The Jeep Wagoneer L has launched—and it’s twelve inches longer than the Wagoneer, with a seven inch longer wheelbase, and a twin turbo inline six-cylinder Hurricane engine. The new inline six cylinder is made in two versions, previously called SO (standard output) and HO (high output). The high output version is good for 510 horsepower … Read more
Tomorrow holds several New York Auto Show unveilings, including two which have been officially confirmed. The most recent confirmation was for the Alfa Romeo Tonale, which uses the Renegade/Compass platform with a special suspension and two powertrains, one of which has up to 272 horsepower or 30 miles of pure-electric range. Update: here is our … Read more
Frederick Bender and Bryan Macek may have made it easier for future Ram pickup buyers to tie down—and lock down— their cargo. The FCA US employees patented a utility bar system which is attached to fittings which go into stake pockets in a pickup bed. The advantage of this system over conventional cross beams is aesthetic … Read more
The Chrysler Airflow is an ironic name to bring back, since releasing the state-of-the-art car in 1934 was disastrous for the company and the brand. The original Airflow was revolutionary in many ways, but it bombed in the market.
But what of the new Airflow? It is expected to have black paint with dark bronze accents and interior changes to make it more of a production-intent vehicle. This includes changes to the steering wheel and rear seats. The new concept will be shown on April 13 at 11:45 am. The actual release may come in the early morning of the 13th with the unveiling to follow at the show. Stellpower will be covering the event in person.
What this means for the Cherokee…
In the first quarter of 2022, Chrysler sold 29,113 cars—26,366 Pacificas, 2,745 300s, and … two 200s. The 200 sedan has not been made since 2017; the Dart was shut down even before that.
How are these cars still being sold? And do GM and Ford have similar orphans on their sales sheets?
Ram actually beat Chevrolet with 127,116 sales, after falling 15% from the same quarter last year. However, like Ford, Ram isn’t anywhere near GM as a whole. By brand, Ram was #2 in the USA; by company, Stellantis was #3. If you were wondering, Toyota Tundra sales totaled just 22,643—and they were up by 18%.
What about smaller pickups? That’s the province of Jeep for the moment…
FCA US’ first quarter sales fell by 14%, largely on supply constraints, as we reported on Friday. However, FCA appears to have gained market share in the United States—largely at the expense of General Motors, which reported a hefty 20% drop from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, and Ford, which dropped by 17%.
The chart below shows U.S. sales for most of the “majors,” leaving out Mercedes, which has not reported sales yet (though now including Tesla and Volkswagen).
According to rumors in Auburn Hills, a second engine is planned for these trucks. It, too, would be an inline six-cylinder, but engineered specifically for truck engines. The new engine is rumored to be larger—3.7 liters—and to have a more traditional design, other than an odd 30° tilt. A source within Engineering told us that it was tilted over to make room for accessories on the side so that it could fit into smaller engine bays; and to provide space for a better air path, increasing its efficiency.
FCA US reported their first quarter sales with surprising speed, issuing them on April Fool’s Day—but they are real. Total sales fell by 14%, largely on supply constraints, from 469,651 for January-March 2021 to 405,221 for January-March 2022. Retail sales fell by 13%, slightly better than the fall in fleet sales.
Electrifying news. The Wrangler 4xe did quite well…
Jalopnik just posted specifications from a staging site for the GR Corolla, which comes complete with a hefty restyling of the compact car known in the US mainly for a dull reliability. The 1.6 liter engine boasts 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, using all wheel drive and an “intelligent” (rev-matching) six-speed manual transmission—using … Read more
Mopar-related social media exploded when the Hurricane hit the news, but there are some misconceptions out there which can be addressed with the data already issued by Stellantis.
Originally, we believed the engine was meant primarily for Ram pickups; they will still be used there, but will almost certainly be used in the Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, and next-generation large cars, as well. Indeed, it might have allowed for the next generation large cars to have a smaller engine bay, saving weight (or providing more space for the interior). It also cuts around 150 pounds of weight, which is handy for acceleration and fuel economy.
The New York Auto Show has released their timetable for 2022, and there are not one but two unveilings scheduled by the former Chrysler. One is for Jeep, which is widely expected to be the Grand Wagoneer with the new Hurricane high output engine; rumor across multiple sites, though the first appears to have been Mopar Insiders, claims that this will also be the debut of a long-wheelbase Wagoneer. The second event is for Chrysler…
In a stunning move, Stellantis has revealed its new Hurricane Six—keeping the code name for the general public. The engine was accidentally revealed to the public yesterday, caught by an Allpar reader, and reposted on Stellpower. Stellantis confirmed that the Hurricane would be the primary internal-combustion engine for STLA Large and Frame vehicles, powering the … Read more
While some would wait for New York to reveal a new engine, Allpar noticed that Jeep has shown it on the Build and Price section of its web site just a little early.
Here is the first photo we’ve seen of the inline turbo six:
Now that the new Grand Cherokee, including the Durango-replacing Grand Cherokee L, is in full swing at Mack, Jefferson North is shutting down for eight weeks for retooling. When it is done, a $900 million changeover, which is creating 1,100 jobs, will allow for the production of plug-in hybrids and full battery-electrics. … What does this mean for the Dodge Durango and WK Grand Cherokee?
The Prowler had another trick up its sleeve, too—a pushrod suspension design which had horizontal dampers and active controls. That suspension design also appeared on the Chrysler ME-412, an incredibly potent lightweight vehicle using an AMG V12 engine which was reportedly “production intent” but angrily cancelled from Stuttgart—because it made mincemeat of the expensive Mercedes SLR. According to Muscle Cars & Trucks (cited by Mopar Insiders), Stellantis recently patented a similar design adapted for electric cars…