Mopar Insiders Articles

MoparInsiders spends a few hours with a Challenger R/T 392 Scat pack Shaker... I got to spend a few hours with a 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack Shaker yesterday afternoon, thanks to our friends at Abbotsford Chrysler. While I am still working on the full written review for tomorrow, here’s a fun video I shot with the car.

Deserthawk - The New Jeep Rated Trim Level: Arrives In First Quarter Of 2020... A few months ago at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, Jeep showed off a custom Wrangler called the Sandstorm. Inspired by Baja desert racers, the Jeep Sandstorm concept is all about blitzing long, sandy straightaways while still being capable of handling the daily driving duties. To accomplish this, the Sandstorm featured off-road hardware that would handle both with ease, as well as an extreme-duty suspension system. 2018 Jeep Sandstorm Concept. (FCA US Photo) It was a departure from the rock crawling vehicles Jeep is known for. Going back to last week, Jeep shocked the automotive world by showing off another marque to go along with the "Trailhawk"...

One of the forum members on our sister site 5thGenRams.com, has provided us with a behind on the scenes look at the manufacturing process of the all-new Ram 1500 at the recently revamped Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) in Sterling Heights, Michigan. All of the new generation (DT) Ram 1500s will be produced at SHAP, by a workforce of over 7,200 employees. The plant itself is over 5 million square feet and features more than 1,100 state-of-the-art robotics, which work in perfect harmony. The plant received a $1.48 million investment last year, to make the plant to most advanced assembly plant that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has in the United States. SHAP can easily produce over 500,000 trucks a year with it's new...

A New Midsized Ram Pickup Is Coming: This Is What We Know... FCA had their Capital Markets day last Friday, June 1st, in which they outlined their 5 year plan for all global brands. As part of the 5 year plan for the Ram brand a new mid-sized pickup is shown with an on sale date before 2022, getting them back in the market created by the Dodge Dakota in 1987. Production of the Ram HD trucks will be moving from Saltillo, Mexico to Warren, Michigan for the upcoming 5th Generation Ram HD . At a press conference back in January after the opening day at the North American International Autoshow, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne was asked what would be produced at the Saltillo plant after it is freed up. Marchionne responded by saying that...

Next-Generation Dodge Durango Goes BoF! Durango Replacement To Be Based On Ram 1500... 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Rendering. (DarkSky Design) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) currently has one assembly plant operating inside the city limits of Detroit. The Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) produces the Grand Cherokee for US and worldwide export and the Durango for US, Canada, Mexico. The Grand Cherokee has called JNAP home since the nameplate was first introduced in 1993. Grand Cherokee is a solid performer with sales over 257,000 units in North America alone last year. Many questions have been raised about production capacity restraints at the plant. The Durango currently sells 75,000 units built per year. It is believed both...

What To Expect With FCA’s Future Plan: FCA Investor Day Will Show Off What Is To Come Over Next 5 Years... With June 1st only a couple days away, rumors are running rapid on the internet about Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) big investor meeting. Friday’s meeting will host FCA’s Investor Day, where FCA will layout its plan on how the company will operate for the next 5 years. It will also mark the last time that FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne will lead such a meeting as he is set to retire from his CEO position in early 2019. Amid the rumors is that Marchionne will name is successor at the meeting. This could happen, however we feel it will probably happen later in the year. Some people have FCA Chairman John Elkann as Marchionne...

Grand Commander – The Jeep We Don’t Get! The Chinese Seven-Passenger Jeep... The Chinese auto market is a bit different than the US. The top selling vehicles are smallish minivans, CUV’s, and a few VW and Buick sedans. The Chinese really like Americana, and the Jeep brand is a prime example. The new Jeep Grand Commander (K8) is looking to be a big part of FCA’s Chinese product plan but why make a three row small midsize CUV instead of simply making a three row Grand Cherokee using the floor plan of the Durango? Well there are a few reasons and one is profitability. The Grand Commander will be produced at the GAC/FCA joint venture in Changsha which is in the Hunan providence in Southern China, saving import taxes which will make...

The Two Cars Missing From The Charger And Challenger Lineups: HEMI Power and All-Wheel Drive... Since Sergio Marchionne has taken the helm at Chrysler (now FCA US), his plan has been to change Dodge from a mainstream brand to the performance brand of the FCA US lineup. While it has caused endless arguments between the brand’s fan base, there is no doubt that Dodge has become the American performance brand. Last year, Dodge released the long awaited 475 horsepower all-wheel drive (AWD) Dodge Durango SRT which was a huge hit. The Dodge brand has been pushing the SRT cars unique looks across the lineup, even including the SRT performance looks on the V6 powered SXT STP (Super Track Pak) model Chargers. Durango R/T got it’s big brother...

Jeep Compass Trailhawk Review – From An Owners Perspective: Jeep's Compact Offroader For Everyday Use By Forum Member Ryan... Our own moderator @Ryan wrote a great review on his ownership of his 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk... its up right now.. https://moparinsiders.com/jeep-compass-trailhawk-review-from-an-owners-perspective/

Thanks to our friends at Abbotsford Chrysler in the Fraser Valley Automall in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, I had the opportunity to review this 2019 Jeep Cherokee Limited. The Cherokee gets a thorough update for 2019 to further refine Jeeps popular mid sized CUV. 2019 Jeep Cherokee Limited (Mopar Insiders photo) Exterior For 2019 Jeep updated the front and rear ends of the Cherokee, giving the front end a more conventional look than the outgoing 2014-2018 Cherokee and bringing the design more in line with its big brother, the Grand Cherokee. Headlamps are now a LED with integrated switchback DRL elements for turn signals and running lights. The rear end gets a new liftgate design, and new LED tailllamps. The rear bumper has...

