GM and Stellantis dominated last week’s recall list. First up is side-curtain airbags which may throw sharp metal fragments at passengers, on both the left and right; only 6,066 vehicles might be affected, all made from December 6, 2015, through October 19, 2019 (there are specific dates for each type of truck in this file). … Read more
When Stellantis was eager for margins, it let dealership lots get clogged with high-margin cars while competitors cut their prices. When the company needed to sell its inventories quickly, the incentives were both massive and unpredictable, coming and going quickly. Some dealers took advantage of this to offer huge “discounts” including some rebates few may … Read more
Stellantis bet hard on Belgium’s Punch Powertrain, creating a joint venture to make their electrified dual-clutch transmissions (eDCTs) in Metz, France, and Turin, Italy. They are to be used in all Stellantis mild-hybrids (except Rams) and plug-in hybrids. The company said the move was intended to support Stellantis’ increased range of hybrid cars. Today, Stellantis … Read more
The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA)’s annual truck rodeo finished up recently, after 262 drives. The Ram 1500 took home three awards, while the Ram 2500/3500 grabbed one: Full size pickup truck – 2025 Ram 1500 Luxury – 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten Powertrain – Ram 3.0 Hurricane HO Heavy duty – 2024 Ram Rebel The … Read more
To stop dealers from advertising fake price for cars on their web sites, as well as having mandatory fees such as $2,000 for paperwork, the Federal Trade Commission proposed requiring dealers to advertise actual selling prices (including all fees). The rules would also ban add-ons that provide no benefit, require online lists of prices for … Read more
Did you want a Jeep Gladiator Sport for $27,471, which is less than the price of a Compass—or a Compass for $20,463? Joe Cooper Dodge of Shawnee is advertising both. The Gladiator has the V6, eight-speed automatic, adaptive cruise, keyless ignition, WiFi hotspot, and other features. This particular model has the automatic transmission, skid plate, … Read more
GM’s chief executive, Mary Barra, sent a letter to shareholders in advance of the shareholder meeting. She noted that the company increased its full-year revenue by 9%, leading the United States in total, retail, and fleet deliveries alike. GM’s market share increased partly at the cost of Stellantis. The company’s market share in electric vehicles … Read more
Stellantis today committed to building a midsized pickup at Belvidere Assembly again, overriding Carlos Tavares’ decision to renege on the union contract at two factories by dropping both the pickup and the next-generation Dodge Durango. The move will result in the re-hire of 1,500 workers and having a pickup in a key segment. Originally the … Read more
A last-minute burst of electric car sales brought their market share to 13.6% for the year, dropping their overall share from 15.7% in 2023. One reason was the rise of hybrid-electric vehicles, which gained by nearly 20 points, moving from 3.4 million to 4.1 million sales. Plug-in hybrids also suffered, dropping by a larger amount … Read more
Hal Sperlich, who rose from engineering into product planning to take charge of the Ford Mustang and later convinced Lee Iacocca to make the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan, has passed on at the age of 95. He was one of several members of the Chrysler Corporation “Dream Team,” which led the company’s many process … Read more
Stellantis has brought Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat to the Detroit Auto Show with spacious displays, the Halcyon concept, and a brand new Dodge Charger and Jeep Wagoneer S. While Camp Jeep never left the car-show circuit, Stellantis essentially withdrew everything else from shows last year. At the same time, Ford brought out its … Read more
The base price of the Jeep Wagoneer S remains a mystery, but the well equipped Launch Edition of the new 400V electric crossover, with a single-speed gearbox, has shown its price. It’s important to realize, though, that the Launch Edition is very well equipped with options many would not normally pay for. The Launch Edition … Read more
The Bantam “Jeep” and original Dodge Power Wagon both faced the same problem when they were being tested: mud could get trapped in the wheel wells, stopping the unusually mobile trucks in their path. Eventually, they came up with different wheel-well designs to resolve the problem. Still, heavy snows can get packed into the wheel … Read more
Recently, a Stellantis executive suggested that a V8 might return to the Dodge Charger, replacing the more powerful turbo straight-six “Hurricane” motors. Ironically the Power Wagon used a flat-head straight-six engine. Social media pundits have proclaimed that the reason for lower Ram sales was the lack of V8 engines, never mind that prior-generation Ram V8s … Read more
The 2025 Ram 2500 was only just announced, and the Jeep Wagoneer S is reportedly still on its way to dealers, but already company employees and retirees are being offered attractive lease rates on both—and on the Charger Daytona Scat Pack BEV. The lease rate on the two electrics is 1.0%, while the Ram 2500 … Read more
Dodge Charger Daytona electric cars are starting to leave dealerships for their new owners, who have been spotting them driving around and sitting in driveways, despite rumors that all are “bricked” on arrival and then every 500 miles, or that only 82 have every been sold. Greg, who took the photo above, wrote that he … Read more