An Open Letter From Bob Nardelli

To Chrysler employees and other stakeholders:

We have received news that U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will provide $4 billion of initial funding to Chrysler LLC from the TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) as a loan to help bridge the current financial crisis. We appreciate the Administration’s confidence in Chrysler.

As outlined in our submission to Congress, we intend to be accountable for this loan, including meeting the specific requirements set forth by the government, and will continue to implement our plan for long-term viability. The receipt of this loan means Chrysler can continue to pursue its vision to build the fuel-efficient, high-quality cars and trucks people want to buy, will enjoy driving and will want to buy again.

For Chrysler to succeed in its mission to return to profitability, we need the continued support of our many business partners. Terms associated with the bridge loan include Chrysler’s commitment to work with key constituents – including our owners, lenders, suppliers, dealers, management and employees – to identify and achieve the cost-savings concessions we need to build a long-term viable enterprise. These concessions discussions will happen quickly, as a full governmental review and approval of our plan is expected by March 31, 2009.

While the world has turned itself upside down  and inside out the hard working underpaid staff (looking quite skeletal)  of DODGE ENTHUSIAST has been working  for free and  combing the countryside for  bursts of enthusiasm at DODGE car and truck gatherings. 

There is a lot of good to report and there is also a whole lot of bad happening to some really good people.

First it was the gas crunch (hit me right in the back side in my 3/4 ton pickup) and then...well a world wide recession (shssssh guess we are still not allowed to call it what it is WAKE UP WASHINGTON!!!!!!) and next thing you know the daily news is all about the demise of the BIG 3 (well in my esteem it would be OK if 2 out of the 3 took a dive but hey I guess that is not too cool eh?).

Things are tough in the car biz ...including small car mags... the DETROIT crash has more than trickle down to us at DE.... but after shooting enough pics and pulling enough stories together to fit into 10 mags  the folks here decided to regroup and save a few trees, a lot of bucks we don't have and polish off this web site and give you guys some of the stories we have been working on for the magazine.

We are all pitching for DODGE to catch a break in DC (if they can bail out the Wall Street thugs why not a decent American car company). If you feel the same give a shout out to somebody.... I personally wrote a bunch ofPoliticians,Fox News and  Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live (well the later was hoping for a date...thought she looked hot as Sarah Palin).

Tune in to this site for my weekly commentary on non moldy subjects (I am about 100 years younger than Andy Rooney  ) . I call it "STUFF ON MY FACE" (until the editors clean it up and call it something else). I will also have a new feature each week about some DODGE event, DODGE person, Tech, Install, unabashed greedy article about free stuff a vendor  gave me or interview with a hot SEMA model.

Maybe somewhere down the road we can have contests like where you guess which substance I am abusing when writing my middle of the night columns!  The dude just can't abide by driving a  Toyota RAM or Honda Charger...so lets keep the force behind the suits in Michigan.

Less than a year old and Dodge Enthusiast Magazine has been invited to three of the biggest MOPAR events of the Summer, two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and one in Canada!

On June 22nd the Old School Mopars (Cowtown and Dallas Mopars) meet the New School Mopars (DFW LX) in Arlington Texas. Details at www.dfwlx.com.  UPDATE: This was a GREAT EVENT!  We will have pictures in the next issue of Dodge Enthusiast.

On August 16 & 17 the largest MOPAR event in Canada will take place in New Hamburg Ontario.  Details at www.moparfest.com.

On August 28 & 29 (Labor Day Weekend), the Dallas Mopar Club will be hosting their 24th Annual all mopar car show. Details at www.dallasmoparclub.com.

Nearly 2000 cars will be lined up at these three events and every one of them will get a copy of Dodge Enthusiast!  We are proud to be a part of these great events.

DODGE Enthusiast is NOW available on newsstands all over the US and Canada!

Watch for features on these events in the FALL issue of Dodge Enthusiast!

FREE Preview

CLICK HERE  

Many thanks to our Charter Subscribers, who received the printed copy of the premier issue of Dodge Enthusiast Magazine in the mail.

During the past month, we have been working on ONLINE VERSIONS of the pubiication, we are delighted to announce our online edition of both Dodge Truck Enthusiast and Dodge Car Enthusiast Magazine.

In the future, the online and print editions of the magazine will be developed side-by-side, so members will have a choice of how they want to read the magazine.

SPECIAL ONLINE FEATURES:  For a limited amount of time, the online edition of the magazine will be availabe for preview to all registered users (registration is free).  The online edition of our magazine looks and works exactly like a print magazine, but it is completely interactive, allowing you to click from topic to topic within the magazine, and even click to off-site links (including advertisers, product reviews, and other information mentioned in the articles).

PRINT ISSUE: In the future, PAID SUBSCRIBERS will receive the printed edition in the mail and will have access to all archived online editions via this website.  If you subscribed via the mail and would like to access the online editions, please register for the site, and then use the CONTACT US form to request access to the online edition.

What has muscle cars fans squealing like teenage girls at a Hannah Montana concert?

Try the all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8®. Just in the first DAY of orders, more than 4,300 people plunked down a deposit for the American muscle coupe. And more than 6,000 have made deposits with dealers since orders opened on Monday, months before the limited-edition Challenger SRT8 goes into production.

“This is unprecedented,” said Mark Mallie, Challenger Brand Manager – Dodge Marketing. “Customers were actually coming to us and pushing us, so we thought this was a good time to take pre-sale orders.”

We were delighted to introduce the premier issue of Dodge Enthusiast Magazine at the 2007 SEMA show.  Thousands of copies of our innaugural issue were distributed by the "Mopar Girls" at the largest SEMA show ever, attended by more than 100,000 automotive aftermarket industry participants.

You can check out dozens of SEMA cars and trucks in our photo gallery, and help us choose your favorite modifed Dodge at the show.  At this year's event, our editors scoured the show, both inside and out, snapping hundreds of pictures and taking notes,  looking for the coolest new aftermarket products and modifications that enthusiasts and vendors are demonstrating on Dodge vehicles.

The SEMA show was held October 28 to November 2nd in Las Vegas, and more than 2000 new aftermarket products were introduced at this year's event.  Early next year, Dodge Enthusiast will be giving awards for the best Dodge vehicle treatments and for the best new aftermarket products for both trucks and cars, and  SEMA introduced us to some real innovators.

The Mopar Girls distributed Dodge Enthusiast magaine at both ends of Mopar Alley, which was a Mopar car show within SEMA, featuring both collectible cars, current models, and even a couple of concept cars.  They alley connected the North and Central halls at the Las Vegas convention center.  Mopar girls also distributed the magazine at the Mopar booth inside the central hall.

Do you have a favorite aftermarket product or vehicle created in 2007?  If so, please let us know in the forums.