Stellantis is returning to Canada’s biggest, most popular car show, bringing Jeep’s indoor off-road course and other attractions. The displays will range from the Hornet to the Wagoneer L. It may seem that Stellantis was snubbing the show, but the show itself was actually closed for some time due to COVID. It will be open … Read more
Mopars fared reasonably well in Canadian sales for 2022, with 169,179 cars sold—a 5% gain over 2021.
The Wagoneer had a good outing with 1631 regular and 930 high-priced Grands trading hands—totaling 16,682 sales. Compare those premium cars from a standard brand to Alfa Romeo’s 911 total sales for the year. Both were up from 2021 but that makes sense, since they started production late in that year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its list of 2022 recalls. Overall, there were 390 recalls, including trucks and trailers. Ford topped the list by a huge margin, with 65 recalls, including the company’s trademark fire-hazard recalls. In fairness, Ford had four major launches—the Bronco, Bronco Sport and Escape, and Mustang and F-150 … Read more
Back in the 1970s, full-sized cars practically disappeared as fuel efficiency became more important and manufacturers started packaging their vehicles better—so that the outside of a car could shrink by a foot or two, while adding interior space. In the 1990s, Chrysler brought the segment back to life with the exciting LH cars, which added … Read more
Despite numerous plant shutdowns and a brand-new Toyota Sienna and semi-new Kia Carnival, Chrysler managed to hold onto the minivan crown, though it was a somewhat pyrrhic victory. With sales at just under 100,000, Chrysler held steady with 2021, but every competitor plummeted in sales. The Sienna fell by 35%, despite a brand new all-hybrid … Read more
Toyota sold the largest number of cars of any brand in the US, once again, as a brand, with 1.85 million sales—down 9% but still enough to beat Ford’s 1.77 million sales (down 2%). Chevrolet, once America’s top seller by a big margin, rose to 1.50 million with a 6% gain. After that, no other … Read more
Ford crowed over its ownership of big trucks and another year of the F-series being the top-selling nameplate. GM bragged that it was the top selling big pickup maker. Where was Ram, the only company selling two different generations of pickup, in all this?
Which brings us to the 2023 Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept. What exactly are they testing? We have a number of options, including the styling, the design, the technologies, and the powertrain. If you get impatient, just scroll down—we know truck people want to know about towing, hauling, and range, and some people just want to know about tech, and others want to learn about STLA Large.
All FCA US brands were down in U.S. sales for 2022, mainly due to supply shortages.
At Jeep, the Wagoneer was a hero with 316,219 sales in its first full year, with Grand Wagoneer adding 11,736 more—and showing that you can indeed sell an expensive Jeep (other than Wranglers). The low-end Renegade, by contrast, only had 27m549 sales. The mainstream Cherokee only mustered 40,322 sales, less than the two pricey Wagoneers; it leaves production on the last day of February. The Grand Cherokee hit 223,345 despite being down 16%; Wrangler dropped 11% to 181,409; and Gladiator hit 77,855 down 13%, despite its high price and niche status.
Ram 1200 (possibly Dodge Dakota): … this unibody vehicle will be more than 5 meters long and positioned against the Ford Maverick. They believed that the Jeep Compass-based vehicle would be made in Toluca, Mexico, for the United States, Canada, Mexico, and possibly South America. It will be powered by the 2.0 turbo engine and ZF nine-speed automatic, with optional all wheel drive. They also expected a plug-in hybrid to go up against Hyundai’s Santa Cruz…
UConnect has long been a competitive advantage for Chrysler, then FCA, and now (some) Stellantis vehicles; but as Apple and Google cut into the automakers’ turf, it might not be as large an advantage in the future. UConnect has generally been the top-rated, or at least one of the top-rated, telematics systems, albeit with some … Read more
In battery-electric vehicles, it’s common to have two motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels; but Stellantis may be the first to have patented a disconnection system for electric cars, to increase range. The idea allows for wheels to continue to generate power from braking, but to only be driven when needed, for the ultimate in electric-vehicle efficiency.
