Forget Road Runner — the Road Tripper may be coming

Road Runner ad

FCA US, the American arm of Stellantis, recently applied for a trademark on the name Road Tripper (two words), for “passenger automobiles and structural parts therefor.”The filing was made on May 23, 2022—just one week ago.While we don’t know whether Road Tripper will be a trim package, option group, or an actual car model, Stellantis … Read more

Marelli, key supplier, trying to turn around and dump debt

Just three years ago, Fiat Chrysler sold Fiat’s parts group, Magneti Marelli, to KKR-owned Calsonic Kansei Corporation’s CK Holdings. Fiat Chrysler—now Stellantis—remains a primary customer of (as it was now called) Marelli; as in the past, Marelli also sells to numerous other automakers.Today, Bloomberg announced that Marelli has chosen a group to restructure its debt … Read more

Jeep breaking out of Indian niche

Jeep Meridian (Compass based)

Jeep had less than a 1% market share in India in 2020. It’s a tough market, partly because a former Willys licensee, Mahindra & Mahindra, makes inexpensive vehicles that look just like today’s (and yesterday’s Jeeps)—and they have every legal right to do so.Some believe that Jeep’s drive to increase sales is also not helped … Read more

STLA-direct sales may be phased in

feldman cdjr (jeep dealer)

According to the Detroit News (subscription required), Stellantis is planning to move to direct sales rather than going through dealers, possibly during the shift into battery-electric cars. Tesla, the American electric car maker, has avoided using franchises, resulting in state-by-state legal battles.Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares claimed that distribution is about a third of a new … Read more

STLA settlement may finally put diesel fraud case to bed

VM diesel (Ram)

When Jeep and Ram were tuning VM diesels for use in Ram 1500s and Jeeps, it turned to a Volkswagen-owned contractor and VM employees for help with fine tuning the controls. Not long afterwards, it turned out that Volkswagen had been faking its emissions tests, and then researchers and reporters turned their attention to just … Read more

Resolving Rumors: Dodge Challengers With Manual Transmission

Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Interior

It has been discussed quite a bit over the course of the past six months that the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is currently not available with the 6-speed manual transmission. A report from Road & Track in March suggested that the option had been removed for the supercharged muscle car in late 2021 while the … Read more

Meet the “new” head of FCA US supply chain

It seems like just yesterday Stellantis was rated as the worst automaker to work with by suppliers, in a Plante Moran survey which has been run since 2013. Almost at the same time, Stellantis’ global head of purchasing was replaced; and today, Automotive News reported that the North American head of supply chain, Martin Hornbeck, … Read more

Ford paying some states for truck “mis-statements”

Ford is paying $91 million to 40 states and the District of Columbia for deceptions about fuel economy and payload on the 2013-14 C-Max and 2011-14 Super Duty, respectively.In 2013, Ford dropped its official C-Max gas mileage by 7 mpg and sent $550 to owners to compensate them for the extra fuel use. They do … Read more

When Jeep recalled three dozen vehicles

2022 jeep Wrangler

Jeep announced two exceedingly small recalls for lighting issues.Around two dozen 2022 Grand Cherokee/Grand Cherokee Ls were recalled due to a body computer which may flash the hazard lights when braking, which violates federal rules. All affected vehicles were made on January 26; the total was five Grand Cherokees and 15 Grand Cherokee Ls, not … Read more

New USA battery plant confirmed

2024 Ram EV

Automotive News reported this morning that the new Stellantis-Samsung SDI joint-venture battery plant will likely be sited in Indiana, near existing Kokomo-area plants. It should be producing batteries in 2025, with a starting capacity of 23 gigawatt-hours. Company representatives said it would provide an update on Kokomo’s future operations later today.A Canadian facility has already … Read more

See the $1 million+ 1969 Charger Daytona from the Mecum auction

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona in F8 Green

Prices of classic collectible muscle cars have climbed a great deal over the past few years. This past weekend, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona shown here rolled across the Mecum Indy auction block; when the hammer sounded, this Hemi-powered wing car sold for a whopping $1.32 million – making this F8 Green the most valuable … Read more