Yesterday, Dodge introduced the Complete Performance Vehicle Protection Package for buyers who want to pay more up front to avoid having to deal with any of the most common headaches of vehicle ownership. This elaborate warranty program is offered through the Mopar Vehicle Protection Plan Program and it starts by adding 6 years/75,000 miles of … Read more
The Jeep Wagoneer may be a high-end, full-size truck, but its main competition remains the big Ford, GM, and Toyota wagons. The class leader remains the Chevy/GMC Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon/Yukon XL, which have dominated full size SUV sales since, well, the original “SJ” Wagoneer was still in production. The GM SUVs are not just stalwarts due to age or old reputation; they have remained quite reliable and durable through the past decades, with no major failures and gaffes. Beating them is likely impossible—it would take help from GM, which GM is not likely to give. Sales of these in Q1 2024 were…
FCA Canada, the Stellantis North American “Great White North” division, is showing off its cars at the upcoming Montréal Electric Vehicle Show after FCA US skipped attending the rather larger New York Auto Show. The reasons become clear after reading through the press release.
Chrysler sold 33,114 minivans in the first quarter of 2024—up quite a bit from its 28,910 sales in Q1 2023. But how does that compare across the industry?
The Honda Odyssey, which was briefly the sales champ despite fast-grenading transmissions, lost some ground, dropping from 19,902 to 17,393 sales.
Automotive News reported in an exclusive story that Wrangler and Gladiator production was temporarily stopped as Kamax refused to ship fasteners until they got an inflation adjustment to their prices. Since Kanax failed to have inflation adjustments in their contract, Stellantis was able to get a judge to order them to keep sending parts. The … Read more
When the modern Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were introduced for the 2022 model year, a Hemi V8 was standard in all versions of both big SUVs. When the 2023 model year came out, the 5.7L Hemi was only available in the base trim Wagoneer while Series 1, 2 and 3 all coming standard with … Read more
Stellantis did not have any U.S. recalls last week, but Ford entered yet another fire-risk recall on the 2022 Escape and the related 2022-23 Bronco Sport. A cracked fuel injector may leak and cause a fire in these vehicles, when equipped with 1.5 liter engines. The “solution” is to add a leak detection system and … Read more
Many online discussions about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio focus on the hot Quadrifoglio, which makes sense from an enthusiast’s standpoint, as the 505-horsepower Ferrari V6 is an absolute delight. However, most Stelvios are powered by the turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder powerplant, so when planning an 800-mile road trip, I happily accepted the offer to test a … Read more
Stellantis will be the first company to use California Love in a car ad. Though it is “legendary” and “pivotal,” so no explanation is needed, the press release did say that California Love is a hip-hop song from the 1990s. According to marketing chief Olivier Francois, the song “captures the spirit of the Jeep Wrangler … Read more
The Jeep Cherokee, body code KM, has long been in Stellantis’ list of body codes, but there has been no official talk of the new vehicle. The KL version left production last year.The Jeep Wagoneer S is to arrive midyear, being built in Toluca, Mexico. Given body code KM49, it is clearly sharing quite a bit … Read more
Stellantis has announced that it is consolidating U.S. business centers from 9 to 6, laying off 30 people, to “strengthen its dealer support,” according to Reuters. The layoffs may or may not have been connected to the consolidation. Stellantis told Reuters that they were not driven by a need to cut staff.The company claimed that … Read more
Stellantis did wel lin Europe in the first quarter of 2024, with a 5.4% sales increase and market share rising from 18.3% to 19.2% for the quarter. Stellantis also has a 30% total share on commercial vans, and 14% on battery-electrics—despite its CEO’s frequent litany of complaints about electric cars. Electric car sales rose by … Read more
It was a week for mildly odd recalls as 2023 Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyons were brought back for over-tightened front wheel hub bolts, 2022 Jeep Cherokees, came back for broken turn signals, and 2024 Chrysler Pacificas, including Voyagers, had an early recall for unintentional deactivation of traction control. 2024 Hyundai Santa Fes could have obstructed rear … Read more
Today’s eclipse will introduce a new Jeep Gladiator package, the Nighthawk, which adds $5,295 to the list price but brings a black highlight (lowlight?) package, all-terrain tires, and front and rear Dana 44 axles among other options. It’s available as an add-on to the base Sport model, with a total list price of $43,190 and … Read more
Ram is keeping V8s in some of its trucks—but only the BGE version, which is the 6.4 liter “truck Hemi” used in the Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, and its chassis cabs.
The news comes today as Stellantis North America released its list of active plants. This listing confirms that the Saltillo Engine facility is the only source of Hurricane twin turbo engines…
As the Sterling Heights plant slowly ramps up 2025 Ram 1500 production, the first Rams since the 1950s to have no V8 option, it’s time to look back on the first quarter sales—from the final year of Hemi-powered Ram 1500s.GM is generally the leader in big pickup sales, combining Chevrolet and GMC. In the first … Read more
