Dealers trust Mopar brands more than Ford, Lincoln, or Nissan

service advisor dealer cartoon

Kerrigan Advisors has surveyed car dealers for five years, but 2023 was the first time the company added a question on how much they trusted automakers. Toyota came in first place, while Ford took last place. Two factors involved in Ford’s low placement was concern over EVs and Ford wanting direct relationships with buyers, bypassing … Read more

J70: When do we see new Wranglers, Gladiators? What about BEV Jeep Wrangler?

warn winch (2024 Wrangler Rubicon)

As part of union negotiations, Stellantis provided details on when the Wrangler and Gladiator would finally be renewed. The Wrangler has been on a ten-year replacement cycle, though Ford Bronco and the upcoming Volkswagen Scout may eventually challenge that.The Gladiator is to be updated this year, unsurprisingly, since the 2024 Wrangler has already been unveiled. … Read more

Jobs saved by the strike: Stellantis’ new USA investments

Kokomo casting

The UAW’s strike against Stellantis was in some ways the most bitter of the six labor disputes with the former “Big Three” in the US and Canada. Stellantis had a list of 18 facilities they planned to close; these reportedly included Belvidere Assembly and Trenton Engine.In the end, Stellantis agreed to a large variety of … Read more

Luxury Wagoneer has its third recall

Wagoneer rear vent-seat screen

Around 100,000 2022-24 Wagoneers have apparently been made so far—if this recall is any indication. The vehicles may have third row seat belt buckles which “may not allow occupants to properly access or fasten the seat belt to the buckle.” The fix is replacing the third row seat belt buckle.Only around 1% of vehicles have … Read more

North America driving Stellantis’ revenue gains

Stellantis financials - earnings - dollars

Stellantis apparently had the money for a new UAW agreement after all, with net global revenues up €45 billion in the third quarter (Q3), compared with the third quarter of 2022 (Q3 2022).Volume rose by 11%, with most regions around the world rising. BEV sales rose by 37%, mainly driven by the Jeep Avenger and … Read more

Leapmotor not heading for USA any time soon

Leapmotor cars (Chinese EVs)

According to Stellantis’ investors report, Chinese company Leapmotor plans to be part of China’s export offensive, but won’t be reaching the United States any time soon.China is already the world’s largest exporter of cars, but few are sent to the United States; Volvo is the best known brand owned by a Chinese company which exports … Read more

US strike ending, Canadian strike started and ended

Brampton plant workers

With a tentative contract out to members for a vote, Stellantis plants and warehouses are preparing to return to full strength; but 8,200 Unifor workers walked off the job in Stellantis’ Canadian plants after weeks of trying to negotiate. The union had set a Sunday night deadline for resolving the conflict.The strike has already ended … Read more

UAW, STLA agreement with same wage hikes as Ford (Updated)

Stellantis and General Motors have each agreed to increase UAW pay by 25% over the next four and a half years, according to Bloomberg (article available with 99¢/month subscription). GM included cost-of-living increases as well, but perhaps due to other, non-financial concessions, the union has agreed on a deal with Stellantis but not GM. Final … Read more

Leapmotor: STLA’s entry to series hybrids?

Leapmotor may provide Stellantis with a path to a type of hybrid vehicle used for decades—by railroads: the series hybrid.Leapmotor, a Chinese startup, has an electric extended-range vehicle (EREV) which uses a small internal combustion engine to recharge the battery. The engine is not connected to the wheels. In locomotives, a diesel engine functions solely … Read more

STLA spent $1.6 billion on 20% of Chinese Leapmotor

STLA Medium twin motor - Stellantis platform

Stellantis paid $1.6 billion to buy 20% of the Chinese EV maker Leapmotor, which includes two of their five board seats and 51% of a joint venture to make EVs for global sale. Leapmotor will use Stellantis’ production facilities for this deal.A Stellantis twin motor setup from underneath, which is largely irrelevantAccording to TechNode, Leapmotor … Read more

Ford strike is over, production is restarting

2023 Ford display with Tremor, Transit

Ford’s attack on the Jeep Wrangler will resume in earnest as the Bronco plant returns to full production, with a UAW strike now in the rear view mirror (assuming workers vote their approval of the deal).While Ford leaders had said the company would be bankrupted by anything beyond their prior offers, the company quickly went … Read more

Dundee (MI) setting up for two new engines; V6 moved to other plants

Building TigerShark 2.4 at Dundee

The Toledo Blade reported back in August that Stellantis would be shutting down the Dundee Engine plant, temporarily laying off 611 workers, to transition to making new Peugeot-based 1.6 liter engines. 

The plant is currently down for this retooling. Informal sources claimed that, in addition to the 1.6 liter engine, the new 2.0 liter four-cylinder would be made in Dundee—on the same line, which would be a fairly sizable achievement for flexible manufacturing. The two engines share virtually nothing in common, with different cranks, bore spacing, and so on.