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We all missed Chrysler’s centennial

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1924 Chrysler car

A century ago, Chrysler officially launched its first car, the Model B-70. It had an advanced, high-compression straight six engine boasting 68-70 horsepower, depending on the source; only one American car had a higher top speed than the Chrysler B-70’s 70 mph, and that was a luxurious straight-eight Packard. … There are still nearly eleven months for Stellantis to acknowledge the centennial of Chrysler as a marque, but it’s too late to celebrate its actual production start date on time.

Chrysler concept car hint, with small-print text

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2024 chrysler concept car

Chrysler posted a hint as to their next concept car, due to be revealed on February 13, 2024, with one cryptic word barely visible—indeed, not recognizable as lettering until the image is lightened considerably and blown up. Chrysler, which currently has just one vehicle, a minivan, on sale, will be revealing two more teaser images before showing the full concept car, as well.

BurgerCuda: Plymouth touring the country for McDonald’s

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Burgercuda front (Barracuda)

McDonald’s made a brave choice when they adopted a Plymouth Barracuda, rather than the default choice of a Mustang, for the Hamburglar to drive across America.

The relatively rare Barracuda, with a Shaker hood and cheeseburger-themed spare tire, was worked over by Sean Smith Designs much more tastefully than most custom jobs. As a getaway car, it’s probably not quite as useful as a Plymouth Road Runner would have been, but it’s also far more muscular-looking than a Mustang.

A national Chrysler club closes its doors

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NCPC

The National Chrysler Products Club (NCPC), created in 1979, is closing down in 2024, on its 45th anniversary. The club was reportedly split from the Walter. P. Chrysler Club, which continues to be active.Despite its name, the NCPC was mainly active in three states—Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, rotating its annual shows mainly between New … Read more

Have we already seen the Jeep Cherokee?

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2023 Jeep Cherokee BEV

The old “KL” body Jeep Cherokee, based on the CUSW platform (sharing with the Dart, 200, and Pacifica), has been out of production for quite some time now. Its replacement, a new Jeep Cherokee, has mostly been the subject of rumors, but its basic body shape has been seen—no, not in that rendering (though that is the basic idea, as it was imagined in 2021).

BEVs set record though “stalling” in USA and accelerating in EU

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2009 BYD plugin hybrid (PHEV) car

While some secondary indicators and a good deal of complaining suggest that Americans aren’t buying into EVs at the rate automakers and regulators would prefer, Europeans seem to be transitioning over relatively quickly. EV sales went from 14% in 2022 to 18% in 2023, passing diesel’s share, according to the European automakers’ association. [Article continues with discussion of events in Europe and contrasts in North America, and things buyers need to watch for.]

Easier car starting through science

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Chevrolet Corvette 6.2 LT2 V8 engine - cams, piston, valves, cam phasers

FCA US’ Andrew Morris and Craig DeYoung created a system to reduce the compression ratio while you’re starting your car, to cut back on the starter’s workload. The system uses the engine’s cam phaser system to increase valve lift to the point that compression falls to 5:1-6:1 from the usual roughly-10:1.

Mopar’s work on extreme-cold-weather EV driving

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2024 Ram EV

Lately, the performance of EVs in extreme cold has been popping up in social media. Studies do show that, like gasoline-powered cars, BEVs have poor efficiency in the cold, but once warmed up, they do much better. Numerous short trips will drain the BEV’s battery relatively quickly—as they will a gas tank.Four FCA US employees … Read more

Official 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S photos

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2025 Jeep Wagoneer S

Jeep has dropped a small group of photos of the 2025 Wagoneer S, the upcoming STLA Large electric car. While it’s around a foot shorter (bumper to bumper) than the normal Wagoneer, some expected interior space to be similar because much less space is needed for the hood, with no room for a 392 V8 … Read more

Patent: Jeep’s solution to an offroad challenge for BEVs

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Jeep parent FCA US has filed for a patent to solve one problem of off-roading electric vehicles—the need for spending long amounts of time at low speeds, with high torque on tap. A patent filed earlier this week, credited to Richard S. Silbert, has one solution: a two-speed gearbox to provide the EV equivalent of 4xe Low.

Will Ram HD keep Hemis? and will there be a 2024 Ram 1500 Classic?

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2024 Ram 1500 Classic

As time goes on, some have noticed that the Ram 1500 Classic only shows up as a 2023 model in the RamTrucks.com Build & Price section. However, a bit of quick detective work shows that the 2024 Ram 1500 Classic is indeed on the site, just not in Build & Price yet. That is one mystery solved, but then there’s another question that keeps popping up—what happens to the Ram 2500, 3500, and chassis cabs after the 2024 model-year? And will the first-year 2025 Ram 1500 have Hemi V8s after all?

…As for the Ram Heavy Duty series,…

STLA Large Compared With 2023 Challenger, Charger, and Wagoneer

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STLA Large

Today, we look at a short list of specifications of the STLA Large chassis platform, relative to the current Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Jeep Wagoneer.

STLA Large will support front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations, with combustion engines in both transverse and longitudinal layouts…

Proving that STLA Large is indeed set up for gasoline power (updated)

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STLA Large with gasoline engine (ICE)

Every sales figure, product release, and rumor from Dodge and Ram seem to bring forth disparaging remarks from people who insist that the company is “digging its own graves by making nothing but BEVs.” Yet, even before the first battery-electric Dodge has been put up for sale, before the Hemi V8 stopped being optional, people … Read more

New Dodge Charger EV Platform Information Hints at 2-Second 0-60 Times

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Preproduction Next Generation Dodge Charger

Earlier today, Stellantis issued a press release on the STLA Large vehicle platform that is to underpin the Dodge Charger Daytona, Jeep Wagoneer S, and other vehicles. Their objective was to highlight the versatility of this platform, which handles both gasoline and battery electric vehicles (BEV), but what caught our attention was a performance figure … Read more