Officially Official: Dodge keeps Durango nameplate for 2011 [w/video]

Only days after our readers stumbled upon Dodge's test site for the 2011 Durango, the official word has been given from Chrysler that its new unibody SUV/crossover will, in fact, wear the Durango nameplate. As you'll recall, this new Dodge sport-ute was rumored to serve as a rebirth for the Magnum moniker, but it appears that those plans – if indeed they ever existed – have been scrapped.

The 2011 Durango shares the vast majority of its architecture from the new Jeep Grand Cherokee (which isn't a bad point to work from), and we expect both the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 5.7-liter Hemi V8 to be available underhood. Curiously, Dodge refers to the new Durango as a "three-row performance SUV" in its press release, which leads us to believe that Chrysler might have another trick or two up its sleeve. Durango SRT8? Makes sense, especially since the new 6.4-liter Hemi is slated for use in the Grand Cherokee. We also note that Dodge doesn't appear to be playing up the Durango as an off-road model, either, at least where badging is concerned – instead of proclaiming the new model available with four-wheel drive, they've added an all-wheel drive badge (as seen above).

For now, you can see plenty of teaser images of the 2011 Durango in the gallery below, and Chrysler has even provided a slideshow of images for your viewing pleasure after the jump. Expect the full details on the new Durango to be released in the next few weeks.

[Source: Chrysler]

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