Recently, a Chrysler employee posted part of an internal brochure, and it reminded me of the time when Chrysler came back with a vengeance. This was not the first time, as most readers know; the company has had an absurd number of comebacks under charismatic leaders—under Walter Flanders, Walter Chrysler, Lee Iacocca, Bob Lutz, and … Read more
The sales numbers from the American automakers are in for the first quarter of 2021 and once again, the Ford Mustang outsold the Dodge Challenger, but it wasn’t without a fight. Challenger sales were up an impressive 24% during the first three months of 2021, even as inventory levels are very low. In fact, the … Read more
First, the very good news: Stellantis out-sold Volkswagen AG in Europe, to be the best-selling automaker on the continent in its first quarter as a company. That comes with the caveat that Volkswagen is likely to make a comeback, but Stellantis may still have some tricks in store, with (among other things) clever hydrogen technology that … Read more
Sources within Stellantis announced today that they are working on building the GME straight-six turbo (T6) engine, a Dodge Magnum wagon based on the Charger, battery-electric cars, and six new cars—two each for Fiat, Chrysler, and Alfa Romeo. A Stellantis spokesman said, “We don’t talk about future product.” An unofficial source, on the other hand, … Read more
The “completely new” 1949 Dodges, like the lower Plymouths and the higher DeSotos and Chryslers, were created to the specifications of Walter Chrysler’s protegé, K.T. Keller. K.T. was a great wartime leader for Chrysler Corporation, ordering daily miracles for the United States military; the company did an incredible job of producing anti-aircraft guns, aircraft parts … Read more
The global microchip shortage that is causing delays across the entire world’s auto industry hit Stellantis production facilities hard last week, with the automaker announcing multiple weeks of unplanned production stoppages for plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This production stoppage impacts the Dodge Challenger, the Dodge Charger, the Chrysler 300, the Chrysler … Read more
This past weekend, the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX with VIN #001 rolled across the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale Auction and when the final gavel sounded, the winner took home the 702-horsepower half-ton for $410,000. All of that money will go to the United Way of Southeast Michigan’s 2-1-1 helpline, which provides various assistance and … Read more
The Dodge Challenger and Charger are both offered with a supercharged Hemi in Hellcat and Redeye trim, while the coupe also has the Super Stock trim level. All of these high performance cars, as well as the 2018 Demon, rely on a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8, but the power levels vary from 707 to 840. … Read more
Dodge’s hottest cars, the Charger and Challenger with the 392 (6.4) or Hellcat 6.2 V8s, are getting a software update which will let owners restrict the engine to idle speed—675 rpm—with a peak horsepower of roughly 3. That’s less than 1% of their usual power. The update is available back to model-year 2015, and should … Read more
This year’s Easter Jeep Safari concepts are a pretty diverse bunch—though all based on the Wrangler/Gladiator body. The Magneto concept is battery-powered, with an axial flux electric motor running up to 6,000 rpm, connected to a six-speed manual transmission. That’s right, a manual transmission electric—something for the rest of us. Its power is about the … Read more
The Jeep Wrangler PHEV’s official fuel economy numbers are out, and they are a bit of a bummer. The EPA rates the 4xe as having a 21-mile all-electric range, and a 22 mile electric-plus-gasoline range, less than the expected 25 miles. That is enough for a typical driver to go to work and plug in, … Read more
For the fourth-straight year, Mopar and Dodge are teaming up to present the Hemi Shootout at all six of the 2021 National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) events. The first NMCA event is the 19th annual Muscle Car Mayhem at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, March 18th through the 21st.The class is open to all 2005-and-later … Read more
The good people at Ram are recalling ProMaster City commercial vans from the 2020 and 2021 model years, because the antilock brake module may have a bad internal part that renders it useless. The bad joke on Ram: only four vehicles are estimated to have the problem, all of them made from August 15, 2020 … Read more
The Dodge brand announced last night that the Gold Rush exterior option is now available on the 2021 Dodge Charger. Anyone who wants to order an R/T, Scat Pack or SRT Hellcat – including the 797-horsepower Redeye (above) – can now pick the dark metallic gold hue from the list of heritage inspired exterior colors. … Read more
A Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger funny car won every single event during the shortened 2020 NHRA racing season, with Matt Hagan taking home the class championship as Team Mopar teammates Tommy Johnson Jr, Jack Beckman and Ron Capps finished second, third and fourth in the championship race. Hagan won two of the last three … Read more
Peugeot SA, like Volkswagen AG, tended to reflect American automakers of the 1930s-to-1980s: similar cars were sold under different brands, varying in trim, soundproofing, convenience features, and such. Peugeot maintained four brands—Citroën, DS, and Opel being the other three. That system, in Chrysler’s case, led to extremely similar cars being sold, with varying sizes, trim … Read more