Following a controversy over sharing customer data with third parties, GM announced in March that it would stop sharing location and other information with two data brokers. Many were skeptical of GM’s announcement, partly because it was quite specific about dropping LexisNexis and Verisk, which meant the company could simply switch to other brokers….
Stellantis appears to have adopted a strategy of keeping list prices on its cars high, but offering large discounts to clear out cars when sales lag. There are some advantages to this strategy…
General Motors had a high profit for the first quarter—enough to raise its guidance for the full year. While other executives were blaming unions, greens, global issues, and so on (and playing the M&A game), GM CEO Mary Barra seemed to have been taking care of business…
The Jeep Wagoneer may be a high-end, full-size truck, but its main competition remains the big Ford, GM, and Toyota wagons. The class leader remains the Chevy/GMC Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon/Yukon XL, which have dominated full size SUV sales since, well, the original “SJ” Wagoneer was still in production. The GM SUVs are not just stalwarts due to age or old reputation; they have remained quite reliable and durable through the past decades, with no major failures and gaffes. Beating them is likely impossible—it would take help from GM, which GM is not likely to give. Sales of these in Q1 2024 were…
FCA Canada, the Stellantis North American “Great White North” division, is showing off its cars at the upcoming Montréal Electric Vehicle Show after FCA US skipped attending the rather larger New York Auto Show. The reasons become clear after reading through the press release.
Chrysler sold 33,114 minivans in the first quarter of 2024—up quite a bit from its 28,910 sales in Q1 2023. But how does that compare across the industry?
The Honda Odyssey, which was briefly the sales champ despite fast-grenading transmissions, lost some ground, dropping from 19,902 to 17,393 sales.
Stellantis did not have any U.S. recalls last week, but Ford entered yet another fire-risk recall on the 2022 Escape and the related 2022-23 Bronco Sport. A cracked fuel injector may leak and cause a fire in these vehicles, when equipped with 1.5 liter engines. The “solution” is to add a leak detection system and … Read more
Many online discussions about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio focus on the hot Quadrifoglio, which makes sense from an enthusiast’s standpoint, as the 505-horsepower Ferrari V6 is an absolute delight. However, most Stelvios are powered by the turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder powerplant, so when planning an 800-mile road trip, I happily accepted the offer to test a … Read more
The Jeep Cherokee, body code KM, has long been in Stellantis’ list of body codes, but there has been no official talk of the new vehicle. The KL version left production last year.The Jeep Wagoneer S is to arrive midyear, being built in Toluca, Mexico. Given body code KM49, it is clearly sharing quite a bit … Read more
Stellantis has announced that it is consolidating U.S. business centers from 9 to 6, laying off 30 people, to “strengthen its dealer support,” according to Reuters. The layoffs may or may not have been connected to the consolidation. Stellantis told Reuters that they were not driven by a need to cut staff.The company claimed that … Read more
Ram is keeping V8s in some of its trucks—but only the BGE version, which is the 6.4 liter “truck Hemi” used in the Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, and its chassis cabs.
The news comes today as Stellantis North America released its list of active plants. This listing confirms that the Saltillo Engine facility is the only source of Hurricane twin turbo engines…
As the Sterling Heights plant slowly ramps up 2025 Ram 1500 production, the first Rams since the 1950s to have no V8 option, it’s time to look back on the first quarter sales—from the final year of Hemi-powered Ram 1500s.GM is generally the leader in big pickup sales, combining Chevrolet and GMC. In the first … Read more
Jeep (or as FCA calls it, Jeep® Brand) has breathlessly announced the new Tuscadero color, “back by demand” as it is “offered for the first time” for $895 in the US or, oddly, $695 in Canada.The color, a “deep and intense chromatic magenta,” was used in 2021, garnering over 30,000 sales; hence the “return” of … Read more
Through the auto industry, during days of shortage, it was tempting for companies to jack up prices, since their dealerships were slapping on $5,000 and higher premiums for each new car sold. The difference between Stellantis and others is that they were too slow to cut the prices back again when demand fell to normal … Read more
The former Chrysler, FCA US, reported a 10% drop in first-quarter 2024 sales compared with the first quarter of 2023—despite a 2% gain in Jeeps. At Chrysler Canada, sales fell by 20%, from 40,073 to 32,197; every marque but Alfa Romeo fell, and the existing Giulia and Stelvio both fell by double digits, to just … Read more
2023 Jeep Gladiators are on sale again as the company tries to sell off the remaining off-road trucks, four months into 2024. The web site text talks of a 13% discount, while the site description, used by search engines and social media, refers to 15%—which is what Jeep was providing in February. The Gladiator was originally conceived as a specialty vehicle, with sales estimates of—based on one insider’s statements from long before it actually hit production…
