Which brings us to the 2023 Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept. What exactly are they testing? We have a number of options, including the styling, the design, the technologies, and the powertrain. If you get impatient, just scroll down—we know truck people want to know about towing, hauling, and range, and some people just want to know about tech, and others want to learn about STLA Large.
Ram 1200 (possibly Dodge Dakota): … this unibody vehicle will be more than 5 meters long and positioned against the Ford Maverick. They believed that the Jeep Compass-based vehicle would be made in Toluca, Mexico, for the United States, Canada, Mexico, and possibly South America. It will be powered by the 2.0 turbo engine and ZF nine-speed automatic, with optional all wheel drive. They also expected a plug-in hybrid to go up against Hyundai’s Santa Cruz…
UConnect has long been a competitive advantage for Chrysler, then FCA, and now (some) Stellantis vehicles; but as Apple and Google cut into the automakers’ turf, it might not be as large an advantage in the future. UConnect has generally been the top-rated, or at least one of the top-rated, telematics systems, albeit with some … Read more
In battery-electric vehicles, it’s common to have two motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels; but Stellantis may be the first to have patented a disconnection system for electric cars, to increase range. The idea allows for wheels to continue to generate power from braking, but to only be driven when needed, for the ultimate in electric-vehicle efficiency.
In Hornet R/T spec, the Dodge crossover manages a combined peak hp rating of 285hp and 383lb-ft of torque from a 1.3L turbo engine. With just the gasoline engine, peak power is 260hp.
To put that into perspective, the last SRT4 (2.4L) produced 285hp and 265lb-ft of torque; the Pentastar V6 in the Charger and Challenger puts out 292hp and 264lb-ft of torque.
The 2023 Ram 1500 TRX Havoc Edition, in Baja Yellow, will provide a paint color that matches the performance of the TRX’s 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI® V-8 engine. It starts with the TRX Level 2 Equipment Group and adds Baja Yellow, 18-inch black beadlock-capable wheels, a dual pane panoramic sunroof, spray-in bedliner, cargo tie-downs, bed step, and cab-mounted LED brake light.
Production of the 2023 model year Dodge Challenger and Charger is officially underway at the Brampton Assembly Plant in Canada, marking the “beginning of the end” for the final year of the current Mopar muscle cars. Word of 2023 production first surfaced online last week, but on Friday, a Dodge representative confirmed that production of the new model year Challenger and Charger had started at the Canadian plant.
FCA issued an “urgent need for service” to recalcitrant Mopar owners who are apparently refusing to get their old and increasingly dangerous airbags replaced.
While Chrysler used far fewer Takata airbags than most other major automakers, they did use them in numerous cars. In this case, the company is urgently asking owners of 2005-2010 Chrysler 300s and Dodge Magnums, Challengers, and Chargers to let their dealers know they have the cars. The dealers will then tow them to the dealership.
The automotive world is going through a metamorphosis as we move into the EV Era. We are going to see may more electric models from all of the brands, including the Mopars.
Another trend that is quickly rising, especially in the American performance car segment, is adding “sub-brands” using the performance-car names. Ford has the Mach E crossover and GM will have Camaro and Corvette sub-brands, with a crossover Corvette. Dodge has not yet announced something of this nature, though Jeep has a luxury Wagoneer sub-brand.
Dodge recently shocked many with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee EV concept at Speed Week, a massive, noisy muscle coupe that received a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, from Mopar enthusiasts and many outside of the Mopar world alike. The big coupe is genuinely a standout in both looks and sound, but it operates in a rapidly shrinking market.
Jeep sales have dropped in Europe, from 119,379 so far in 2021 to 91,331 so far in 2022, bringing market share from 1.1% to 0.9%. For Stellantis as a whole, sales are down from 2.2 million to 1.9 million, year to date; market share has dropped from 20.3% to 18.6%.
Stellantis announced recently that it would idle the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, which makes Jeep Cherokees, on February 28, 2023. While Stellantis blamed the idling of Belvidere on multiple factors, including COVID-19, the microchip shortage, and electrification, a gap between the build-out of the existing Cherokee and its replacement was inevitable. U.S. Cherokee sales for the first nine months of 2022 were just 30,852, nowhere near enough to justify its existence when the Compass and Grand Cherokee were reasonable bookends.
A set of Illinois tax breaks targeting EV production will go into effect in 2025, and that is likely when the plant will reopen to make new vehicles based on STLA Medium or STLA Large.
A rather small number of Chargers and Durangos may slip from Drive to Neutral unexpectedly, possibly causing a crash, according to NHTSA recall 22V866. The problem is a shifter assembly which was not properly heat treated, and the solution, unsurprisingly, is replacing the assembly…
Earlier this year, Stellpower noted that the Cherokee would be leaving in mid-2023. It seems mid-2023 is coming early this year, with Stellantis choosing to idle the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois on February 28, 2023. That is the only factory making Cherokees—and Cherokees are all the factory makes. The news was just reported by … Read more
The battery-electric Wagoneer S might be coming, but the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are already on sale. They started out with 5.7 and 6.4 Hemi engines, but these have largely been replaced already by two varieties of the “Hurricane” twin-turbo straight six. The standard output variety produces more power and torque than the 5.7 Hemi … Read more
When Dodge showed—or, rather, sounded—its Fratzonic exhaust system in the Dodge Charger EV, many on social media and in car forums scorned the very idea. Some of that was likely a knee-jerk reaction to electric cars, but some suggested that it was too artificial. EVs do need to make some kind of sound, for safety … Read more
The Jeep Gladiator has an array of uniquely named colors and this week, the Trail Rated brand introduced the newest color for the 2023 model year. The color is named Earl and the company is calling it a “bold shade of gray with hints of aquamarine”. To me, it looks like a very light blue … Read more