FCA US sales fall, Wagoneer debuts, Canadian sales better (not April Fools)

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…

Two actual recalls on April Fool’s Day

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve and Overland

Jeep is recalling certain 2021-22 Grand Cherokee Ls due to a missing weld in the seatback frame to the child seat anchor. The good news is that, of 4,586 vehicles sold in the U.S. which are potentially involved in the recall—those built from October 13, 2021 to February 2, 2022—only 3% are expected to have … Read more

Second inline six planned for heavy duty Rams

New inclined six for trucks

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.

GR Corolla versus Dodge Hornet: some differences

Corolla GR

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

Dodge Announces Chief Donut Maker Finalists

Dodge Chief Donut Maker 10 Finalists

This morning, 10 Dodge enthusiasts got some pretty exciting news, as the brand announced the 10 finalists for the Chief Donut Maker position, each of which will now head to Radford Racing School (formerly Bondurant) for the next step of the competition.“With over 173,500 applications to review, it wasn’t easy, but we’ve selected our top … Read more

Social media droppings: Hurricane engine tidbits

Mopar twin turbo inline six: Hurricane engine

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.

Jeep teases another Safari concept

Jeep® has posted another “trail marker” teaser in the runup to Easter Jeep Safari 2022. This 4xe-based vehicle has plug-in hybrid power which is “Pushing Jeep open-air freedom to the extreme” with custom gear from Jeep Performance Parts and Mopar.

Wagoneer T6, possible new Chrysler arriving on April 13

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…

Mopar’s Hurricane Six is official and very powerful indeed

Mopar twin turbo inline six: Hurricane engine

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 future … Read more

Plant change means electric Grand Cherokees are coming, Durango is changing

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe

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?