2007 Lexus Is250 Awd on 2040-parts.com

Chrysler eight-speed gearbox to boost big sedans' fuel economy

Chrysler Group says its new eight-speed automatic transmission will be the first offered on domestically produced automobiles and will boost fuel economy and cut emissions of the company's two full-sized, rear-drive sedans. The transmission initially will be available on 2012 Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers powered by Chrysler's 292-hp Pentastar V6 engine, the automaker said Thursday in a statement. The cars are being assembled and will start arriving in dealerships by Oct.

Essen Motor Show 2013: in pictures

After the corporate seriousness and Germanic efficiency of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Essen Motor Show is an altogether more relaxed affair. Albeit one delivered with the same level of German efficiency. It's the perfect show for the run-up to Christmas, with wild concepts and weird creations from the custom and tuning industry.

Ram introduces CNG-powered pickup

Aside from the Honda Civic Natural Gas, compressed-natural-gas-powered vehicles have usually been converted after the fact, generally for fleet use. Chrysler is hoping to carve out a niche in the corporate-pickup segment by selling a factory-built CNG Ram 2500 that can seamlessly switch over to gasoline operation when the natural-gas tanks run dry. The twin 4.6-cubic-foot CNG tanks (which store the equivalent of 18.2 gallons of gas) take up a section of the bed, while an eight-gallon gasoline tank provides fuel during start-up and then reserve capacity when the compressed tanks are tapped out, allowing the bruiser a measure of operational flexibility.