Jeep has re-released the Avenger in Europe, with the addition of the awaited hybrid version to the existing all-electric model. The Avenger is a compact crossover not planned for sale in North America; the battery version has a 400V motor and 54 kWh battery.The hybrid uses a 1.2 liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine with a 48V … Read more
Jeep is recalling some 32,125 US-market 2021-24 Wrangler 4xes due to fire risk, though only around 1% have the flaw. The company advises that owners do not recharge them, but that they do park them away from structures and other vehicles, until the software is updated.The software update will include an automated check of the … Read more
The Jeep Wagoneer topped large SUVs’ residual values for the second year, according to J.D. Power. This helps with lease prices and profits, and shows that the Wagoneer remains desirable to buyers.The Jeep Wrangler also topped its segment, as did the Ram ProMaster. The latter is the only front wheel drive large commercial van in … Read more
While racing at the final event of the 2023 Modern Street Hemi Shootout season, the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee owned and driven by Mel Varon and built by James Wall and his team at RSPDMV, ran an 8.58 at 161.52 miles per hour, setting a new Trackhawk quarter mile world record – and he did … Read more
60% of Unifor members voted for the proposed contract with Stellantis, which means that it has been ratified. The company has invested $12.6 billion (CAD) in the country since 2010, is the largest producer of vehicles made in Canada, and has almost twice as many represented workers as any of the former Big Three.The agreement … Read more
As part of union negotiations, Stellantis provided details on when the Wrangler and Gladiator would finally be renewed. The Wrangler has been on a ten-year replacement cycle, though Ford Bronco and the upcoming Volkswagen Scout may eventually challenge that.The Gladiator is to be updated this year, unsurprisingly, since the 2024 Wrangler has already been unveiled. … Read more
Around 100,000 2022-24 Wagoneers have apparently been made so far—if this recall is any indication. The vehicles may have third row seat belt buckles which “may not allow occupants to properly access or fasten the seat belt to the buckle.” The fix is replacing the third row seat belt buckle.Only around 1% of vehicles have … Read more
Wrangler remains the king of the aftermarket for several reasons, consistently winning SEMA awards as vendors praise the ease of making extra parts—not just “trinkets and trash,” to quote one retired Jeep engineer, but also factory-quality parts that increase actual performance or add things the company refused to make available (like camper attachments). Read more
The Rebelle Rally begins tomorrow (October 12th) and the Jeep brand is looking to win its third-straight overall event win and seventh win in the eight years that the all-female off-road event has been held. The event covers 1,500 miles through the desert of Nevada and California in eight days and competitors cross the land … Read more
Opinion. Stellantis’ North American car lineups are going through some rough times right now, with the EPA coming down on them hard for emissions fines, the discontinuation of the V8s, the introduction of EVs, and on top of all of that the slow, painful demise of Chrysler. Stellantis needs to do something to pull themselves … Read more
Leading the recall news for the week is a flock of recalls for fires in the engine bay caused by either the antilock brake unit or the hydraulic brake computer. The recalls affect Kias from 2010 to 2019, and Hyundais and Genesis models from 2011 to 2015. The range of vehicles is quite wide, from … Read more
The Jeep Avenger, currently sold only as a battery-electric, has reached 40,000 sales so far this year. These sales seem to be an addition to the Renegade, which has beaten its 31,705 January-through-August 2022 sales with over 32,000 Renegades changing hands so far this year (through the end of August).The new Avenger is, in short, … Read more
After years of concessions and inflation, the UAW has demanded substantial pay increases. Its original demand of a 46% increase has fallen to 30%, while automakers have proposed 20%( Ford), 18% (GM), and 17.5% (Stellantis), pleading poverty and asking the union to ignore its quite large profits from recent years.The strategy of “stand-up strikes,” instant-on … Read more
Peugeot recently introduced the 2023 E-3008, and while that vehicle will likely never have any role in the United States market, it is based on the STLA Medium platform. We know that the STLA Medium platform will be used for vehicles sold in North America at some point, so there is a possibility that some … Read more
The Jeep Gladiator was introduced to satisfy the demand for a Wrangler-like pickup, so it should come as little surprise that the refreshed 2024 Gladiator has the same refreshments as the 2024 Wrangler that debuted earlier this year. In the long run, the majority of the vehicle is unchanged, but there are some very impactful … Read more
As time goes on, FCA US (Stellantis North America) press releases increasingly refer to “the Dodge brand,” “the Jeep brand,” and so on. Maybe this made sense for Chrysler before FCA, to avoid confusion between the marque and the company (many car folk eschew the term “brand” in favor of the more dignified “marque”), but there is no Chrysler Corporation or Chrysler Group today.
There has never been any reason for Dodge people to refer to “the Dodge brand.” It’s just Dodge. Nobody thinks that Dodge City is producing cars—or Phelps Dodge—or Grace Dodge. There’s only one Dodge that makes cars, and it’s the group that used to be Dodge Division and before that Dodge Brothers… and Dodge Brothers didn’t make other brands of cars. Read more
