Ram, probably the main profit driver of Stellantis in North America, has been increasingly popular thanks to its “new-plus-old-generations” sale strategy. In the future, though, electric power may be the key to success; and Ram is apparently set on staying relevant, without losing its character. The cutaway in the Ram EV Day presentation shows a … Read more
If you own a 2020-2021 Dodge Challenger or Charger, or a Chrysler 300, you may have one of 21,258 vehicles (in the USA—there are a couple thousand more in the rest of the world) whose windshields may come out during a crash. Recall Y47 (NHTSA 21V516000) has the dealers take out the windshield and reapply … Read more
Stellantis’ Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will be Nedžad Curić (Ned Curic), starting on August 30, 2021. Ned is currently a vice president of Alexa Automotive, an Amazon company using Android; he built up Amazon’s automotive business and technology from 2017 to 2021. From 2015 to 2017, he was an executive vice president at Toyota Connected; … Read more
At the temporary end of a road near Chrysler’s own Trenton engine plant stands the Feldman dealership. It’s not famous, but it carries Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, and, now in a differently-styled but connected wing, Jeep. Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram are all done up in the millennium styling theme insisted upon by the late Sergio Marchionne, … Read more
Today, Ram introduced a new BackCountry Edition of the popular Ram 1500 Big Horn and Lone Star, which will be shown this week at the Chicago Auto Show. Ram chief Mike Koval Jr. wrote, “Ram 1500 BackCountry will resonate positively with customers who live an active lifestyle,” thanks to its robust off-road features. The 2022 Ram 1500 … Read more
Toyota has a brand new Sienna minivan this year, and while it comes only as a hybrid and starts at a higher cost than the Voyager, many buyers will find it to be the only game in town. Honda still makes the Odyssey, and Kia the Carnival, but Chrysler’s Pacifica/Voyager are down for the count … Read more
Head of design Ralph Gilles revealed in a recent video that Stellantis North America (SNA) is planning eight new electrified vehicles within the next five years. These will include: A luxury sedan with a long range An “all conquering” muscle car, which has been teased An SUV hitting the “heart of the market” A “very … Read more
Chrysler has fallen to just two models—the Voyager/Pacifica minivan, reported in sales figures as a single model, and the 300. The rumor mill claims that the 300’s future is in doubt. It’s no surprise that many think Chrysler is headed to the chopping block, despite Stellantis’ statement that every brand will get funding and ten … Read more
A plugin-hybrid (PHEV) 2022 Grand Cherokee is being prepared, according to a Jeep release today. The new SUV will bear the 4xe name. No other specs were released, but there is a photo. Current 4xe systems use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine which produces more power than the 3.6 liter V6 used as the Grand Cherokee … Read more
All of Stellantis’ 14 brands have committed to selling “best-in-class fully electrified solutions,” according to today’s announcement, but Europe will be a more extreme changeover than the US. The target is for 70% of sales in Europe, but just 40% in the U.S., to be low-emission vehicles by 2030. New battery-electrics (BEVs) are to have … Read more
Photos of a Jeep parking lot flooded with water made the rounds of social media at the end of June, prompting some to blame Stellantis plant people for not clearing the lots. The flooded new Grand Cherokees had been stored there temporarily, awaiting rail transfer. The photo suggests that most of the vehicles were on … Read more
Ram is launching two new pickup packages whose main addition is some Mopar aftermarket gear, added in at the factory. G/T versions of the Ram 1500 Laramie and Rebel add a sport performance hood and G/T decals to distinguish them from the rest of the Rebel and Laramie lines, but that’s not the main attraction. What … Read more
When Plymouth created the first police car package, it was a heavily upfitted sedan; and from then until the Jeep Cherokee “XJ,” nearly all police cars were sedans. In this year’s test of police cars, though, there was only one sedan entered, and it was a Dodge Charger. The tests are somewhat incomplete, since the … Read more
With half the year behind us, it’s time for that age-old question: who’s selling the most of what? This quarter, we had a fairly big surprise, in trucks. First, the #1 company is, as usual, GM—but Toyota is catching up very quickly. Whether that continues past the chip crisis is another question; Toyota had very … Read more
Stellantis México just reported on its sales figures, which grew 61% compared with June 2020 and now includes Peugeot. Ram dominated the sales lists, with a June record of 2,787 vehicles; the Fiat-based 700 cleared 1,034 sales, while the ProMaster Rapid had 444 and the Ram Light Duty had 828. Dodge posted 1,141 sales, roughly … Read more
Four years ago, I wrote about the “Tornado,” as the turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine then being development was coded. Insiders were certain that the 5.7 Hemi would be dropped so Chrysler could boost its fuel economy ratings and drop its lavish support for Tesla. (The project nickname honored the airplane, not the classic Willys-Jeep engine.) The … Read more