2012 Dodge Charger with Uconnect® Touch Wins Edmunds.com Breakthrough Technology Award

January 22, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  The new 2012 Dodge Charger with its exclusive state-of-the-art Uconnect® Touch vehicle information and entertainment system is the winner of Edmunds.com’s Breakthrough Technology Award for 2012.

Each year, Edmunds.com recognizes a vehicle that sets the standard for intuitive, practical and affordable automotive technology.

“We’re very proud Edmunds.com is recognizing the 2012 Dodge Charger with its Breakthrough Technology award,” said Reid Bigland, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge brand. “The Charger’s Uconnect Touch system with the 8.4-inch touch screen is really world class, intuitive and easy to use. When you combine it with Charger’s available eight-speed transmission that gets best-in-class fuel economy of up to 31 miles per gallon on the highway, the 2012 Dodge Charger really does offer the latest high-tech features, all at a tremendous value, wrapped up with iconic styling.”

“The Dodge Charger embodies some of the most modern technology available in a car today, and it’s available in a vehicle that’s within the budget of average consumers,” said Scott Oldham, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com. “Much of the technology, for example, is standard on the 2012 Dodge Charger SXT, which has a base price of $28,495 MSRP. And since the Charger is a sensible sedan, the package is that much more attractive.”

Dodge Charger’s Uconnect Touch illustrates tangible results from the company’s extensive research and development. During the development of the all-new 2011 Dodge Charger and its all-new Uconnect Touch infotainment system, Chrysler Group engineers visited, observed and recorded feedback from more than 4,100 owners of the best vehicles from Europe, Asia and North America to see how they interacted with their in-vehicle audio and navigation systems, as well as find out what they really want and need from a multimedia and infotainment system. The result: four high-quality next-generation infotainment models that are easy to use and simplify how passengers interact with different radio, media, climate control and navigation technologies.

The Uconnect Touch system offered on the Dodge Charger includes two 4.3-inch and two 8.4-inch in-dash touchscreen models with redundant manual controls for items including climate control, fan speed, radio tuning and radio volume. The Uconnect Touch 8.4 and 8.4N models feature the segment’s largest touchscreen display at 8.4-inches. The system also includes steering wheel mounted controls for features, including voice recognition for the award-winning Garmin navigation system and SiriusXM satellite radio. In addition, innovative SiriusXM Travel Link provides a host of data services, including fuel prices, weather forecasts, sport scores and schedules and movie listings.

Continuing Chrysler Group’s relentless commitment to safety, innovation and technology, the Dodge Charger’s Uconnect Touch system has been upgraded for 2012, adding hands-free texting, voice commands for Garmin navigation, SIRIUS Traffic and even full iPod® control features to expand on the system’s world-class infotainment, connectivity and convenience technologies.

For the Dodge brand, safety is a priority and the upgraded Uconnect Touch with handsfree texting keep Charger passengers even more connected through voice commands. With a compatible Bluetooth® phone, Uconnect Touch enables text-to-speech for incoming text messages, and provides the driver with ‘canned’ speech-to-text responses for outgoing messages.

With the segment’s largest touchscreen display at 8.4-inches, the easy to use Uconnect Touch 8.4N with integrated Garmin navigation is even better with the addition of voice recognition and SIRIUS Traffic. With natural voice commands, the Uconnect Touch 8.4N enables Dodge Charger passengers to input street addresses and navigate to points of interest. And with the addition of SiriusXM Traffic, real-time traffic monitoring notifies the driver or enables the Garmin navigation to re-route due to congested throughways.

Unique to the all-new 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 model, the Uconnect Touch features the SRT brand’s Performance Pages, providing passengers with instant vehicle data, including steering angle, horsepower and torque outputs along with engine gauges. The display is customizable to a driver selectable background.

Another new addition to Dodge Charger’s Uconnect Touch system for 2012 is the optional Beats ™ by Dr. Dre™ audio system that delivers high-definition music. The industry-exculsive Beats Audio™ system was designed in partnership with Chrysler engineers and Jimmy Iovine, an acclaimed producer and chairman of Interscope records.

About the new 2012 Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger provides the ultimate combination of dramatic Dodge heritage styling, award-winning premium interiors, the reassurance of an IIHS Top Safety Pick and full-size spaciousness with the fuel efficiency of a mid-size car.

All-new for 2012 is the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission paired with the award-winning Pentastar V-6 engine, which delivers an impressive 292 horsepower and best-in-class 31 miles per gallon (MPG) highway. In fact, that fuel economy not only surpasses and full-size V-6 sedan but any mid-size V-6 sedan, while offering all the driving dynamics and distinctive style the Dodge Charger is renowned. The new eight-speed transmission delivers an estimated 15 percent increase in fuel economy and a 10 percent improvement in acceleration. Also new for 2012 are die-cast paddle shifters, available with the Pentastar V-6 and HEMI® V-8 engines.

The Charger’s available legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with four-cylinder mode Fuel Saver Technology and variable valve timing, delivers best-in-class power with 370 horsepower and 395 lb.-ft. of torque and a starting price thousands of dollars less than the competition. The 2012 Charger r/T is positioned as the most affordable V-8 sedan in America, with a starting U.S. MSRP of only $29,995.

Charger’s all-wheel drive system is the most advanced in its class, with segment exclusive active transfer case3 with front axle disconnect to maximize fuel economy of up to 27 mpg highway while delivering outstanding performance and handling inherent to a rear-drive car.

With its iconic character, contemporary fastback four-door coupe proportions, world-class performance, award-winning interior craftsmanship and refinement and state-of-the-art connectivity features with available Uconnect Touch 8.4-inch touchscreen media center, the new Dodge Charger proudly delivers premium, world-class sedan precision at an incredible value, starting at a U.S. MSRP of only $25,495.

About Dodge
For nearly 100 years, Dodge has defined passionate and innovative vehicles that stand apart in performance and in style. Building upon its rich heritage of muscle cars, racing technology and ingenious engineering, Dodge offers a full-line of cars, crossovers, minivans and SUVs built for top performance – from power off the line and handling in the corners, to high quality vehicles that deliver unmatched versatility and excellent fuel efficiency. Only Dodge offers such innovative functionality combined with class-leading performance, exceptional value and distinctive design. With the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, the all-new Dodge Charger paired with the ZF eight-speed transmission that achieves a class-leading 31 miles per gallon on the highway, the new Durango and the significantly revamped Grand Caravan – inventor of the minivan – Journey, Avenger and iconic Challenger, Dodge now has one of the youngest dealer showrooms in the United States.