While Chevrolet made pickup trucks before the Silverado, yesterday General Motors celebrated the half-century anniversary of the nameplate. The first Chevrolet Silverado was the top of the line pickup for Chevrolet, whose other models simply used letter/number codes (like F150, but starting with a C for rear wheel drive or a K for four wheel … Read more
Jeep had three Top Safety Picks for the 2024 model-year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which rates cars on several crash tests as well as crash avoidance, including headlight brightness and freedom from glare. Jeep’s three Top Safety Pick winners were the two 2024-25 Jeep Grand Cherokees, in regular and L form, … Read more
Last week, I was invited by Dodge to travel Radford Racing School in Chandler, Arizona, to test the all-new 2024 Charger Daytona – the brand’s first ever battery electric vehicle (BEV) – on both the road and the track. If you are reading this with the expectation of a poor review, you might as well … Read more
Earlier this year, Jeep stripped away the popular automatic transmission option from the Wrangler V6, giving buyers a choice of the manual transmission V6 or an automatic 4xe or 392 Hemi setup. Today, Jeep announced that the automatic was back with all three engines, while the manual transmission remains restricted to the V6. The 4xe … Read more
Jeep has recalled two sets of vehicles for two different problems. 2021-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokees may have front seat airbags that do not work in a crash, because of an improperly secured connector. The solution is obvious, and every affected vehicle has already been fixed, making the paperwork seem superfluous; and only 14 vehicles sold … Read more
When a reader claimed that their dealership had gotten a number of formerly backordered parts, Stellpower had to investigate. Stellantis had been reluctant to spend on warranty work for some time, and many parts seemed to be on semi-permanent backorder—quite aside from a relatively new policy of checking out every warranty repair, even at trusted … Read more
The “Fiata,” properly the Fiat 124 Spider, was a Mazda Miata heavily modified by Fiat, with a retuned suspension and Fiat powertrain. One thing they do share in common is the gas cap, and the way that is sold may be emblematic of two ways of doing business. The car parts are both sold online … Read more
Braun, an aftermarket company, is recalling 44 Chrysler minivans sold in the United States under the Pacifica and Voyager names because the seat limiter may not have been included, so that owners may be too close to the airbags. Some more minivans outside the US are likely recalled as well. This only affects minivans which … Read more
Motor Trend has given the Ram 1500 its 2025 Truck of the Year award after weeks of testing, thanks partly to its 540 horsepower straight-six engine. The head of MotorTrend’s editorial department, Ed Loh, wrote, “The Ram 1500 lineup is a truck enthusiast’s dream from top to bottom, providing power under the hood, efficiency on … Read more
General Motors has given up on robotaxis, folding the Cruise LLC engineering teams into their own general engineering group. The Cruise technologies will be folded into Super Cruise, GM’s highly regarded self-driving setup, which is available on over 20 vehicles. This 2021 Escalade might or might not have Super Cruise. While Cruise made advances in … Read more
Stellantis and CATL are building a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Spain, aiming at production at the end of 2026. The joint venture project is designed to be carbon-neutral, and to have a capacity of 50 GWh of battery-making per year for compact and midsized vehicles in Europe. The memorandum of understanding … Read more
Nissan, despairing for a transformational leader, has chosen former Jeep leader Christian Meunier to lead its American division, according to Automotive News. (Infiniti is Nissan’s long-struggling luxury brand.) One industry insider described Nissan’s American operations as being full of politics and infighting, and generally unable to make information-based decisions. Nissan as a company has been … Read more
He may be most closely associated with Dodge and the “brotherhood of muscle,” but Tim Kuniskis was also, and is again, the head of Ram, Stellantis’ trucks-and-vans division. The company confirmed the move to Stellpower today. The news just came out today, after being rumored early in the morning, according to Automotive News, 17 minutes … Read more
Traditionally, Chrysler Corporation, Maxwell Motors, and the other incarnations that are part of Stellantis today have had a surefire way to save the company: bringing in a savior from the outside. Before a single decade was up, Maxwell Motors was saved by Walter Flanders, who bought the company and brought it back to life. Then … Read more
Zeta Energy, a battery development company which claimed to have a breakthrough in lithium-sulfur chemistry, recently earned a Department of Energy grant to commercialize their research. Now, Stellantis has joined in with a joint development agreement. The advantages of lithium-sulfur are lighter weight for the same power, similar volume, and quicker fast-charging speeds. Mainly, they … Read more
Mopar is ready to rev up holiday shopping with apparel, lifestyle products, and performance parts and accessories. Mike Koval, Jr., head of Mopar North America, wrote, “Holiday shoppers looking for a perfect present that any auto enthusiast will enjoy can turn to Mopar during this special time of year. Our massive and expanded ‘gift bag’ offers … Read more