Way back in January, we reported that then-new Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell was planning an expansion or revitalization of the brand. It will require patience: for example, she reported that “a large utility vehicle” is on the cards for launch any time from 2025 to 2028. She was careful not to be specific about what is coming. … Read more
Jeep is recalling 2022 Grand Cherokees and 2021 Grand Cherokee Ls because the tail-light side markers may be broken. Around 100,000 vehicles in the United States, as well as exports to countries that use the same lights, are covered by FCA US recall Z50 (federal recall 22V544). Only 1% of the recalled vehicles are likely … Read more
Buddy Arrington has died at the age of 84. He had run 25 years in NASCAR’s toughest division, posting 15 top five finishes; he achieved first place runs in 1965 (Nashville) and 1979 (Talladega), impressive for an independent operator without factory backing. At Talladega, he ran in first place for two laps, but his crew … Read more
On Monday, FCA US announced that it would be making a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine for use with hybrid powertrains in two American vehicles. This engine appears to be a new edition in the established EP6 series. The first EP6 four-cylinders had rather public issues with the valve timing; when these were fixed, PSA assigned the … Read more
With Stellantis in charge and apparently eager to move beyond past mistakes, FCA US entered a guilty plea to conspiracy charges in federal court last two months ago. Today, the sentence came down: the company must pay $300 million for misleading federal regulators about the diesel emissions systems on 101,000 vehicles (Ram 1500s and Jeep … Read more
The NHRA big leagues head to Kansas on August 12th for the Menards Nationals after a three-race swing to the West Coast that couldn’t have gone much worse for Matt Hagan. After qualifying in the top spot at the Dodge Power Brokers Mile High Nationals, he qualified in the bottom half of the ladder at … Read more
When the 2022 Jeep Cherokee eliminated the 2.4 liter four-cylinder, the writing on the wall became easier to read. The old “Tigershark” version of DaimlerChrysler’s World Gasoline Engine was now only used in the Jeep Compass and Ram ProMaster City. When we first wrote about this, weeks ago, we believed the 2.4 had around one or … Read more
Dundee will get a new lease on life as Stellantis builds a new-to-us 1.6 liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine for use with hybrid-electric vehicles there. The relatively new engine plant currently makes 2.4 liter WGE four-cylinders and Pentastar V6 engines; the 2.4 is only used in two vehicles now, and many believe it is in its … Read more
Reading the recalls at Stellpower, people may get the idea that Stellantis recalls its cars at an unusual high rate. In fact, every automaker issues numerous recalls, as cars are exceedingly complex systems made with a bewildering array of option groups to maximize both sales and profits. We don’t have a lot of Toyota stock … Read more
Today, Chevrolet introduced the 2023 Colorado, which has seemingly gotten a whole lot better with the generational change. The bland, boring styling of the current Colorado has been replaced with a far edgier, more aggressive design. Sure, it looks a great deal like every other new Chevy across the front end, but some people like … Read more
Jessica Lafond, the former leader of STLA North American engineering technical centers, is leaving the auto industry. She is being replaced by Mark Champine, head of North America customer experience since 2021 and head of quality since 2018, is being promoted to lead North American engineering technical centers. He reports directly to Harald Wester, head of … Read more
Three events are being planned to release new “electrified” cars, which may include both hybrids and battery-electrics. It is clear now that Dodge is bringing back the fratzog, at least for electric vehicles; it will have two previously announced releases in August. Sometime in September, there will be a new Jeep 4xe day showing off … Read more
Stellantis posted record profits for the first half of the year, with adjusted earnings before tax and interest rising by 44% to $12.7 billion. North America, which is dominated by the former Chrysler brands, was responsible for nearly half of all sales, and had a record margin of 18.1%. Overall, Stellantis’ margin rose from 11.4% in … Read more
Jeep has confirmed that the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L, long-wheelbase versions of its luxury full-size vehicles based on Ram 1500 platforms, will start production later this year, with deliveries beginning within 2022. The Grand Wagoneer L was shown at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. It includes a standard twin turbo … Read more
The Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides $52 billion in subsidies for United States-based semiconductor production. $2 billion of this was allocated for older chips used in automotive applications. In theory, $81 billion more is earmarked for National Science Foundation research, equipment, and education over five years; and $10 billion for the … Read more
Recently, Stellantis announced that it would be consolidating the manufacturing part of Trenton Engine in the South plant and likely using the North plant for materials handling and possibly other purposes. Today, we will go into some of the details. First, though, it is important to note that Trenton Engine has two buildings, North and … Read more