Battery-electric cars (BEVs) are in the works for most segments, but would they work for heavy duty trucks? Ram seems to think not; while a BEV Ram 1500 is coming, to join Rivian’s, Ford’s, and Chevrolet’s light-duty battery-electric pickups (in order of production), their EV Day presentation pointed to a different path for the Ram … Read more
A Fox affiliate in Michigan recently issued a story about the death of a mechanic during a Jeep’s oil change—and how the mechanic’s family was suing the owner of the Jeep, rather than the dealership. The original story implied that the Jeep was defective, with the writer noting that it leaped forward when the clutch … Read more
FCA US is recalling a number of 2021-2022 SUVs with V6 engines because the EGR valve may stick open. The recall only affects the V6 engine. Only vehicles made from August 21, 2021, to November 24,2021 are affected. The fault is in the EGR valves, supplied by BorgWarner, and the symptom is power loss. There have … Read more
Stellantis reported its global sales and revenues for the first quarter of 2022 this morning. Net revenues were up to €41.5 billion (1 € = US $1.05 = $1.35 CDN), up by 12% from the first quarter of 2021. The company credited higher net sales prices (reduced incentives), more profitable vehicle mix, and better exchange rates; … Read more
Stellantis’ Free2Move subsidiary has signed a deal to buy the car-sharing company Share Now from Mercedes and BMW. Buying the three year old company will add 14 European cities and 10,000 vehicles—albeit ones made by competitors—to Free2Move’s 2,500-car fleet. The move is part of Stellantis’ “Dare Forward 2030” strategy, which has a goal of earning … Read more
Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and a number of other dignitaries, Stellantis officials, and Unifor union reps unveiled a major investment in Canadian factories and R&D facilities. Together, these will keep thousands of jobs in Canada, adding a number of research positions and restoring, if all goes well, second and third … Read more
Not only is Stellantis going to keep the Windsor and Brampton plants in Canada open—the company is investing $2.5 billion in enabling EV production and building a pair of R&D centers in the country. Canada has long given Chrysler a higher market share than any other country, including the United States, which is Chrysler’s birthplace … Read more
Two years ago, Mopar Minivans, the first biography of the Chrysler minivan which went deeply into the origin story, hit the stands. It was succeeded a year later by a revised version which went up to the Pacifica, The Rise and Reinvention of Chrysler Minivans. 2022 brought a revisiting of the Mopar Minivans book, Mopar … Read more
While the European market has been hit by the same supply issues as everyone else, there has been some good news for Stellantis, the continent’s second largest player. Stellantis nabbed the first quarter’s “best selling car in Europe” title with the Peugeot 208; overall, five Stellantis vehicles, all but the Fiat Panda from the Peugeot … Read more
Under a hundred 2022 Grand Cherokees, including the L model, can fail to tell drivers if the turn signals are working due to a software error. The fix is, unsurprisingly, a software update. 65 Grand Cherokees in the United States, all made on January 26, 2022, are affected; 16 were the standard model and 49 … Read more
No April 26 would be complete without at least one Hemi Day story. The 426 (as in 4/26) Hemi was created solely for racing. At the time, the ingenious Mopar cross-ram wedge engines were winning on the street, but failing in NASCAR. In 1963, executives approved engineers’ plan for putting Hemi heads, which were part … Read more
Ram teased an electric 1500 pickup on its social media channels (but not the media site) today, as Ford prepares for the official production launch of an electric F-150. Chevrolet, for its part, displayed its electric Silverado 1500 at the New York Auto Show last week. Ram had a brief, 15-second animation sending people to … Read more
You may wonder how you can stay in touch with Stellpower’s latest Mopar reporting. There are two easy ways. First, you can sign up for email notifications of new stories. Those appear right in your mailbox; the signup is near the bottom of the page (so keep scrolling!) on phones, and in the right side … Read more
Jeep is recalling over a hundred 2022 Jeep Compasses because the front seat head restraints were not welded in the right place, which could cause injuries or death in a crash. Only 114 cars sold in the United States are affected, along with those sold outside the country (Canadian sales are typically around 10% of … Read more
Jim Morrison, head of Jeep, told Motor Authority that the Hemi will not be the Grand Cherokee’s performance engine in the future, according to an article by Joel Feder. That also means, he said, that the Gladiator would probably not have a 392 V8 stuffed into it. The Trackhawk model might be destined for history, … Read more
The current version of the Jeep Cherokee is near the end of a normal car’s lifespan—though, to be fair, it is not quite as long in the tooth as the still-surprisingly-competitive Charger and Challenger. Meanwhile, the Chrysler Airflow, whatever its final name ends up being, is getting closer to actual production. The Airflow is likely … Read more