Stellantis announced today, as part of an unrelated press release, that it was dropping out of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association “by the end of this year.” Most of the press release concerned a “freedom of mobility forum” planned for 2023 to “bring together a diverse pool of experts” to work on “clean, safe, and … Read more
We talk a great deal about the shockingly quick quarter mile times turned in by all of the Hemi-powered modern Mopars, but we rarely bring any attention to the folks racing Pentastar-powered cars. While the vast majority of modern Dodge buyers who want to go racing opt for a V8, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 has … Read more
Hurricane engines, following a trend set by European designs, do not have a dipstick. Instead, an electronic sensing system warns drivers when the oil level falls. The change was likely made for three reasons: most drivers no longer check their own oil anyway, given the lack of leaks and burning in most modern cars, and … Read more
For the seventh year in a row, Roadkill Nights by Dodge will be held in Pontiac, Michigan, and while the event technically takes place at the M1 Concourse road racing facility, the main attraction is the legal street racing program that is held on Metro Detroit’s famous Woodward Avenue. “We are marking the seventh year … Read more
Yesterday, we brought you the formal introduction of the 2022 Ram 1500 TRX Sandblast Edition, with all but one key detail. The Ram Trucks website states that the Sandblast Edition will be available in limited quantities, but the press release doesn’t state just how many. The limited production Ignition Edition earlier this year was held … Read more
From his prison cell, where he resides after a conviction for sexual assault and rape, former producer Harvey Weinstein is suing FCA US for $5 million because, three years ago, his Jeep flipped over. He claims he has been “catastrophically injured and rendered paralyzed” and remains in pain due to the event. Weinstein claims he … Read more
Last week, off-road racing legend Ken Block teased a new Ram truck and today, that new Ram was formally introduced as the 2022 TRX Sandblast Edition. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the Ram Trucks consumer site seemingly posted the new package early – then removed it – but it is the … Read more
This past weekend, the teams of the NHRA Camping World Championship Drag Racing Series headed to New England Dragway for the eighth stop on the 2022 schedule and for the third time this season, Matt Hagan took home the win in his Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat funny car. Of course, this also … Read more
In March, Carlos Tavares showed renderings of a new Jeep battery-electric (the color photo) which was to be sold in Europe, built in Poland, and measure around 16 inches less bumper-to-bumper than the Renegade which it closely resembles. Next, a spy shot, which appears to be an insider photo (the scan looks as though it’s … Read more
A new generation of engines has bolstered power across the entire former-Chrysler lineup, with the possible exception of the four-cylinder realm—where output is higher, but reviewers have gotten slower acceleration. The across-the-board increase was highlighted by comments from “vbondjr1”: New / Old Old HP Old Torque New HP New Torque 1.3T / 2.4 184 177 … Read more
On Friday, off-road racing legend Ken Block shared a video on social media showing a truck doing donuts in the sand from a bird’s eye view. The details with the post were limited, but Block stated that he was testing a new truck from Ram. “I did some dirt donuts in a rad new truck! … Read more
The Windsor plant will be making cars built on STLA Large, presumably sending minivan assembly elsewhere. Production of the cars at Brampton will continue into 2024, later than previously thought (2023 had been forecast). At that point, Brampton will begin retooling, with production to resume in 2025 on an “all-new, flexible architecture to support the … Read more
Rumor has pegged the Saltillo plant’s Hurricane twin-turbo-straight-six output at 200,000 or more engines per year—but is that enough? It depends on whether the Hurricane engine series will replace the Hemi V8. The Hurricane beats the Hemi in peak power and torque, low-end torque, and fuel economy. Its 10% boost in fuel economy is a … Read more
Stellantis has signed a deal to get battery-grade lithium hydroxide from Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR)’s Hells Kitchen project in California. The deal is good for up to 25,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year, for ten years. CTR’s process produces battery-grade lithium products without evaporation brine ponds, open pit mines, or fossil fuels. CTR … Read more
Detroit News wrote that Jeep is dropping its pure-gasoline and diesel options in “major European countries” at the end of this year. The only Jeeps will be hybrids until Jeep’s first all-electric, which appears to be a Renegade-sized two-door crossover, debuts. That will just be the first Jeep battery-electric (BEV) in Europe; it should have … Read more
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 … Read more