BY ALISA PRIDDLE

Pacifica output takes a mini break to meet dealer demand for minivans, while Chrysler also prepares to build VW minivans next year.

Consumers waiting for the launch of the new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan take heart. Chrysler this week marked the production launch of the new minivans with the segment’s most innovative seating, at its Windsor, Ontario, Canada, plant. The people movers should be arriving in showrooms in October.

To ensure enough to meet high dealer demand, Chrysler is temporarily halting production of its Pacifica crossover in Windsor to dedicate the entire plant to minivan output for a couple months. The Pacifica will be reintroduced in late September or early October. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER


Striking a new balance between big and small.

For each of its three generations since 1987, Dodge’s Dakota has always been the plus-size model among compact and mid-size trucks. Never terribly nimble but certainly more drivable than the full-sizers of its time”not to mention equipped with the only available V-8 in either of the smaller classes”the Dakota represented a relatively appealing mix of near-big-truck towing and hauling capability and not-so-big-truck urban friendliness. Still, the Dakota was always positioned as a mid-size truck. (more…)

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Dodge’s entry-level vehicle offers all-wheel drive, but the Caliber isn’t all that good.

Forget about any Dr. Evil“esque puns. For starters, the Dodge Caliber isn’t nearly as pretty as a fembot. The look, echoed by Dodge’s anything but cute advertising tagline, is a purposeful departure from the Caliber’s predecessor, the bug-eyed Neon. Moreover, the last Caliber we tested finished sixth out of seven in our May 2006 comparison test of $15,000 entry-level cars. (more…)

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The 2006 Dodge Viper is a 2-door, 2-passenger sports car, or convertible sports car, available in two trims, the SRT-10 Convertible and the SRT-10 Coupe.

Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 8.3-liter, V10, 510-horsepower engine that achieves 12-mpg in the city and 20-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2006 SRT-10 Convertible is a carryover from 2005. The SRT-10 Coupe has been redesigned for 2006.

Prices = $81,895-$83,145

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