Volkswagen sales might have dropped by 28% in April and 18% for the year to date, but they remain the kings of European sales with a 24% market share in 2022 so far (down from 27% in Jan-April 2021). Stellantis came in second with a 19% market share (down from 22%), with sales in April … Read more
Last week, Stellantis announced that Maxime Picat (prior head of STLA’s Enlarged Europe organization) had been promoted to head of global purchasing and supply chain management. The prior head of purchasing, Michelle Wen, had enforced a new policy which demanded that suppliers pass along any of their own cost savings on work done for Stellantis. … Read more
This past weekend, the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series headed to Virginia Motorsports Park for the 2022 Virginia Nationals. Tony Stewart Racing Funny Car driver Matt Hagan hails from Christiansburg, Virginia, just under 200 miles from the venue, making VMP somewhat of Hagan’s home track. He used that familiarity to set two records at … Read more
Back in October 2020, FCA US applied for a trademark on the word Cuda, in the category of “Land vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles.” The trademark was published for opposition on February 23, 2021. It seems there wasn’t any. What happened? As far as we can tell, there was no opposition to FCA US (a division … Read more
Bob Hubbach, Chrysler’s design manager from 1967 to 2001, passed away on the night of May 14 while in hospice. Hubbach was a co-designer of the highly successful Valiant Charger, Australia’s famed “Hemi Six” powered successor to the Valiant Pacer. This car set a long-standing Australian speed record with its 265 cubic inch inline six, … Read more
It is widely expected that 2023 will be the final year for the current Dodge Challenger, and even though there are already multiple full production trim levels with right around 800 horsepower, the Mopar community wants to see the modern muscle car race off into the sunset with a bang. Mopar lovers want to see … Read more
When Dodge started selling rear wheel drive cars with 485 horsepower, then 707, then 840 horsepower, traction at the rear wheels became a major issue. One answer was Launch Control, which limited tire slip so you could get fairly consistent results every time—even if they weren’t quite what a professional driver could do. Launch Control … Read more
Two days ago, a group of FCA US gained a patent on their fuel-saving alternator system. Some have wondered, while struggling for every last erg of power from their engine, if there was a way to automatically cut power-sucking devices just for those few seconds. Chrysler had already set up a clever system to cut … Read more
Even as the Stellantis CEO argues against battery-electric vehicles in global media, Stellantis is doubling down on its plan to make money from recycling batteries and other car components by creating a new position: Senior Vice President of Circular Economy. The first SVP in this role will be Alison Jones, who is currently in charge … Read more
Volkswagen did not make many waves when it purchased Navistar, the truck and diesel engine maker created from the ashes of Harvester International. Then, though, Volkswagen watched Ford’s success in reviving two dead nameplates—Ranger and Bronco—making a sub-brand of the Bronco; and they watched Rivian introduce a new SUV, the R1S, which awed reviewers with its … Read more
The Jeep Wagoneer with rear wheel drive and the base 5.7 Hemi engine is rated at 16 mpg city, 22 highway. Going to four wheel drive drops those numbers to 15 city, 20 highway—which, incidentally, is roughly the same as a 1990 Wagoneer with the four-liter six cylinder pushing out roughly half the power. Move … Read more
The 2022 Grand Wagoneer was unanimously voted a winner in the 2022 Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX awards. Editor Drew Winter wrote, “The sheer artistry of the Jeep® brand’s lavish new interiors is breathtaking. The Grand Wagoneer easily earns its way into the six-figure SUV club on the power of its interior design.” Editor Christie … Read more
The current Dodge Challenger went on sale in the fall of 2014 as a 2015 model year vehicle, so as we move through the 2022 calendar year and prepare for the arrival of the 2023 models, the current iteration of modern Mopar muscle car is effectively going on 8 years old. By modern automotive standards, … Read more
Last week, we posted a story on Stellantis’ hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), which are mainly being developed in Europe; but reader RustyDodge reminded us that heavy duty Rams have another path they can follow. Cummins, maker of Ram heavy duty pickups’ acclaimed diesel engines, has for years been working on hydrogen, natural gas, and electric … Read more
Battery-electric cars (BEVs) are in the works for most segments, but would they work for heavy duty trucks? Ram seems to think not; while a BEV Ram 1500 is coming, to join Rivian’s, Ford’s, and Chevrolet’s light-duty battery-electric pickups (in order of production), their EV Day presentation pointed to a different path for the Ram … Read more
A Fox affiliate in Michigan recently issued a story about the death of a mechanic during a Jeep’s oil change—and how the mechanic’s family was suing the owner of the Jeep, rather than the dealership. The original story implied that the Jeep was defective, with the writer noting that it leaped forward when the clutch … Read more