011 Durango replacement website.  Guess what?! Turns out the Durango replacement will be in fact another Durango!  That’s right folks.  The rumors of the name changing to Magnum were apparently wrong.  They have put up three full teaser pics which between these and the spy shots we can pretty much tell what the new Durango will look like. Remember this based off of the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a slight stretch.  Powertrain will be the same as the 2011 Grand Cherokee.  Check out the full teaser site here.

Source- Dodge

Some of this was known (ok most of this we knew), but here it is in a nice handy little table.  You are looking at Ford’s plans through 2013.  As you can see pretty much almost everything will be refreshed or new.

Source- Twitter

That is right folks!  Over the weekend I spotted The Mystery  Machine right here in Minnesota.  While Scooby Doo and the crew were no where to be seen the woman and child inside the van seemed to enjoy the attention.  Funny because I spotted them again later  in the afternoon on the highway.  Oh one last thing, I am no expert but I am fairly certain The Mystery Machine was not a Dodge….

As many have reported the 2011 Jeep Wrangler will have an all new interior. Allpar had some terrific spy shots anonymously sent into them of the new interior. It appears a low sheen soft touch pad will be on top off the dash and on the door panels. The steering wheel is either lifted from the new 2011 Grand Cherokee or is very similar along with the shift knob. The 2011 Wranglers will also have the option of the hard tops painted to match the exterior color. For all the changes and details of the 2011 Jeep Wrangler head over to Allpar.

Source- Allpar

Source- AutoBlog

As previously reported the new upcoming 2012 Dodge Durango (or is that Magnum?) is coming very soon.  In fact if earlier leaks are correct the new Durango should start production on November 8.  That is pending that the production is still on schedule or that the schedule has not shifted.  Judging by this picture which is obviously in the factory or near the pre-production line the vehicle is probably on schedule.

The design has not changed much from the earlier leaks which is to say it is strong but dramatically different from the current Durango.  The Durango (Magnum?) will be based on the new Grand Cherokee platform though probably a little longer due to third row.  The powertrain line up will also mimic the new 2011 Grand Cherokee with the Pentastar V6 and Hemi V8.

Source- Twitter

Just posted by VWMico is the pricing and details of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.  Quoted below is the information from that post, but a few key facts for the quick rundown for your viewing pleasure below-

• 2011 Jetta will start at $14,995
• 2011 Jetta will come base with 115 HP/125 lb-ft 4 cylinder (party like it’s 1999!)
• 2011 Jetta TDI starts at $22,995
• 2011 Jetta GLI is absent from this list so it will either appear later or as a 2012 model possibly
• Dealerships are taking orders

Jetta Base: Includes S features, minus: manual A/C, RCD 310 radio, remote keyless entry, power exterior mirrors – $14,995

Jetta S: 2.0L, 115 HP / 125 lbs-ft, 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual transmission OR optional 6-speed automatic transmission, front disc brakes, rear drum brakes, 15” steel wheels w/ full covers & all-season tires, power & heated black exterior mirrors, black grille, manual A/C, RCD 310 radio w/ CD player, aux. input & 4 speakers, power locks w/ remote keyless entry, power windows w/ one-touch auto up/down on all four windows, 6-way manually adjustable front seats, 60/40 split folding rear seat, tilt & telescoping steering column, temperature display, front airbags, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESC, TPMS, LATCH, daytime running lights, immobilizer – $15,995

Jetta SE: Includes S features, plus: 2.5L, 170 HP / 177 lbs-ft, 5-cylinder engine, 16”steel wheels w/ full covers & all-season tires, body color exterior mirrors w/ turn indicators, V-Tex leatherette seats, front center console w/ storage box, chrome interior accents, carpeted floormats, illuminated vanity mirrors, rear center armrest w/ pass-thru, cruise control – $18,195

Jetta SE with Convenience: Includes SE features, plus: 16” Sedona alloy wheels w/all-season tires, heated washer nozzles, heated front seats, leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel, brake handle & shift knob, Bluetooth®, MDI w/ iPod® cable, Sirius® satellite radio, 6-speaker sound system – $19,545

Jetta SE with Convenience and sunroof: Includes SE w/ Convenience features, plus:power tilt & sliding sunroof, Premium VIII touch-screen radio w/ SD memory card reader – $20,795

Jetta SEL: Includes SE features, plus: 17” Joda alloy wheels w/ all-season tires, 4-wheel disc brakes, chrome front grille & window trim, fog lights, RNS 315 touch-screen navigation w/SD memory card reader, keyless access w/ push-button start, trip computer, driver lumbar adjustment – $21,395

Jetta SEL with sunroof: Includes SEL features, plus: power tilt & sliding sunroof –$22,295

Jetta SEL with Sport package: Includes SEL w/ Sunroof features, plus: sport suspension,sport bolstered comfort seats, sport pedals & door sills – $22,995

Jetta TDI: Includes SE w/ Convenience & Sunroof features, plus: 2.0L, 140 HP /236 lbs-ft, TDI® Clean Diesel engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, 16” Mambo alloy wheels w/ allseason tires, trip computer – $22,995

Jetta TDI with nav: Includes TDI® features, plus: fog lights, chrome grille & window trim, RNS 315 navigation w/ SD memory card reader, keyless access w/ push-button start, driver seat lumbar adjustment – $24,195

Add Destination charge of $770 to all models, and $1,100 for automatic transmission.

Source- VWMico

Somehow the boys over at Hyundai Blog managed to get their hands on an image of the 2011 Hyundai Elantra interior.  I must say wow.  That is not bad looking for the vehicle class.  The updated Elantra will battle the new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Ford Focus among others.  We have already seen the exterior when Hyundai showed the Avante which is essentially the Elantra in other markets.  They exterior styling takes cues from the new 2011 Sonata.  We can assume the refreshed 2011 Elantra will make a debut in the upcoming auto show season.

Source – Hyundai Blog