Jeep had two more recalls this week, both affecting 2024 models. The Jeep Wrangler can have inoperative trailer lighting, but only 34 vehicles in the US (and presumably a handful elsewhere in the world) are affected. This only affects vehicles made from January 24 through March 18, 2024, with the tow package but with the … Read more
General Motors told news organizations that it was laying off a thousand people around the world, mostly salaried workers with some hourly people. The layoffs were announced by email. According to MSN, some of the layoffs were due to poor performance, while others involved changing priorities. GM has been cutting back on some projects, such … Read more
Walmart is adding BrightDrop electric vans to their “last mile fleet” for home deliveries, following a pilot program. This follows Amazon’s use of Rivian vans, which are supplementing or replacing Ram ProMasters and Ford Transits; Amazon invested a great deal of cash into Rivian to make their vans a reality as well as buying them … Read more
Stellantis recently announced Free2move Charge Go with this statement: Free2move Charge, Stellantis 360-degree ecosystem designed to deliver seamless charging and energy management solutions introduces Free2move Charge Go, the second of the three strategic pillars: Free2move Charge Home, Free2move Charge Go and Free2move Charge Business. Designed to ensure that customers can easily access the most extensive … Read more
General Motors announced that North American profits rose to nearly $4 billion as its revenue hit a record $41 billion—a 14% increase. While the margin may not have been as high as Stellantis seems to demand, GM profits were high and inventories were under control. GM operates under a UAW contract very similar to that … Read more
Stellantis wasn’t listed in this week’s recalls after having three last week. The German companies put in more appearances than usual, though. Volkswagen recalled its 2022-24 E-Tron series due to short circuits; the 2020-24 Taycan was recalled for the same reason, and the 2025 for nonfunctional rearview cameras. Over at BMW, the brake system might not … Read more
How much can Ram charge for the Ram 1500 REV? New prices from General Motors suggest the company can charge quite a bit, since the 2025 Silverado EV will be priced at a premium. The base price for the EV work truck is $57,095, according to yesterday’s Chevrolet release; the Work Truck is only sold … Read more
This week, GM announced that it was ready to sell its entire range of Chevy Blazer EVs. The Blazer starts with the LT, at $44,600, with an 18-inch interior screen, 334 mile range, and 8-year/100,000 mile battery warranty. Normally sold with rear wheel drive, it has a range of 283 miles when buyers opt for … Read more
GM announced a small downturn in overall USA sales, selling 659,601 vehicles in the United States for the third quarter of 2024. That’s down 2% from the same quarter in 2023, but retail sales were up by 3%, meaning that the decline was entirely in fleet sales. The company sold 32,195 battery-electrics during the quarter … Read more
Ram performed extremely well in the J.D. Power APEAL study, which considers customer satisfaction with performance, execution, and layout. Among mass market brands, Mini was first, followed by Ram and then Kia and Hyundai. GMC, the only other truck-only brand, scored just below Hyundai, in a statistical dead heat. All GM mass-market brands scored above … Read more
General Motors announces that, with stable sales, it earned $48 billion in revenues during the second quarter of 2024. Profits before interest and taxes were $4.4 billion; net profits were $2.9 billion for the quarter. GM increased its expectations for 2024 slightly, now expecting to earn net profits of $10.1 to $11.5 billion. This is … Read more
For the second quarter, General Motors (GM) sold 696,086 vehicles in the United States, up 0.6%; in the first half of the year, they sold 1,290,319 vehicles, down 0.4%. Sales could be called “flat,” with quality gains countered by a delay in producing electric cars due to a slower-than-expected robotics supplier at the battery plant. … Read more
The first quarter was a real winner for General Motors, but the story was mixed for Ford, which had higher revenue but a 24% drop in profits, largely due to its commercial vehicle unit. Total adjusted earnings before interest and taxes was $2.8 billion. The EV unit, which is still in a capital-expenses, development-costs mode … Read more
This is a guided tour, albeit not in perfect order, of the upper and lower levels of the 2024 New York Auto Show. The upper level was the traditional car companies showing cars, with some interactive experiences; the lower level was the EV test track, miscellaneous exhibitors (including Lucid, which really belongs upstairs), and a large number of tuner cars and otherwise-modded cars (e.g. with paint, decals, and lighting).
For a long time, Dodge dominated police car acceleration, especially if you discount the turbocharged V6 Ford Explorers. Dodge is still planning police-edition Chargers which should leave those Explorers in the dust, but many departments are moving away from sedans and into crossovers and SUVs. Chevrolet’s new Blazer EV, shown at the 2024 New York Auto Show, may be stiff competition in that arena—both because of its acceleration and because of its readiness for police work.
For the first time, the New York Auto Show has dueling off-road courses outside, standing side by side. In the more visible place, where you can rise up well above street level, is the Camp Jeep setup. When it’s not raining, the massive hill provides a good view of the surrounding city—not as good as … Read more