Ford’s attack on the Jeep Wrangler will resume in earnest as the Bronco plant returns to full production, with a UAW strike now in the rear view mirror (assuming workers vote their approval of the deal). While Ford leaders had said the company would be bankrupted by anything beyond their prior offers, the company quickly … Read more
In a bizarre relaunch of the Fiat 500 in the United States, Fiat brand announced the launch of the new Fiat 500e as an aside to a press release about the creation of FIAT House, a luxury set of condos or apartments in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The “innovative residential property,” built by UNLMTD Real … Read more
The Toledo Blade reported back in August that Stellantis would be shutting down the Dundee Engine plant, temporarily laying off 611 workers, to transition to making new Peugeot-based 1.6 liter engines.
The plant is currently down for this retooling. Informal sources claimed that, in addition to the 1.6 liter engine, the new 2.0 liter four-cylinder would be made in Dundee—on the same line, which would be a fairly sizable achievement for flexible manufacturing. The two engines share virtually nothing in common, with different cranks, bore spacing, and so on.
The Hurricane Six was reportedly created using the combustion chamber from the 2.0 liter GME engine—essentially creating a new block around that chamber. However, in a recent interview, Micky Bly, head of Stellantis propulsion, said that the Hurricane will spawn a new 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine. …
Mark Olson’s father was chosen to live with one of the Ghia-built Chrysler turbine cars during its customer evaluation program, sparking a lifelong interest in Chrysler and turbine cars. Mark, who was 16 at the time, was able to drive the car, preserving his memories later at turbinecar.com. He was Jay Leno’s guest for a time … Read more
For all the crisis talk around the UAW strike, particularly from leaders of Ford, one might think that American automakers and Stellantis were in danger of bankruptcy. GM’s leaders don’t seem to agree; they announced no change in their dividend, set at 9¢ per share for the last five quarters (since 8/30/2022). Stockholders as of … Read more
Today, the UAW started striking the only plant to make the “DT” Ram 1500. The company is still making heavy-duty models in Mexico and prior-generation “DS” Ram 1500 Classics in Warren, Michigan. The union said that Stellantis had “the worst proposal on the table regarding wage progression, temporary worker pay, conversation to full-time, cost-of-living adjustments, … Read more
Three new vans were unveiled today. They have new cockpits and control interfaces, aiming at higher safety and productivity, and stress-free driving. Driver assistance features include LED headlights. The second-generation zero-emissions systems were fully designed and built by Stellantis, including new regenerative braking systems. Compact vans The new compact van series was customized for each … Read more
e-PTO, Electric Power Take Off, lets contracts use the internal 400V battery (the traction battery normally used for forward motion) to run their equipment. It can be set for up to 17 minutes of power when the vehicles is off, e.g. to run refrigeration gear, or can provide longer-term power while the vehicle is on. … Read more
Stellantis today announced the renewal of its entire van range at the same time, including a fully electrified van range—which has been the case in Europe since 2021. In the EU30, Stellantis had a 43% share of the electric van market—the largest of any company. The company is releasing its second-generation battery-electric (BEV) technology this … Read more
Stellantis is dropping out of SEMA and the Los Angeles Auto Show, blaming the UAW for its move. The union and company are at odds mainly over planned factory and warehouse closings in the United States, which include Indiana Transmission, Trenton Engine, and Belvidere Assembly; and over unionization of new battery plants. The union is … Read more
Wrangler remains the king of the aftermarket for several reasons, consistently winning SEMA awards as vendors praise the ease of making extra parts—not just “trinkets and trash,” to quote one retired Jeep engineer, but also factory-quality parts that increase actual performance or add things the company refused to make available (like camper attachments).
Forza Motorsport – the 8th edition of the popular racing simulator for Xbox systems – formally came to market on October 10th (or the 5th for buyers of the game’s Premium version) and among the 500+ vehicles available so far are 17 Dodge products, 2 Plymouth vehicles, 1 Eagle and 1 Chrysler Charger. Of those … Read more
These images of Dodge Charger chassis from the assembly plant were posted recently to Allpar’s forums by member con383, who only said they were “found online.” The body shells, with a paper whose only readable letters are “TT,” appear to be ready for a standard engine, unless the apparent gasoline filler area is actually a port for a charger…
Stellantis has six commercial vehicle brands with five vans, ten pickups, and one “micro mobility offer.” It plans to renew all of them, unveiling the series on October 23—including the new (2024?) Ram ProMaster EV and 2025 Ram 1500 REV, along with a new hydrogen fuel-cell solution for the future. (Past plans showed Ram Heavy Duty pickups running on hydrogen; and Cummins has a hydrogen version of their B-series diesel in the works, though this won’t use fuel cells).
These images of Dodge Charger chassis from the assembly plant were posted recently to Allpar’s forums by member con383, who only said they were “found online.” The body shells, with a paper whose only readable letters are “TT,” appear to be ready for a standard engine, unless the apparent gasoline filler area is actually a port for a charger…