The minivan famously arrived in 1983, for the 1984 model year, starting with a Mitsubishi-engined Plymouth Voyager which was followed by a Dodge Caravan*. But it could have started by 1976 or 1977. According to artist Dennis Kline, minivan work started around 1972… <>Read more
The Windsor minivan plant has cancelled all production for today without giving a reason. Skilled trades and employees engaged in launching new vehicles were called in for work.
The UAW has struck a number of Stellantis parts distribution centers, which will start to impact dealers trying to get service parts and may impact factories as well. However, the company has a large inventory of minivans at dealerships, so the production stoppage might not be related to the strike. <>Read more
Jack Benny, a vaudeville master of ceremonies with a suave manner and self-deprecating jokes, went on the radio in 1932 radio show. He was to become a legend, inspiring Johnny Carson, other comedians, and at least one Shakespearean actor…. <>Read more
Automotive News recently published an overview of where each American automaker stands in labor negotiations. This is a summary of how Stellantis and the UAW agree and differ, starting with their analysis and continuing beyond it. Salaries. The most salient point is that Stellantis wants to give a 10% raise now, and 10% over the … Read more
Yesterday, a rumor that Stellantis was planning to sell the Chrysler Technology Center, whose campus also houses the American headquarters, made the rounds—and turned out to be both accurate and possibly a little misleading.
The rumor was all the more credible after Ford chose to move its engineering headquarters from Dearborn to a brand new campus in Mexico, an oddly under-reported event which though covered by the Reuters news service didn’t make many front pages. Yesterday, in the absence of official comments <>Read more
Three plants are listed in the 18 former Chrysler sites set for closure, and a recent, unconfirmed leak claims the state-of-the-art Chrysler Technology Center and headquarters campus may be listed as being for sale…. <>Read more
A new Dodge Challenger prototype has been spotted within the company, according to a stellpower source. Over a year ago, a different source said the “LB” body Challenger would boast a choice of Hurricane straight-six or full-electric power; a “4xe” style setup is also possible, and the Pentastar V6 could well make a comeback as a low-cost entry-level engine to keep the starting price low. Another low-end option would be the Hurricane Four. <>Read more
There was a single Stellantis recall this past week, for loose battery cables which can cause fires in the 2023-24 Hornet and Tonale. Fewer than 5,000 vehicles were involved, all plug-in hybrids; the 12-volt battery positive cable and/or high voltage connector may be loose, causing fires while parked. In other recalls, 2024 BMW crossover knee … Read more
As the clock on a strike wound down, the UAW dropped its 46% wage increase to 36% and Stellantis finally matched GM’s offer of a 20% increase. This would include a quick 10% raise to counter the inflation of the past year and four annual increases which would total around 10%. The result would be … Read more
The fight over Chrysler’s Trenton Engine plant continues.
In the early 1950s, needing a vast number of V8 engines, Chrysler built the Trenton Engine Plant. Over time the plant made 426 Hemis, 383s, and such, along with enormous numbers of slant sixes; then they moved to four-cylinders and finally V6 engines. Today,… <>Read more
Ram has announced the changes to its 2024 models. Back in May, Stellpower wrote that “Either the 2024s or 2025s are likely to jettison the Hemi V8s in favor of Hurricane Sixes, with the possible exception of the 6.4 liter truck engines in the Heavy Duty lineup.” All that has changed now is the dates: … Read more
As time goes on, FCA US (Stellantis North America) press releases increasingly refer to “the Dodge brand,” “the Jeep brand,” and so on. Maybe this made sense for Chrysler before FCA, to avoid confusion between the marque and the company (many car folk eschew the term “brand” in favor of the more dignified “marque”), but there is no Chrysler Corporation or Chrysler Group today.
There has never been any reason for Dodge people to refer to “the Dodge brand.” It’s just Dodge. Nobody thinks that Dodge City is producing cars—or Phelps Dodge—or Grace Dodge. There’s only one Dodge that makes cars, and it’s the group that used to be Dodge Division and before that Dodge Brothers… and Dodge Brothers didn’t make other brands of cars. <>Read more
The last vehicle engineered entirely under Chrysler Corporation, before Daimler, Fiat, and Peugeot, is getting its own last call. The Abrams M-1 tank is finally headed for a full re-engineering project, ending decades of patching and add-on upgrades, according to Military Times.
The original Abrams tank was the only Chrysler turbine car to actually be sold; it was lauded by procurement officers for its ability to burn any fuel (though that doesn’t appear to ever have been used) and for its power and economy, relative to the only real alternative of the time, diesel. <>Read more
Automakers including Stellantis have been rebuilding their in-car platforms using Google software. That might be one reason why so many are flunking Mozilla’s privacy test; indeed, nobody passed it.
Automakers “can collect deeply personal data such as sexual activity, immigration status, race, facial expressions, weight, health and genetic information, and where you drive,” with microphones, cameras, phones, and sensors in the car, as well as their car apps, web sites, and dealership systems. They combine the data to make inferences about buyer traits. None appear to use encryption in the car to keep this data safe. <>Read more
Takata airbags had to be recalled and replaced because they tended to erupt unexpectedly as humidity took its toll, due to engineering issues. The massive recall of ARC and Delphi airbags may are very different… <>Read more
Analysis. The industry is steadily moving towards electrification and full electric (via batteries or hydrogen fuel cells) to help with emissions and fuel economy. While there are many advantages, many in the buying public have vociferously objected—and do so again whenever any article so much as mentions electric cars or, in some cases, hybrids… <>Read more
