Toyota was by far the largest automaker in the world by production in 2024, with 11.4 million vehicles made. They were followed by Volkswagen, which includes Audi, Skoda, Seat, and other marques, at 8.8 million, then by Hyundai, which includes Kia, at 7.4 million. Stellantis was in fourth place, with 5.7 million global sales, followed … Read more
Ford had two recalls this week, one for loose transmission crossmember bolts on around 260 2025 Explorer/Aviators, and one for using the wrong rack in the steering gear of three 2024 F-150s. Honda had the same number of recalls, one for missing rearview camera images on the 2025 Acura MDX, and one for software-based stalls … Read more
25% tariffs on Mexico have been postponed by 30 days as the Mexican government agreed to send 10,000 soldiers to the border. In addition, the U.S. agreed to try to stop guns from flowing over Mexico’s borders. The new Secretary of Defense had been quoted by the New York Times as saying that bombing Mexico … Read more
The head of Jeep North America, Bob Borderdorf, is now the head of Jeep globally as the North American and global positions are merged into one. That means Jeep’s European, Asian, and South American sales, operations, product, communications, and marketing groups will be run by a single global team. Mike Koval, head of Mopar North … Read more
President Trump has levied tariffs of 25% on all goods coming to the United States from Mexico and Canada, effective Tuesday. Canada has been America’s top ally since the mid-1800s; the two countries have been sending massive amounts of material back and forth over the border since the 1960s. Stellantis has two major factories in … Read more
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
Dodge is one of the most active automotive brands when it comes to engaging the target audience and the latest program from the horsepower-fueled brand looks to add brand ambassadors – called Badassadors. These enthusiasts will represent the Brotherhood of Muscle at all sorts of automotive events, including auto shows, vehicle launches, NHRA events and … Read more
In a brief press release this morning, Stellantis announced that both Jeep and Ram will run commercials during the broadcast of Super Bowl LIX. The details are incredibly brief, but we know that the Ram commercial will run at the break during the two-minute warning of the first half of the game. As for the … Read more
Last month, I was fortunate enough to be involved in the initial media testing of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona – the brand’s first all-electric vehicle. While I still prefer the feel and sound of my Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, if I had to drive an EV, the new Charger Daytona is that EV that … 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