(Tue 20 Dec 05)

Chrysler Group has confirmed that it will introduce six new models to the UK market in the first seven months of next year. Two of them are SRT-8 versions of the Grand Cherokee off-roader (pictured below) and the 300C saloon, both using Chrysler's HEMI V8 engine in 420bhp 6.1-litre form.

This much power pushes the 300C from 0-62mph in less than five seconds and on to a top speed of around 170mph. The Grand Cherokee won't be quite as quick, but Chrysler has still had to do a lot of work to help the SUV cope. There's a reprogrammed traction control system, uprated suspension and a four-wheel drive transmission which in normal circumstances sends 90% of the engine's power to the rear wheels, though it will be distributed more evenly if the back end starts to lose traction.

The 300C SRT-8 will become available in April, the Grand Cherokee in July. Before that, Chrysler will launch the new PT Cabriolet in March, and a month later the Jeep Commander will make its debut. Mechanically the same as the Grand Cherokee, and less than two inches longer, the Commander is nevertheless another kind of beast entirely, with seven seats arranged in three rows and with a distinctly different interior.

Chrysler's big estate car, the Touring version of the 300C, will go on sale in May, and in July the company will introduce the Dodge brand to the UK. A C-segment car aimed at what Chrysler Group MD Simon Elliot describes as "the bland offerings in the market at the moment", the Caliber is the first in a series of right-hand drive Dodges being brought to this country over the next three years.

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