FCA vs Toyota, first half of 2022

2022 toyota at new york auto show

Toyota became a legend for its control of manufacturing quality and supply chains. Stellantis is a new beast, including FCA US, which is notorious among suppliers for its stinginess. On the other end, Toyota also went through years of running on fumes in its engineering departments, while FCA US pushed forward in exciting customers. Who dominated … Read more

Weirdos of Mopar Sales Part III

2009 dodge journey

Every time a car company puts out its sales figures, there will be some oddball vehicles on there—mainly, cars that have long been discontinued. They might have been used as loaners, or been subject to financial or legal issues, or perhaps even forgotten about—or the dealer may have been stubborn about getting at least what … Read more

FCA US reports big drop in sales

FCA US reported a drop in sales for the second quarter (April through June) of 2022, compared with Q2 2021. Fleet sales rose as a percentage of the total, as retail sales fell by 24% and total sales fell by just 16%. Despite this, FCA US actually did well against its peers and may have … Read more

Footage of Kevin Wesley’s Pikes Peak Run in a Charger Redeye is Insane

Kevin Wesley Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye Pikes Peak

If you are familiar with the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, you know that unfriendly weather is a very real hazard for the legendary event. The Race to the Clouds takes place in Colorado Springs, with this famous stretch of road offering 156 turns over the course of 12.42 miles. The elevation at the starting … Read more

Surprise: Trenton to get investment, but not for engines

Trenton Engine

The Trenton Engine plant has two sections, North and South, sharing a parking lot and location near I-75 and MI-85, close to the Detroit River. Since the complex only makes engines and parts which are expected to be phased out, some believed the historic plant’s days were numbered.Instead, Stellantis is planning to spend $25 million … Read more

Dodge Launches HWY 93 Social Media Campaign

Dodge HWY 93 Challenger and Charger

This morning, Dodge announced a new social media campaign titled “HWY 93” and it is the latest effort by the brand to showcase the enthusiasts who help create “The Brotherhood of Muscle”. In fact, the HWY 93 program will lead to a national advertising campaign later this year titled “The Real Brotherhood of Muscle”.So what … Read more

Return of the Chrysler Atlantic?

Chrysler Atlantic

When Chrysler was having its renaissance in the 1990s, breaking stereotypes and barriers, Tom Gale was trying to find a flagship car to represent each of the brands. Dodge had the Viper; Jeep already had the Wrangler; and Plymouth would have the Prowler. Chrysler was his one failure; he never nailed down the brand that … Read more

STLA bought equity in lithium company

vulcan energy lithium drilling

A €50 million equity purchase in Vulcan Energy Resources, making Stellantis its second largest shareholder, will help the Australian mining company expand operations in Germany. The money will be spent on expanding Vulcan’s Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field project, which produces geothermal energy and lithium brine. Moving forward, Vulcan will produce lithium hydroxide without using fossil … Read more

Dodge to Reveal at Least 3 New Products in August

Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge

This morning, Dodge announced that the Roadkill Nights event in Metro Detroit will be a part of what the brand is calling Dodge Speed Week – starting on August 12th and finishing up on August 20th – with 3 days of worldwide product reveals in the middle. We don’t know exactly what will be introduced … Read more

Refilling the Cummins “hydrogen diesel” (possibly coming to Ram)

Some time ago, we posted a story on Stellantis’ hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). That is one path forward for areas where battery-electric vehicles aren’t practical, but it’s likely Ram heavy duty pickups will have another option: Cummins 6.7 liter B-type diesels hydrogen engines.Cummins, a pioneer in diesel engines (having run them at the Indy 500), helped … Read more

FCA inventors create new Park setup

880RE transmission (pictured: ZF Gen 4)

Creating a new hybrid-electric transmission (with integrated electric motors) brings up some problems and opportunities; one of the more prosaic ones is the humble parking pawl, that little bit of metal that keeps the car or truck from moving when the transmission is in Park.Typically, a notched wheel on the output shaft locks up the … Read more

Recall Monday hits Ram, Jeep

2022 Ram 1500 Built to Serve firefighters

The NHTSA announced three new Ram and Jeep recalls today. None have caused crashes to date, but all have the potential to do so. The numbers reported below are all for United States sales only, but recalls are generally global.Recall 22V407 affects around 120,000 Ram 1500 and 2500 pickups and Ram 3500 chassis cabs (GVWR … Read more