Mopar Insiders Articles

Maserati’s Bold Electrification Plan: The Race To The Industry's First 800-Volt BEV... Back in June, FCA presented a new 5-year plan. Technologically, the most ambitious part of their plan is related to the Maserati brand. They seem to be heavily betting on technologies that have not even made their way to the market yet. Don’t forget that in the past, late Sergio Marchionne said that all Maserati cars in the future will have only electrified powertrains and that the last vehicle without electrified powertrains would be the Levante. With recent managerial changes, FCA Chief Technical Officer Harald Wester took the helm of Maserati, which is a logical move from the new FCA CEO, Mike Manley. Mister Wester himself gave a lot of answers...

SPIED: Where Is The Ram 1500 Tradesman Sport? Spy Photos & Video Hint Clues Of A New Entry Level Ram 1500... In May, our sister site 5thGenRams.com showcased some spy shots of a prototype 2019 Ram 1500. What made this all-new Ram 1500 so unique was it appeared to be a Tradesman with a Sport appearance package. While their are two Sport appearance package available on Big Horn (Lone Star) and Laramie models, this package would have replaced the affordable fourth generation Ram 1500 Express model. For the past several years, Ram has been offering the very popular and affordable “Express” trim on their Ram 1500. The Express package features the 305 horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 standard (optional 5.7-liter HEMI V8), cloth split...

More Vehicles Stolen From Jefferson North Assembly Plant: Several Dodge Charger SRT HELLCATs Stolen, Two In Custody... Well it’s happened again. Another theft from the car holding lot at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) in Detroit, Michigan. The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Jefferson North Assembly Plant is the production home of the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango sport-utilities. It is also a holding lot for many cars, such as the popular Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler 300 (vehicles assembled in Canada and come across the border only a few miles away at Detroit/Windsor border and wait to be shipped to dealers). In August, we told you about six Dodge...

The Jeep Commander Returns For China-Market Only You Have Seen The 7-Passenger Grand Commander, Meet The 5-Passenger Version... by Robert S. Miller Many of you by now have heard of the 2018 Jeep Grand Commander (K8). Grand Commander is a seven-passenger mid-sized Jeep SUV based off of the Cherokee (KL) for the Chinese market. However, Jeep has now launched a five-passenger model called the Commander. Yes, the Commander name has returned. Instead of being a boxy-shaped Jeep based off of the rear-wheel drive Grand Cherokee, it’s based on the front-wheel-drive Cherokee’s CUSW (Compact U.S. Wide) platform. While the Jeep Cherokee is also manufactured and sold in China alongside the new Commander and Grand Commander models, the...

SPOTTED: Production-Spec Jeep Wrangler Truck: Some May Call It Scrambler, But We Will Call It Wrangler Truck For Now... 2019 Jeep Wrangler Truck (JT). (Real Fast Fotography). Our friends at Real Fast Fotography, have caught a production-spec Jeep Wrangler Truck (JT). Yes, some may call it “Scrambler” after the 80s CJ-8, others are calling it Gladiator after the 2005 Jeep Gladiator Concept that showcased the then upcoming 2007 Jeep Wrangler (JK). However, nothing has been confirmed by FCA or Jeep about the vehicle actually having an official name other than Jeep Wrangler Truck or by it’s codename of (JT). Right off the bat, this production-spec Wrangler Truck is featuring new camouflage over the bed. This leads us to think that there...

2019 Ram 1500 Export Models Now Available With RamBox® System: Popular Option Now Available On Overseas Models... It seems that the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) in Sterling Heights, Michigan has started manufacturing all-new 2019 Ram 1500 export models equipped with the popular RamBox® option. Thanks to our friends at Real Fast Fotography, we have pictures of one of these Ram 1500 export models in Laramie trim showing of the short-bed optioned model with the RamBox®. It’s more than just a toolbox. The RamBox® Cargo Management System is a lit, secure, durable and drainable storage system incorporated into the side rails of your truck bed. And with the available AllSecure® Central Locking System, you can lock and unlock your...

The Colorado Viper Club Heads Out To High Plains Raceway Some Fun At The Local Car Meet... One of our contributors, Cody Wagner (host of Cody’s Car Conundrum podcast) is a huge Mopar enthusiast. His favorite car just happens to be the legendary Dodge Viper. Cody happened to catch up with a few members of the Colorado Viper Club as they headed out to the High Plains Raceway in Deer Tail, Colorado, last weekend. Being the Viper diehard, members of the local Viper club heading to a track located near him and he got to bring his family out to enjoy one of his passions with him. Sounds like wins all around, right? Read all about it here: https://moparinsiders.com/the-colorado-viper-club-heads-out-to-high-plains-raceway/

Quick View: 2018 Jeep Sandstorm Concept: The High-Speed Baja Racing Jeep Concept! The Jeep Sandstorm turned heads at the 2018 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah this Spring. As one of the seven Jeep concepts to debut at the Easter Jeep Safari. The Sandstorm Concept is the question, what would it take to make a high-speed baja race truck out of a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. 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 features off-road hardware that will handle both with ease, including an extreme-duty suspension system and a powertrain with excess power on tap...

What Is Underneath The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty Chassis Cab? New Shots Show Underpinnings Of The Upcoming Heavy Duty... Our friends at Real Fast Fotography, were able to capture this 2019 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab near the FCA Auburn Hills campus last week for our sister site 5thGenRams. This particular model is a regular cab version of the 2019 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, in more than likely the Laramie trim configuration. This model is powered by the upgraded CUMMINS I-6. It appears to be a 4×2 model, since the other Chassis Cabs we have seen on the road sit much higher than this model in question. Read the full story here: https://moparinsiders.com/what-is-underneath-the-2019-ram-heavy-duty-chassis-cab/

CAUGHT: 2021 Ram 1500 Rebel TRX & We Have More Details: New Performance Offroader Caught Near Flagstaff, Arizona... One of the most highly anticipated vehicles in the entire auto industry, has to be the upcoming 2021 Ram 1500 Rebel TRX. Since the original Ram 1500 Rebel TRX Concept made its debut at the State Fair of Texas back in September 2016, the truck has set the automotive world on fire. The concept was based of the last generation of Ram 1500 (DS) and while the response was huge from the public Ram, it was too close to the launch of the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 (DT) to produce. On June 1st of this year, Ram made the official announcement that they would indeed produce such a truck and it would be released before 2022. Fast...

Up Close Look At The 2018 Jeep Jeepster Concept Moab Concept Shows Off Array Of Jeep Performance Parts... This past weekend at a very wet FCA Design Cars + Coffee, we got to spend some time with the 2018 Jeep Jeepster Concept. Available Jeep Performance Parts concept modifications combine to bring to life the Jeep Jeepster Concept. Based on a Wrangler Rubicon, this concept evokes the color palette and speedy styling of the 1966 Jeepster. Read the full article here: https://moparinsiders.com/up-close-look-at-the-2018-jeep-jeepster-concept/

Quick Drive: Canadian 2019 Ram 1500 Sport with 2-Inch Mopar Lift: 5thGenRams.com Gets Behind The Wheel Of The Canada-Only Sport... Thanks to our friends at Abbotsford Chrysler, our sister site 5thGenRams.com got some time behind the wheel of a Canadian-only 2019 Ram 1500 Sport Crew Cab 4×4. Not only is this the Canadian-only Ram 1500 Sport model, but it is equipped with a 2-inch lift by Mopar. For more pictures and the complete article, click the link below... https://moparinsiders.com/quick-drive-canadian-2019-ram-1500-sport-with-2-inch-mopar-lift/

Inside Design: 2006 Chrysler Imperial Concept: The Affordable Modern Luxury Chrysler Sedan Concept... Like the great Imperials of Chrysler’s storied past, the 2006 Imperial Concept vehicle was designed as Chrysler’s flagship, a luxury sedan that was elegant, provocative, aspirational, yet attainable. For inspiration, the designers looked not only to the classic Imperials of the 1930s and 1950s but also to Chrysler’s long tradition of creative concept cars, from the earlier Chrysler d’Elegance and Falcon to the more recent Chrysler Chronos and Firepower. This rich heritage is expressed in the crisp line that paralleled the sill, then arches up over the rear wheel and flows to the rear of the car, signaling that this was a powerful...

