One of the aspects of the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator that make them so popular is the ability to outfit them with all sorts of upgraded components via the Jeep Performance Parts line. Although the Wrangler and Gladiator are the most off-road-capable vehicles in their respective segments, many owners want items that make it even … Read more
Henry Ford famously said that buyers of the Model T could have any color they wanted, as long as it was black—because black paint was cheap and (mainly) because it dried quickly.
Today, if you want a Ford Bronco, you can get white, black, gray, red, green, or blue, all free even on the base model (though there is an $1,895 charge for bringing the car to your dealership, which is $200 more than Jeep charges).
At Dodge, black is the only free color on the Hornet, whether you get a base model or an R/T Plus at over $45,000. Every other color is $495 or $595. <>Read more
Stepping on its own press releases, Stellantis today released the STLA Medium platform, which will host cars and crossovers from just about every STLA brand—most likely including Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler, and possibly even Ram.
STLA Medium is, in short, a global platform; it can handle compact and midsize cars and crossovers (C and D segments), potentially replacing everything from the Renegade to the Cherokee, or from Neon to Stratus/Sebring. Stellantis has 26 nameplates that could be covered by STLA Medium, and has the factory capacity to make two million vehicles per year on the platform this year. <>Read more
David McDonald, who joined Chrysler Corporation in 1993 and was made head of North American customer experience at Stellantis in July 2022, chatted with Automotive News’ Vince Bond recently about how the company rose this year in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey. <>Read more
Many people remember being told by their parents, “Shut off the light when you leave the room!” According to Automotive News, Stellantis said much the same thing to FCA US, also known as “the former Chrysler,” which had been metaphorically leaving the lights on when leaving the room. PSA, the former Peugeot, had a protocol called … Read more
People judge brands along many dimensions—for example, Reliability, Safety, Value, Styling, Performance, and Comfort. Brands position themselves in two ways—through the product itself, and through marketing. For example, Dodge has hammered on Styling and Performance in its marketing for over ten years—and has honed its product lineup on both dimensions…. <>Read more
Mopars rose in the JD Power initial quality (IQS) score, which measures the rate of problems in the first 90 days of ownership. Every Stellantis brand rated in the United States went up against last year’s numbers (shown below), bucking the industry trend. No former-Chrysler or current-Stellantis marque performed as poorly as Tesla. <>Read more
William Kendall, who joined Chrysler in 1994 as a plant engineer at Trenton Engine, will lead North American Customer Experience starting on July 1. Kendall rose through manufacturing quality positions, focusing on powertrain, over the years; he has a master’s in mechanical engineering and an MBA. He is moving to the new position, replacing David … Read more
According to a story by Vince Bond, Jr., in Automotive News, Stellantis dealers can no longer order gasoline-only cars “on spec” in states following California air pollution rules (“CARB states”). Nearly all the CARB states are in the Northeast or coastal West.
Dealers can still order vehicles for customers—just not “on spec.”
To balance supply and demand, dealers in other states can no longer buy plug-in hybrids from Stellantis without customer orders. Some customers are crossing state lines to buy cars off the lot—both gasoline-only and PHEV versions. <>Read more
The highly successful Roadkill Nights, now dubbed “MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge,” is moving to Pontiac (Michigan) with street racing down Woodward Avenue. The event, which attracted 40,000 people last year, is moving the starting line to Woodward and West Pike Street to expand the venue for the one-day festival of horsepower on … Read more
To help create a culture of innovation, Stellantis created the Star*Up program, where employees presented their ideas. A hearing-impaired worker who was not named provided the idea for visual hazard notices, according to Automotive News, which resulted in Stellantis’ participation in the HAAS Alert System. The idea was presented in 2021 and pushed into production far … Read more
All figures are from ACEA new-car registration reports for April 2023. Stellantis lost market share in Europe (defined as the EU plus EFTA plus the UK), falling from an 18.8% market share to 17.5%. Most of its ground was given up to Volkswagen, which shot up from 24% to 27%; every Volkswagen brand rose or … Read more
The Mopar community knows that the 1980s Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler cars got their biggest performance numbers from turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The Shelby Charger, Daytona, Omni GLH, Shadow, Spirit and Laser all benefited from the turbocharged engine program, allowing them to keep up with (if not beat) the Mustangs and Camaros of that era, but … Read more
A UAW local just announced that Stellantis is seeking 3,500 early departures from FCA US via buyouts and retirement offers, according to Automotive News. The company has around 40,500 hourly workers. (See update.) The news comes via a letter to members from UAW Local 1264, which reported that the cuts will be widespread (AutoNews posted … Read more
Analysis. In 2025-26, Mopars will have access to a variety of gasoline, hybrid, and electric powertrains. Where should they put them? Chrysler would probably be a better marque for EVs than Dodge, especially in terms of pricing. Even with the performance aspect taken into account, a Chrysler 300R would be in a better position to … Read more
Guest Opinion. While many are reluctantly sounding approval of the sound of the second version of the Charger Banshee Concept’s Fratzonic chamber, I love it. It is a major step in the right direction, making it sound like there is something living and breathing within this vehicle.
Many video reviews call it “fake” sound; but Dodge took the sound of the motors, tuned the frequency, and pushed it through a resonating system (electronically amplified) to create the sound. The concept is no different from aftermarket mufflers. Some companies make speaker systems with downloadable V8 sound tracks, but Stellantis did something different—using the EV motors’ actual sound. Not to get into a long-drawn-out debate about real or fake sound, something else lurks beneath the surface of the waters at Dodge. <>Read more
