The Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides $52 billion in subsidies for United States-based semiconductor production. $2 billion of this was allocated for older chips used in automotive applications. In theory, $81 billion more is earmarked for National Science Foundation research, equipment, and education over five years; and $10 billion for the … Read more
Recently, Stellantis announced that it would be consolidating the manufacturing part of Trenton Engine in the South plant and likely using the North plant for materials handling and possibly other purposes. Today, we will go into some of the details. First, though, it is important to note that Trenton Engine has two buildings, North and … Read more
Stellantis is investing billions of dollars into its two Ontario assembly plants, Windsor and Brampton, but first there will be a workforce reduction to increase efficiency. According to AM 800, the company is starting with retirement packages for eligible workers in both plants, with a two-week decision period. After that, the company will announce layoffs. … Read more
Today, the NHTSA announced that it is probing safety issues in around 2 million domestic cars, more than half of which were built by FCA US. The Jeep Cherokee investigation covers 1.3 million 2014-20 Cherokees, because leaking water may cause the electric parking brakes to suddenly activate while the car is in motion; 80 people … Read more
Dodge has again claimed the top mass-market-brand spot in the J.D. Power APEAL study, which considers “performance, execution, and layout.” That makes Dodge the first domestic brand to get the #1 mass-market ranking for three years in a row. Ram was #2 for the third consecutive year, and the Ram 1500 was judged the best … Read more
Chrysler is recalling 52,340 Challengers, Chargers, and 300s because the batteries in the tire pressure sensors may fail quite early, resulting in inoperative sensors. Owners are advised to check their tire pressure now and then while waiting for notifications that new sensors are ready to be installed. David ZatzDavid Zatz started what was to become … Read more
A few years ago, Zipcar’s CEO said they did not stock any American cars because their customers did not want to rent them. It turns out there is one exception—not a Hellcat Challenger, as you might think, or even a ProMaster van. It’s a Jeep. There may be other American vehicles in Zipcar’s fleet, but … Read more
Some time ago, Stellantis announced a plan to take a majority share of its joint venture with GAC. This apparently did not move forward, and Stellantis is ending the joint venture—resulting in a 300-million-euro charge against its balance sheet—and going it alone. The joint venture to make Jeeps in China was created in 2010, under … Read more
The Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group Company Limited has reached an agreement for selling its 99.2 million shares of Stellantis (STLA)—around 3% of STLA’s shares. Under this agreement, Dongfeng may “from time to time submit an offer to sell to Stellantis, all or a portion of the Stellantis common shares held by Dongfeng.” If Stellantis … Read more
With production issues hurting European sales, both Volkswagen and Stellantis lost market share in the first half of the year. From January to June, VW’s share fell from 26% to 24.7%; and, more to the point, Stellantis’ share fell from 23.1% to 20.8%. One good sign was in June market shares, with Volkswagen falling to … Read more
Today, around six weeks before the normal release, Jeep unexpectedly dumped its list of updates for the 2023 Wrangler. In essence, there are a couple of color changes (Earl replaces Snazzberry and Reign is new), an American flag decal on each front fender, new 17-inch wheels on Rubicon, and a limited-time Wrangler Freedom edition. The … Read more
Jeep will launch two new colors whose names give few cues as to their actual shades, Earl and Reign, on the 2023 Wrangler. Of the two, Reign will be a limited production; Earl was first shown on the 2020 Gladiator Farout concept. Earl, since it’s hard to tell from the photo, is a gray “with … Read more
Some dealers are advertising the list price of cars on their web sites, then demanding up to $5,000 above list as well as, in some cases, over $2,000 for filing paperwork with states, not including government fees or taxes. The Federal Trade Commission has proposed rules which would, among other things, require dealers to advertise actual … Read more
The Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City may gain some sales as Nissan stopped making its NV cargo and passenger vans last month. The NV was made in Mississippi and Mexico; sales were fairly marginal, though versions were sold by General Motors. GM will continue to make the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, despite marginal sales, … Read more
Many recall the original Dodge Tomahawk concept motorcycle, which ended up being sold with few changes as “rolling sculptures” through Neiman-Marcus during a bizarre period of Mopar history. The motorcycle certainly caught the public imagination, but after the copies were sold off, it seemed like the Viper-powered three-wheeler was forgotten within Auburn Hills. That was … Read more
FCA US’ market share has increased in the first half of 2022, as competitors lost more ground than Stellantis’ US group. So far in 2022, every automaker other than Tesla and Polestar has lost sales, in some cases by rather serious margins (Nissan dropped by 32%, for example). The former Chrysler brands, coupled with slow-selling … Read more