Mopar Teen Safe-Driving Program to Make First Texas Visit

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 29, 2016 --

• Classes on December 3-4 at Circuit of The Americas facility in Austin mark first program stop in Lone Star state
• "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" program uses dynamic, behind-the-wheel training to school teens on importance of safety behind wheel
• Spots open for all four Austin classes, with morning and afternoon sessions scheduled each day
• Safe-driving classes are complimentary with refundable deposit for teens and also parents
• "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" program in third year of teaching teens importance of safety behind wheel
• Program has helped train more than 3,000 teens and parents
• Register teens for Austin "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" classes at http://mopar.com/road-ready/register

"Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" is continuing its mission of teaching teens safe-driving skills with the program's first-ever Texas stop. Four complimentary, advanced, behind-the-wheel training sessions are scheduled for the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on December 3-4, with spots still available. Parents can sign up teens for the Austin classes at http://mopar.com/road-ready/register.

More than 3,000 teens and their parents — who are also eligible to participate in the program along with their children — have learned safe and defensive driving techniques through "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" training. "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" classes are free of charge to registered teens and their parents or guardians. A $99 refundable registration deposit is required to secure a spot. The program is in its third year.

"We're excited to bring the 'Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge' program to Texas for the very first time and to give Austin-area teens and parents the opportunity to learn critical skills behind the wheel," said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA – Global. "The Mopar brand loves being fast at the track, but it's even more important to stay safe on the streets. This is why we continue to support this important initiative to educate and empower teens with tools and the hands-on experience that will help keep them safe on the road."

"Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" is aided by a collaboration with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe), two nationally recognized non-profit 501(c)3 organizations that share similar missions of promoting the importance of safe and responsible driving.

"The Dodge brand wants all drivers to experience that visceral feeling that makes them fall in love with driving, and that includes making sure they feel comfortable in all driving situations," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. "The 'Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge' program gives new teen drivers the opportunity to learn important driving skills, gain valuable experience behind the wheel and fall in love with driving in the process."

The advanced driving program, designed to teach safe and defensive driving techniques, is available to teens between the ages of 15-19 with a learner's permit or driver's license and at least 30 hours of driving experience. Participants will benefit from a proven curriculum and skilled high-caliber instructors provided by the B.R.A.K.E.S. organization. It incorporates both classroom education and hands-on training with a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio, allowing for quality time with each teen. Each teen driver's participation in the training program will include a companion experience for a parent or adult guardian who also will actively take part. "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" sessions provide a brief classroom review of core driving topics, including proper seat positioning, hand positioning and basic vehicle dynamics. Advanced behind-the-wheel training will then be provided to teens through a variety of on-track course modules, such as accident avoidance, distraction, panic stop, wheel drop and wet skid pad.

"Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" Class Registration/Schedule Information

The "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" program will continue its 2016-2017 slate of events with stops in Phoenix on March 3-4; Englishtown, New Jersey, on April 22-23; Metro Detroit on May 6-7; and Sarasota/Bradenton in Florida on May 20-21.

To register your teen for a 2016-2017 "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" event, visit http://mopar.com/road-ready/register.

To view a sneak peek video of the "Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge" program in action, visit https://youtu.be/7I2-lxQW_nA.

About Dodge and SRT Brands

The Dodge brand is America's mainstream performance brand. With the purification of the brand and consolidation with SRT, Dodge is focusing on its performance roots with every single model it offers. The Dodge and SRT brands offer a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out within their own segments. Dodge is the mainstream performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

From muscle cars to minivans, crossovers and full-size SUVs, the Dodge brand's full lineup of 2017 models deliver best-in-class horsepower, class-exclusive technology, unmatched capability and a slew of cool features, such as LED headlamps, Dodge signature racetrack tail lamps, active exhaust, cold-air induction, 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment centers and 7-inch customizable gauge clusters, to name a few. For the 2017 model year, the Dodge brand lineup features the 25th anniversary Viper, Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger, including the new Charger Daytona and Challenger T/A, as well as the 707-horsepower Challenger SRT Hellcat, the most powerful and fastest muscle car ever and the Charger SRT Hellcat, the quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world. 

About Mopar Brand

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support. 

Today, Mopar is the service, parts and customer-care brand of FCA US LLC and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands. 

Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.