Redesigned 2011 Dodge Durango has three rows of seats, new logo

New Dodge Durango

Dodge today released the first pictures of the 2011 Durango SUV.

The Durango will be built at Chrysler's Jefferson North assembly plant on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It will arrive in dealer showrooms in the fourth quarter this year.

The Durango comes with seven seats while the Grand Cherokee comes with five. The Durango will have 22 seating configurations, according to a statement by the company. Like the Grand Cherokee, the Durango will be available with two engine options: a standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and an optional 5.7-liter HEMI V-8.

The new Durango will receive an all-new cabin as part of Chrysler's ongoing campaign to upgrade interiors across its entire lineup.

Chrysler stopped making the previous-generation Durango in 2008, when it shut down its Newark, Del., assembly plant. The new vehicle bears no resemblance to its predecessor. The old vehicle was a body-on-frame SUV derived from pickups. The new platform is a unibody-style structure with rear- or all-wheel-drive options.

Dodge is describing it as a “three-row performance vehicle.”

The Durango will be the first vehicle to sport the new Dodge logo, featuring a restyled, chrome-accented version of the crosshair grille that Dodge and Ram shared before Chrysler's new management separated the brands last year. The distinctive Ram's horns are gone, having stayed with Ram, which is now exclusively a truck brand.

The vehicle will make its first public appearance at the Dodge Rock ‘n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon presented by SunTrust in Virginia Beach, Va., over the Labor Day weekend.

Although Dodge no longer sells trucks, it's still the top-selling brand in the Chrysler Group stable. Dodge sold 35,364 vehicles in August, up 8 percent over the same month last year.