2018 Chrysler Pacifica (FCA Photo) Chryslers Pacifica minivan picked up two more awards from the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA). The Chrysler Pacifica, the most awarded minivan of 2016 and 2017 took home honors from GAAMA for the best 3 row family car for the second consecutive year. Pacifica Hybrid won for best green family car. GAAMA had this to say about the Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid: “Today’s busy families need a vehicle that can help make their lives easier, and the Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid exceed that promise.” 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (FCA Photo) The Pacifica has steadily been gaining steam since launch with sales numbers steadily increasing. Chrysler added the sporty S appearance package...

2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (UN4GTBL photo) 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review By: @UN4GTBL I remember when the first pictures of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk were leaked on the Internet. To put it simply, I was not a fan. However, once the official press pictures were released, I began to warm up to the Trailhawk models, and over the years I eventually warmed up to the non-Trailhawk models as well. Way back in November 2013, I drove by my dealer to look at a Cherokee Limited and my sales guy saw me outside and offered a test drive of it. I took him up on his offer, and was thoroughly impressed with the vehicle, particularly the interior. At the time, I was researching a new Charger purchase, probably primarily because I had a...

What Is Going On With This Dodge Charger Prototype? AWD Badging? R/T Wheels? One of our spy photographers caught this Dodge Charger doing some testing around the FCA US Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan recently. What caught our eye about this car, is the fact that it has the new for 2018 “4” badging on the trunk. The “4” represents All-Wheel Drive (AWD) on the 2018 models. You might think that it isn’t anything special. Dodge has been making AWD models since 2006. However, this one is wearing a set of standard Charger R/T wheels. To Read The Whole Article, Click The Link Below... https://moparinsiders.com/what-is-going-on-with-this-dodge-charger-prototype/

Within the last 2 weeks a YouTube video has started making the rounds of a stock Challenger Demon vs a stock Challenger HELLCAT drag racing. The video posted by YouTube channel Wheels shows the Billet Silver HELLCAT going up agains the Granite Crystal Demon at Mission Raceway park located about an hour east of Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. Mission Raceway Park has an NHRA sanctioned 1/4 mile strip as well as road course and a motocross track. Sitting 25 feet above sea level and typically with low DA's Mission Raceway generally produces good 1/4 mile times and regularly attracts racers from Alberta and being 20 minutes from the border also attracts a lot of racers up from Washington State. Both cars were running drag radials...

The Dish On The Revised 2019 Jeep Renegade: The Global Jeep Gets A Makeover... It has been four model years since the Jeep Renegade made its debut. The Renegade has become one of the most important vehicles for the Jeep brand. While the Wrangler is the face of the brand, the Renegade is the sales leader in many countries around the world. For the 2019 model year, the Renegade is due to receive its first update. To read the entire article click the link below... https://moparinsiders.com/the-dish-on-the-revised-jeep-renegade/

SPIED: Will the SRT HELLCAT models get adaptive cruise control? This morning Dodge showed off the new twin air scoop for the SRT HELLCAT for the 2019 model year. However, that might be just the start. If you are a Charger or Challenger SRT HELLCAT owner with an 8-speed automatic, you already know that your car isn’t equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). For those who don’t know what ACC is, it is a feature that uses the cruise control on your car along with a radar sensor which can keep a programmed distance from the vehicle in front of you. For More Click the Link Below... https://moparinsiders.com/spied-will-the-srt-hellcat-models-get-adaptive-cruise-control/

What To Expect From The All-New Jeep Truck: JT? Wrangler Truck? Scrambler? To Read The Complete Article Click The Link Below... https://moparinsiders.com/what-to-expect-from-the-all-new-jeep-truck/

Ram Trucks Stolen From Warren Truck Assembly Plant: Nine new trucks taken from holding lot... Well seems FCA US has a reoccurring problem at the manufacturing plants around the Metro Detroit area. The later part of last year, a bunch of brand new 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk models, powered by the 707-horsepower HELLCAT HEMI V8 were stolen from holding lots around the Jefferson Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. Those vehicles cost around $100,000US and many of them, last we heard were recovered. Read more by clicking the link below... https://moparinsiders.com/ram-trucks-stolen-from-warren-truck-assembly-plant/

Chrysler quietly released photos of a new appearance package for the Pacifica Hybrid a couple of weeks ago. It looks like FCA US has been listening to potential Pacifica Hybrid buyers about giving them more of a sport treatment that the Chrysler Pacifica Touring and Limited models got earlier this model year, with the introduction of the “S” appearance package. While not quite as aggressive as the “S” appearance package, the “Hybird Special Appearance Package” as Chrysler is calling it still offers a lot more sporty appearance than the standard Pacifica S models. Gloss Black exterior features accents around the exterior and black roof rails, delete the upscale chrome trim found on the normal Pacifica Hybrid...

Life After Grand Caravan… What Will Happen? The Unstoppable Force That Is Grand Caravan: The Dodge Grand Caravan (Caravan) has been a staple in the American car culture since it’s introduction in the 1984 model year. The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager set the car culture in North America on fire, making families turn in their gas guzzling station wagon keys in for something that was practical, fuel efficient and provided great interior space. As the years went on, sales continued steady and the minivan has always been a key factor in the amount of profit to the company. Even when other manufacturers started bailing on offering minivans, because they were criticized as being a “soccer mom’s vehicle”; both the Chrysler and Dodge...