US, Canada “Mopar” sales fall during an auto sales boom

2023 Mopar US Sales

GM delivered 603,208 vehicles to US customers in the first quarter of 2023, an 18% increase over the first quarter of 2022—making them, again, America’s favorite automaker. Retail sales grew by 15%, while fleets leaped up by 27%.

Meanwhile, “Mopar,” or FCA US, saw a surprise 9% sales drop in the same period. Dodge was up by 24%, and Chrysler was up by 10%; but Jeep fell by 20% and Ram fell by 7%.

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is Not Available as a Convertible

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

Back in mid-August of 2022, the Dodge brand introduced the third-party convertible option from Drop Top Customs for the Challenger, stating that the topless option was available for R/T, R/T Scat Pack and SRT models. The 1,025-horsepower 8-second Demon 170 is an SRT model and since we have began talking about the 170 model, we … Read more

Jeep frames with an extra stud, Honda mirrors falling off: Recall Monday

camp jeep wrangler breakover test

Jeep made Wrangler frames with an extra stud, requiring a big recall to avoid ruptured fuel tanks—but first, the other embarrassing gaffes from around the globe:

Honda managed to put on side-view mirrors that may “detach,” on 2020-21 Pilots and Ridgelines, and 2020-22 Odysseys and Passports (oh, and the speedometer cable—remember those?—may be “incorrectly routed” on ’22 NVA110B motorcycles). Nissan put the wrong door latches onto 2022 QX50s and 2023 QX55s. Volvo has a “false warning message” on the emergency call system for most 2023s. 

Fratzonic Exhaust Take II, and Just what in Hellcat is the new Charger EV hiding?

Dodge Charger Daytona

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.

Here are the new Jeep concepts for Moab ’23

2023 Moab Jeep Concepts

Jeep has officially unveiled the concepts for the 57th annual Easter Jeep Safari which takes place on April 1-9, 2023 in Moab, Utah. Here they are—all seven of them on one page, including one 1978 “SJ” Cherokee merged with a Wrangler Rubicon to form an entirely new beast; an all-electric Wrangler; a purple-pink model; a two-seater Grand Wagoneer with a popup camper built in; and a few others.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Drivetrain: Deep Dive

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Launch

Most people who are wowed by the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 are focused primarily on the fact that it has 1,025 horsepower – and of course they are focused on that number. The Challenger Demon 170 is the first American production car to offer more than a thousand horsepower in factory-stock form, and … Read more

Here are the Correct 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 US Option Prices

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

When we brought you the information on the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 from the live debut in Las Vegas, we only talked about the MSRP (retail price), which is $96,666 for the United States. Today, we bring you the official prices for all of the options from Dodge, many of which are relatively unchanged from the other 2023 Dodge Challenger models. There have been other numbers being shared around social media, but those sources (as usual) cite incorrect numbers. These are the official, correct prices for the Demon 170 options from the Dodge ordering system – not numbers found randomly on the internet.

Meet the World’s First 8-second Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat

Tina Boggess Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat

Tina Boggess and her white Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat have held the title of the world’s quickest Durango Hellcat, but this past weekend at Kentucky Dragway, Boggess became the first Durango Hellcat owner to break into the 8-second range. Boggess and her supercharged Dodge SUV known as the “MomCar”, ran an 8.87 at 157.661 and … Read more

Magneto brings up Hurricane hybrid potential for Wrangler, Dodge

Wrangler Magneto 3.0

One of the custom vehicles Jeep is bringing to Moab will be a Wrangler 3.0 Magneto. The name suggests a hybrid-Hurricane combination—dual H power, so to speak. The reality is not quite so poetic: it’s the third Magneto concept. That said, the concept does bring up speculation about the Wrangler and Challenger (and Charger) once the 6.4 liter SRT Hemi—the “392”—goes away.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Debut Car was Not Stolen

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

On Tuesday, March 21, an image surfaced online claiming that the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 that had debuted at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the night before was stolen just after the debut. That post was accompanied by a picture shown below of the back of the Demon 170 with “STOLEN” written across it.That screenshot … Read more

Ram midsize pickup finally revealed—to dealers

Ram Revolution BEV side view

Ram head Mike Koval Jr. has shown the upcoming midsize Ram pickup, but only to dealers at a meeting in Las Vegas.Automotive News reported on a dealer’s views of the pickup, which he said exceeded his expectations—and was “spectacular.” The new battery-electric pickup matches the “aesthetic” of the Ram 1500 Revolution from January, pictured above.The … Read more

Flashback Friday: the original Fabulous Hudson Hornet

Hudson Hornet logo

One of the less-likely NASCAR champions was a full-sized L-head straight-six car from a premium brand, brought out in the same year as the first, 180-bhp Chrysler Hemi. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet may not have had a V8, but it had three other things going for it: lighter weight, a stiff unibody, and a sunken floor and engine which gave it phenomenal handling when compared to most American stock cars of the day. The straight-six was nearly as big as the first Hemi—308 cubic inches (while that first Hemi was 331 cid)—but was hooked up to a manual transmission and had less weight to push around.  

How the Demon 170 Hemi Differs from the Redeye Hemi: Deep Dive

Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

When the embargo lifted on the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 on Monday, we focused on key parts of the new package, including power, performance, and production numbers, but we didn’t get into how this package makes so much more power than the closely-related Redeye. Today, we dive into what makes the Demon 170’s supercharged Hemi so much more powerful—reaching 1,075 horsepower. (See our initial piece about the 1,025-horsepower, 8-second Demon 170).

When Tim Kuniskis introduced the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 to a small group of media in early March, he held up a camshaft and said that it was the only component that was directly shared between the 6.2-liter Hemi in the Demon 170 and the 6.2-liter Hemi in the Redeye. Everything else was revised in some way, if not replaced altogether.

Unveiled: Dodge Hornet R/T-based GLH Concept

Dodge Hornet R/T GLH Concept

When Dodge introduced the new Hornet last August, the production-ready GT and R/T models were joined by the GLH Concept – with GLH standing for Goes Like Hell, just as it did on the Omni GLH. That GLH Concept was based on the GT, which derives its power from a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that delivers 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, rather than the more powerful Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid.

On the surface, it seems like a smart decision to focus on the non-hybrid model for a performance package like the GLH, but with the R/T hybrid packing quite a bit more power, it seems like the better basis for a go-fast model – even though it is a fuel-friendly hybrid.