Dodge Viper ACR Wins First Ever 'Performance Car of Texas' Award

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May 10, 2010, 04:00 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 10 /PRNewswire/ --

Top honor awarded at the 2010 Texas Auto Writers Association Spring Challenge event in Fort Worth
Award reinforces Dodge Viper's position as America's Ultimate Sports Car and the Dodge brand's performance leadership

Members of the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) named the Dodge Viper ACR (American Club Racer) as "Performance Car of Texas" at the 2010 Spring Challenge, the organization's annual passenger-car competition.

The Spring Challenge event was held May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway and featured more than 50 vehicles from various manufacturers, all vying for a top award from 40 of the TAWA journalists in attendance.

The Viper ACR was one of only eight vehicles honored in this year's list of various categories. Automotive media evaluated vehicles in side-by-side comparisons, and the top awards were given based on individual impressions and by secret ballot. The Viper ACR was chosen as top performer on the 1-mile infield road course against several performance vehicles.

"The Dodge Viper ACR is the worthy recipient of our first Performance Car of Texas award," said Michael Herzing, President – Texas Auto Writers Association and publisher of LetsTalkWheels.com. "By topping some of the toughest competitors in today's performance car marketplace, we feel this award is a real testament to the Dodge Viper's superior level of overall performance."

Introduced in 2008, the Dodge Viper ACR is powered by the venerable 8.4-liter, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, resulting in benchmark performance including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.

"It is a great honor to see the Texas Auto Writers Association recognize the Dodge Viper ACR for this significant award," said Ralph Gilles – President and CEO, Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "At Dodge, we're extremely proud of what the Viper represents within the performance car market, and this award helps us continue to tell the story of America's ultimate, street-legal sports car."

About Dodge

Dodge is a full line of cars, SUVs and MPVs that are agile, daring, sensible and inventive. The product line includes the Dodge Caliber, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Journey, Dodge Nitro and Dodge Viper SRT10.

Dodge introduced two new vehicles for the 2009 model year: the all-new 2009 Dodge Journey, the brand's first crossover vehicle and the 2009 Dodge Challenger, a modern-day American muscle car. Dodge also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the minivan during the 2009 model year. With more than 65 minivan-firsts introduced since 1983 and more than 12 million Dodge and Chrysler minivans sold, Chrysler Group LLC has solidified its leadership in the segment. J.D. Power and Associates further acknowledged this leadership by naming the Dodge Grand Caravan the Most Dependable Van for 2009. The 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan continues to set the mark in the minivan segment with unsurpassed fuel economy of 17 city / 25 highway mpg and minivan-first innovations including the segment's only Stow 'n Go® and Swivel 'n Go® seating and storage systems. The 2010 Dodge Journey and 2010 Dodge Avenger (with ESC) also earned the 2009 Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS.

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SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC