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The marketing of the Fiat brand in our market is totally wrong. The 500 is sold as a bauble in boutique-like dealer outlets, and that has led to a series of sales flops. The 500L and the 500X didn't resonate with buyers. We didn't receive the sportier and lighter front drive 500X that showed up...

The irony is that the end of EV mandates will save EVs. I admit I'm biased, I always favor engineers over the lawyers from government agencies when designing motor vehicles. The Net Zero mandates are pure madness and I'm glad the US is finding an off-ramp. It might be too late for the EU after...

I have been discussing the SLATE EV pickup in other threads. My first thought is that it has sparked a conversation about simplicity over complexity, affordability, and even necessity. That particular conversation will continue whether or not the SLATE is successful. I'm also very curious about...

The tariffs started over 60 years ago with the Europeans and then Canada stepped in. Those tariffs were against the US. Enjoy the net zero energy economy that's coming your way.

I think the Journey being referred to is the Mexican Journey and that is not made by CDJR. It is made by a Chinese company and the Ram1200 is also Chinese made. A few decades ago there was an article in one of the car magazines about an independent designer who did contract work for the Big...

The Smart platform improves on the eCMP by the structural changes that make it easier to build. The structure is more integrated with less steps needed to complete the finished structure. Those are my words as I can't find the original article. I'm sorry if my reply sounds confusing. Instead of...

Before I read your post this afternoon, I was reflecting on what make a company or brand abandon a market segment. One reason is that the demand for a segment dries up. The last Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 sedans are prime examples of that. A second reason is a poorly executed product bombs in...

Your proposal makes sense as a D-segment crossover to fill in the vacuum left by the Journey. That still leaves some space for a C-segment Hornet replacement. Just because the Hornet has poor sales, I don't think Dodge should abandon that segment. The brand has to first learn how to sell to the...

I wasn't discounting the faults of the Journey. Honda and Toyota are both able to offer highly successful American made D-segment crossovers. They aren't at the bottom of the market either in price or sales. Dodge isn't obligated to call the next D-segment CUV the Journey. The brand certainly...

<sarcasm>Just because a product is selling well, making money, and dominating its market position doesn't make it a winner. The Avenger is built on an out of date platform with a sketchy history. Just look at those dreadful Dodge RT minivans and Journey. They were the same thing, losers that...

Things aren't much different today. All the Stellantis vans are badge engineering exercises off the same basic vehicle and just look how they stretch out the life of the eCMP structure with all the different top hats. That is the Dodge Journey to the Nth degree. That particular Journey and its...

If the tariff situation was to be solved today, any auto manufacturer would still have to deal with the net zero madness and carbon taxes.

It's made in Japan, so Toyota brought in a bunch before the tariff deadline. There also is some buyer's resistance over the new powertrain. The V6 was dropped, the new 8-speed auto transmission has a lot of issues in the Tacoma, and there is a lot of suspicion over the turbo four. The hybrid...

I totally forgot about the Portal Concept. I would tone down the concept's styling a bit, but that would be an interesting entry level Chrysler branded vehicle. The small Stellantis vans are on a unique platform, there are some differences from the non-commercial vehicle platform.

If someone didn't see the above video, it needs to be pointed out that this is for the European market. I suspect the Latin American version will still offer the diesel as an option and will offer a different hybrid system to take advantage go the ethanol based fuels down there. The American...

One thing Stellantis could do is build the 1.2 liter 3 cylinder in this country. While none of our domestic products currently use that engine, a few future vehicles might possibly do so. Europe is strained for capacity on that engine, so we could send them to Europe. It would be a good...

I'm glad Ram management is rediscovering the quad cab. I remember when the Rebel package was available on the quad cab and then post-pandemic that configuration was dropped. The next thing that happened was a meteoric price rise and the doubling down on mandatory options. How about a next...

Some comments on the above ^^^ video follows. Cheapening up the Hornet can be done by using a GME-T4 built in this country combined with a transmission also built here. As was suggested, offer it as a front driver. FCA made the same mistake with the Fiat 500X. Europe got a sportier front drive...

The Chrysler brand gets jack. There has been a steady cadence of new product introductions in Europe and Latin America for Opel and the legacy PSA brands. On another thread we read in Latin America that the Jeep Commander is getting a refresh, while its platform mate the Ram Rampage gets...

I always liked the styling of the Jeep Avenger, especially with the 4Xe package chassis enhancements and wheels. The stylists have done an excellent job of using some of those elements on a larger vehicle. They could of ruined it by simply puffing up the Avenger's styling to this size, but this...