As Chrysler cleans up the mess left by bankruptcy, the clutter includes a range of obsolete engines, and cars whose performance has suffered as a result of them. Chrysler recently announced, though, that its new Pentastar V6 will be offered on 13 car and truck models. In other words, this single 3.6-liter engine will replace seven existing V6s, almost none of them any good.

 

Already up and running on the terrific 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the new workhorse is the most advanced 6-cylinder engine ever from Chrysler in terms of power, weight and fuel efficiency. The compact, lightweight engine -- a remarkable 94 pounds lighter than the 3.7-liter engine it replaces in the Jeep --  runs on regular gasoline and can power front-, rear- or all-wheel-drive models.

 

Rick Kranz over at Automotive News is doing some well-deserved cheerleading for Hyundai, noting that the Korean manufacturer will likely top its current U.S. sales record in November and that, by the end of the year, the final tally could be three-quarters of a million vehicles more than the old record of 467,047 from 2007.

Sales are one thing, but what Kranz is really touting is the company's turnaround. In 1998, Hyundai sold a dismal 90,000 vehicles during the entire year. It was plagued by myriad quality issues and the dismal reputation that comes with them. It was seen as a second-, maybe third-class purveyor of cheap econoboxes. Twelve years later, it's seen as a leader in both quality and value -- and even is competitive in the luxury and near-luxury segments, with the well-received and critically popular Equus and Genesis models. Not to mention that production had to be ramped up to keep pace with demand for the design-forward Sonata sedan. 

The Dodge brand will receive the first Chrysler Group product based on Fiat's Compact Wide architecture, Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said Thursday.

The Fiat-based sedan will broaden Dodge's offerings in the crucial compact segment. The Caliber compact hatchback is the smallest Dodge model available today. It will continue in its current form until mid-2012.

The new Dodge compact sedan will be built in the United States and debut at the end of 2011. There will also be a high-mileage version that will get 40 mpg, Marchionne said.

 

It's Friday, and a pretty slow news day in the automotive world at that, so let's check in with Joe Brown over at Jalopnik, and his post about insane Russian accidents, many involving guardrails in new and exciting ways.

So, yeah -- that's about all I've got for this post. Check out Brown's post for the rest of the pics, which are pretty self-explanatory in that they're all weird. Seriously, how do you get even get a subcompact so perfectly positioned on a guard rail like that? It's like some prank from a wacky '80s comedy. 

About 8.4 million Ford vehicles that can possibly catch fire remain on the road because of lack of owner information even after the largest U.S. safety recall ever, regulators said Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged owners of the 14 million vehicles recalled between 1999 and 2009 for leaky cruise-control switches to take their unrepaired vehicles in to dealers. The switches on those vehicles may leak into the antilock brake system, Ford has said.

“If not repaired, the vehicles can catch fire, even if they are turned off, parked and unattended,” NHTSA's statement said.

 

The same issue that caused a U.S. recall of about 740,000 Toyota vehicles has led to an additional 470,000 vehicles being called back by Toyota's major rival, Honda.

Advics Co., based in Japan, supplies certain parts to both manufacturers, and the overlap means that, as with the Toyota recall, drivers who replace factory-installed Honda Genuine brake fluid with another brand may cause a rubber seal in the master cylinder to dry out or curl, leading to a possible leak. The problem with the other brake fluids, according to both Honda and Toyota, is that they might not contain the correct polymers to keep the parts working properly. 

Dodge is updating its Journey crossover with an improved interior, a new engine and a fortified suspension.

The Journey gets a one-piece instrument panel with larger cluster of gauges. In the middle is a full-color vehicle information screen backlit in Dodge's red lights.

There's more storage space, new seats and new colors and trims. The ride is also enhanced with reengineered suspension geometry.

Let's not forget what really improves the drive--the engine.