Jeep has confirmed that the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L, long-wheelbase versions of its luxury full-size vehicles based on Ram 1500 platforms, will start production later this year, with deliveries beginning within 2022. The Grand Wagoneer L was shown at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. It includes a standard twin turbo … Read more
Recently, Stellantis announced that it would be consolidating the manufacturing part of Trenton Engine in the South plant and likely using the North plant for materials handling and possibly other purposes. Today, we will go into some of the details. First, though, it is important to note that Trenton Engine has two buildings, North and … Read more
A few years ago, Zipcar’s CEO said they did not stock any American cars because their customers did not want to rent them. It turns out there is one exception—not a Hellcat Challenger, as you might think, or even a ProMaster van. It’s a Jeep. There may be other American vehicles in Zipcar’s fleet, but … Read more
There have been rumors floating around the internet claiming that Dodge is working on one final Hellcat car that will be the most powerful production vehicle to date. Those rumors state that this car will run on E85 ethanol-gasoline blend, but these rumors are being spread by the same people who insisted that there was … Read more
Some dealers are advertising the list price of cars on their web sites, then demanding up to $5,000 above list as well as, in some cases, over $2,000 for filing paperwork with states, not including government fees or taxes. The Federal Trade Commission has proposed rules which would, among other things, require dealers to advertise actual … Read more
Many recall the original Dodge Tomahawk concept motorcycle, which ended up being sold with few changes as “rolling sculptures” through Neiman-Marcus during a bizarre period of Mopar history. The motorcycle certainly caught the public imagination, but after the copies were sold off, it seemed like the Viper-powered three-wheeler was forgotten within Auburn Hills. That was … Read more
FCA US’ market share has increased in the first half of 2022, as competitors lost more ground than Stellantis’ US group. So far in 2022, every automaker other than Tesla and Polestar has lost sales, in some cases by rather serious margins (Nissan dropped by 32%, for example). The former Chrysler brands, coupled with slow-selling … Read more
GM had a relatively good second quarter, dropping by just 11% from Q2 2021—which is about half the drop of the US car market as a whole, excluding Ford, which has yet to report it. To a degree this goodness was purchased with the highest incentives—but FCA US was a close second, with both in … Read more
Toyota became a legend for its control of manufacturing quality and supply chains. Stellantis is a new beast, including FCA US, which is notorious among suppliers for its stinginess. On the other end, Toyota also went through years of running on fumes in its engineering departments, while FCA US pushed forward in exciting customers. Who dominated … Read more
Every time a car company puts out its sales figures, there will be some oddball vehicles on there—mainly, cars that have long been discontinued. They might have been used as loaners, or been subject to financial or legal issues, or perhaps even forgotten about—or the dealer may have been stubborn about getting at least what … Read more
In the past, former Chrysler brands have tended to be either in the top or the bottom of the J.D. Power listings, but for 2022, they are literally all over it. Dodge was just below Buick as the second most reliable car; Chrysler was below even Tesla at the other end of the scale. Indeed, … Read more
When Chrysler was having its renaissance in the 1990s, breaking stereotypes and barriers, Tom Gale was trying to find a flagship car to represent each of the brands. Dodge had the Viper; Jeep already had the Wrangler; and Plymouth would have the Prowler. Chrysler was his one failure; he never nailed down the brand that … Read more
Some time ago, we posted a story on Stellantis’ hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). That is one path forward for areas where battery-electric vehicles aren’t practical, but it’s likely Ram heavy duty pickups will have another option: Cummins 6.7 liter B-type diesels hydrogen engines. Cummins, a pioneer in diesel engines (having run them at the Indy 500), … Read more
FCA US was planning to let buyers “drive on sunshine,” according to a trademark filed last year. The company applied for the “drive on sunshine” trademark for “Charging stations for electric vehicles” on March 31, 2021. On May 11, 2022, a bit more than a year later, they abandoned the trademark after the U.S. Patent … Read more
Creating a new hybrid-electric transmission (with integrated electric motors) brings up some problems and opportunities; one of the more prosaic ones is the humble parking pawl, that little bit of metal that keeps the car or truck from moving when the transmission is in Park. Typically, a notched wheel on the output shaft locks up … Read more
Hurricane engines, following a trend set by European designs, do not have a dipstick. Instead, an electronic sensing system warns drivers when the oil level falls. The change was likely made for three reasons: most drivers no longer check their own oil anyway, given the lack of leaks and burning in most modern cars, and … Read more