Recently, a Stellantis executive suggested that a V8 might return to the Dodge Charger, replacing the more powerful turbo straight-six “Hurricane” motors. Ironically the Power Wagon used a flat-head straight-six engine. Social media pundits have proclaimed that the reason for lower Ram sales was the lack of V8 engines, never mind that prior-generation Ram V8s … Read more
The 2025 Ram 2500 was only just announced, and the Jeep Wagoneer S is reportedly still on its way to dealers, but already company employees and retirees are being offered attractive lease rates on both—and on the Charger Daytona Scat Pack BEV. The lease rate on the two electrics is 1.0%, while the Ram 2500 … Read more
Dodge Charger Daytona electric cars are starting to leave dealerships for their new owners, who have been spotting them driving around and sitting in driveways, despite rumors that all are “bricked” on arrival and then every 500 miles, or that only 82 have every been sold. Greg, who took the photo above, wrote that he … Read more
Recently, Mopar Insiders reported on a leaked supplier notice that project C6X had been terminated. This led some to speculate that Chrysler had dropped its large crossover, scheduled now for a 2026 launch, but it’s possible there is another explanation. Erik Latranyi, posting at Allpar.com, believes that the cancelled project was the Airflow, whose demise … Read more
Over the last few months, it seems that just about every automaker has recalled cars due to rear-view camera failures—as though an outbreak of camera flu has been making the rounds. This week, it’s Tesla’s and Aston Martin’s turn. Tesla recalled the 2023-25 X and Y, and the 2024-25 3 and S, while Aston Martin … Read more
The head of Chrysler, Christine Feuell, told CNBC that the 101-year-old marque’s future is safe, with new product in 2026 including a refreshed Chrysler Pacifica and a large crossover. Earlier statements about Chrysler suggested the marque would be fully battery-electric, but this plan seems to have been ejected. An electric minivan is still planned, but … Read more
Chrysler Canada had their worst sales year for some time, with an 18% drop from 158,237 to 129,945 cars. Every marque was down, but the Canadian-made Chrysler line was the least affected, falling by just 1% though the 300 left production. The Chrysler Grand Caravan saw sales double to 4,643, though Pacifica took a 22% … Read more
Chrysler today celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Chrysler’s Stow ’n’ Go system for putting minivan seats away into the floor—a feature still standard on the Pacifica Select and Limited, even with all wheel drive models. The brand chief, Chris Feuell, said, “Chrysler brand will mark its 100th anniversary in 2025, and that Century of Innovation … Read more
Most of the recalls this week came from Ford, which like seemingly every automaker in the world is recalling cars for rear-view camera images that don’t show up. This week, it’s Ford’s turn with the 2019 Fiesta, Flex, and Lincoln MKT, and Land Rover’s turn with the 2022-23 Range Rover. Ford adds to that with … Read more
Who was the best for 2024? There is no complete way to answer that question, really. Lexus likely makes fine profits with its relatively low sales, while Mazda’s sales have been rising but profits don’t seem to be following. We can, though, look at different segments and see who is leading them in U.S. sales, … Read more
Bryan Nesbitt is being promoted to head of GM’s global design operations as of July 2, when Michael Simcoe, the current lead designer, retires. Nesbitt joined GM shortly after creating the winning PT Cruiser design at Chrysler, and is currently head of Cadillac design. David ZatzDavid Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, … Read more
The New York Auto Show has been a rather unexpected background for the outdoor Camp Jeep so long it’s become a tradition. In 2024, despite Chrysler sitting out the show, Jeep was right out in front—with Ford’s better-named imitation having to take less prominent space. The show itself runs from March 18 through April 27, … Read more
Toyota may be the best selling automaker in the world, but its Sienna didn’t thrill Americans in 2024; it racked up 75,037 sales last year, admittedly a 13% gain over 2023, but not enough to challenge the Pacifica. Toyota had to console itself with 475,193 RAV4 sales. Honda topped Toyota but not Chrysler with 80,293 … Read more
Skeptics have declared for some time that a car in Chrysler’s range could not survive in today’s market, but Genesis, whose first sedan seems to have been directly fashioned on the 300C, set a sales record for 2024. Two major differences are that Genesis has been refreshing its cars, while the 2023 300C dated to … Read more
They might just be fast-feedback cars, or maybe one or two special editions going to influencers, but Stellantis reported 133 Jeep Wagoneer S sales during 2024. Technically, that means they delivered on their promise to have the car at dealers during the year, just as they delivered on the New Charger. The hot electric muscle … Read more
Stellantis (FCA US) reported a 15% 2023-to-2024 full year drop in sales, despite gains in the fourth quarter. Total sales were just 1.3 million, down from 1.5 million last year. The major drops unsurprisingly came from discontinued vehicles. The Charger and Challenger had sales of around 120,000 in the United States in 2023, which fell … Read more