We Look At The 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn Sport Moparized Concept: The Truck You Can Pretty Much Build Yourself... Back in February, Ram and Mopar showed off a special accessorized 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn Sport 4×4 at the Chicago Auto Show. The truck featured a bunch of the latest Mopar goodies for the all-new 2019 Ram 1500, as well as a few prototype accessories that haven’t hit the market just yet. Thanks to the great people at FCA US and the Detroit Area Modern Mopars (DAMM) car club, we got our chance to check out the truck in a real world setting instead of under the auto show lights a couple of months ago. For the complete review, click the link below...

Automotive Scene: We Went To Prefix Cars & Coffee: Vipers, Minotaurs and HEMIs... Oh My! Saturday, we had a chance to attend Prefix Corporation’s Cars & Coffee event at their facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. We’ve explained before how Prefix Corporation began in 1979 as an engineering services company, developing innovative design and engineering solutions for the automotive industry. Continuously owned and operated by the same founding family, today the company operates multiple facilities in Michigan with over 200 employees, and has become a single-source American manufacturing, prototype, and concept vehicle solutions provider to automotive, aviation, motion picture, amusement, and a variety of additional industries. To read...

FCA Design Cars + Coffee October Is This Weekend: Product Design Office Host Another Great Car Event... The FCA Product Design Office is hosting their Cars + Coffee event this weekend. The popular events are held on the campus of the Chrysler Technology Center (CTC) Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Cars from all over the Southeastern Michigan and Northern Ohio area come to join in the fun at each of these events. The FCA Product Design Office bring out some of the current and past concept cars at each event. For the complete article and pictures, click the link below... FCA Design Cars + Coffee October Is This Weekend: - Mopar Insiders (at https://moparinsiders.com/fca-design-cars-coffee-october-is-this-weekend/ )

How Do The Modern Core Mopar Brands Align? Putting The Modern Core Brand Positions Into Perspective… Across the internet, the brand positioning of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram has been up for debate. Fans are upset that Chrysler, which was once the luxury-oriented Mopar brand, is now being relegated to a mainstream people-mover definition, while Dodge has become narrowly focused on muscle cars and performance utility vehicles, Ram has split off from Dodge, still causing confusion nearly a decade later, while Jeep has seen the most expansion, transforming from a niche brand with a few off-road capable vehicles to a global brand with utility vehicles in many shapes and sizes. That sounds like a lot to process, so let us break it down...

Jeep® Brand Is Looking For Record Sales Year In Canada Overall Sales Are Down 4% Versus September 2017... FCA Canada has reported sales of 17,698 vehicles for the month of September. The Jeep brand is looking at setting a new sales record for the year in Canada. Sales for the Jeep brand are up 25% over last year thus far. Jeep®: The Jeep brand remains on pace for another stellar year with sales of 59,052 vehicles, a 9% increase compared with the same time last year. For the month, Jeep brand sales of 5,033 were up 25%. Leading the charge for Jeep was the iconic Wrangler with 1,535 sales, marking a 62% jump from September 2017 results. Jeep Grand Cherokee also saw a significant increase from the prior year with sales of 956, up 31%...

Coming later this afternoon... SPOTTED: 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 in Plum Crazy: Drag Racing Package Caught Testing In Metro Detroit... We have said this several times on the site, but probably one of highly anticipated vehicles from Dodge this year will be the 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. The 485 horsepower 6.4-liter SRT HEMI V8 muscle car, full of goodies from the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, is more than likely to be one of the if not the most popular package for the R/T Scat Pack two-door Challenger model for the 2019 model year. Well this past week, one of our well trained spy photographers happened to catch an IndiGo Blue "Angry Bee" out testing in Metro Detroit. This isn't the first time we...

FCA CEO Mike Manley Announces Management Changes: Manley's Management Switch Up... When Mike Manley took the helm of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) as CEO, it left a lot of questions about who would take over his position as head of both the Jeep and Ram brands, as well as who would run the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for the company. He also had to fill a position after Alfredo Altavilla left the company, when he formally found out Manley was chosen over him for the CEO position. This left European region without a COO, and Manley took the spot over till he could name an announcement. Today, Manley sent an e-mail to FCA employees announcing the changes in management effective immediately… For the rest of the article, click the...