Stellantis had a bad 2022 in European sales, falling 14% and giving up market share to every manufacturer other than Jaguar and Mitsubishi. Jeep fell by 20%, the worst fall of any Stellantis brand. It was a bad year for European automakers in general. Volkswagen dropped by 6%, Renault by 3%, BMW by 5%,a and … Read more
Starting back in 2015 or so, the Bob Bondurant High Performance Driving School became the official driving school of Dodge/SRT. Through that partnership, everyone who buys a new Dodge SRT product gets a free one-day course at the Arizona-based educational facility and all of the production-based vehicles used at the school back then were Dodge … Read more
The 2023 Jeep Cherokee will have no V6 version, with the 3.2 liter engines made only for that model already out of production. Instead, buyers will have a choice of two models; the Altitude LUX has the old 2.4 liter four-cylinder while the Trailhawk has the new 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder. (An earlier announcement suggested … Read more
Dodge Hornets have been spotted on their way to dealerships, and have just been added to the Dodge Build & Price system.
Two models are available, GT and GT Plus. GT starts at $30,590 plus destination ($32,185 total); GT Plus starts at $35,490 (37,085). Both come with all wheel drive. On the GT, white or black paint is free, with other colors adding $495-595. 17” wheels are standard. …
The Jeep Avenger is the European Car of the Year, in a surprise victory over stiff global competition.
Stellantis is returning to Canada’s biggest, most popular car show, bringing Jeep’s indoor off-road course and other attractions. The displays will range from the Hornet to the Wagoneer L. It may seem that Stellantis was snubbing the show, but the show itself was actually closed for some time due to COVID. It will be open … Read more
Mopars fared reasonably well in Canadian sales for 2022, with 169,179 cars sold—a 5% gain over 2021.
The Wagoneer had a good outing with 1631 regular and 930 high-priced Grands trading hands—totaling 16,682 sales. Compare those premium cars from a standard brand to Alfa Romeo’s 911 total sales for the year. Both were up from 2021 but that makes sense, since they started production late in that year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its list of 2022 recalls. Overall, there were 390 recalls, including trucks and trailers. Ford topped the list by a huge margin, with 65 recalls, including the company’s trademark fire-hazard recalls. In fairness, Ford had four major launches—the Bronco, Bronco Sport and Escape, and Mustang and F-150 … Read more
Back in the 1970s, full-sized cars practically disappeared as fuel efficiency became more important and manufacturers started packaging their vehicles better—so that the outside of a car could shrink by a foot or two, while adding interior space. In the 1990s, Chrysler brought the segment back to life with the exciting LH cars, which added … Read more
Despite numerous plant shutdowns and a brand-new Toyota Sienna and semi-new Kia Carnival, Chrysler managed to hold onto the minivan crown, though it was a somewhat pyrrhic victory. With sales at just under 100,000, Chrysler held steady with 2021, but every competitor plummeted in sales. The Sienna fell by 35%, despite a brand new all-hybrid … Read more
Toyota sold the largest number of cars of any brand in the US, once again, as a brand, with 1.85 million sales—down 9% but still enough to beat Ford’s 1.77 million sales (down 2%). Chevrolet, once America’s top seller by a big margin, rose to 1.50 million with a 6% gain. After that, no other … Read more
Electric motors can get quite hot while operating—and so can batteries when powering those motors. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) makers have all spent a great deal of time and money on thermal management, as gasoline-vehicle makers did before them. Their solutions work well for most people, but there is likely room for more work by enthusiasts. That … Read more
