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I suspect the reason North American Fiat sales are lackluster is because the marketing for Fiat in North America has been lackluster. Fiat should be shaped into the entry level brand here, like the small Mitsubishi products once were for Dodge and Plymouth in the 1970's through the 90's. The...

Too small and based on the ancient CMP platform. The STLA-medium provides a much better opportunity, and it can be built here since that is what the next Jeep Compass is based on.

Historically, all the other legacy Chrysler Corporation brands were spun off of Chryslers. The corporation went overboard in the 1950's offering different V8s for every brand. There were also two different six cylinder engine blocks between the Chrysler/DeSoto and Dodge/Plymouth divisions. After...

Here you go. Chrysler had such a person, in fact she was a lead engineer on the last Chrysler 300 program before she left Auburn Hills. https://slaterides.com/slate-auto-ceo-chris-barman/

I was checking out the BYD plugin hybrid systems on some YouTube videos. BYD uses a series-parallel system arranged in two versions, one is a longitudinal engine placement and the other is places an engine transversely. The BYD Shark pickup has the longitudinal engine layout. These BYD hybrid...

An Ionna charging center opened up in a suburb reasonably close to where I live. I can't say that of the Tesla Supercharger network. I guess it all depends where one lives. The network to watch right now is Walmart.

Indeed for the Grand Wagoneer. Jeep is on the cusp of a generational advance in drivetrain technology with the range extended EV, and it's available on both wheelbases of the Grand Wag. The Stellantis regime change started a year ago, so a lot of product was still in the pipeline when counter...

The Recon will be going up against the Scout which offers an EREV drivetrain. The Audi version of the Scout is rumored to be very Range Rover like and will also offer an EREV option. The Recon has the looks down straight. It seems Jeep didn't cheap out on the suspension either. Unfortunately it...

From the 1988 Wagoneer brochure. It just seems to me the (KM) Cherokee is the replacement for the old Wagoneer.

I think what will happen with the Cherokee is once it's rolling off the line in Belvedere, Jeep will offer the Hurricane 4 with a different transmission. The larger hybrids in Brazil are mild hybrids using the 1.5 liter GME and a 6-speed automatic transmission with the torque converter replaced...

I doubt the Cherokee will show up in Europe because the EU overlords are still hellbent on outlawing IC engines. That is why Jeep will be exporting the Wagoneer S and Recon models to Europe and not the Cherokee. Prepare to be outraged if Brazil receives a better IC engine power train that what...

The spec sheet from the press kit states, "Toluca Assembly Plant, Mexico." The Compass is still built there, but it's the older generation. The Wagoneer S is built on the Large platform like the Cherokee and also is built in Toluca. Building the KM Cherokee in Mexico allows Jeep an easy...

Jeep is being quiet on who the supplier of the hybrid transmission is. That will have an huge impact on reliability, depending on who it is. This will also be a test of how thoroughly the Auburn Hills engineers have upgraded the engine. My biggest concern about reliability is the battery. It is...

The electric Abarth models have everything but buyers. The only thing keeping the brand alive at this point is Latin American sales. Customers have readily accepted the electric Alfa Junior, but have stayed away from Abarth 600e, even though both cars are the same underneath. Maybe it's because...

I think there is a niche for the two door 500, but it is a tiny niche, The Fiat 500 could never be successfully branded as anything other than a Fiat, and so too this Grande Panda. When the new C-segment fastback debuts next year, I suspect it could be a great entry level Chrysler model if given...

Deliberate bulls***. The Cherokee uses an eCVT, which is very different from a regular CVT. The M/T headed journalist compares it to the "beloved XJ Cherokee", which had nearly two decades of honing and steady drivetrain improvements. Would they dare to compare the first year XJ Cherokee with...

I've watched the revues on the Grande Panda on various YouTube channels. If Fiat is going to continue on as a viable brand in North America, Stellantis needs to sell the Grande Panda here. I think our market is ready for a basic no frills vehicle. I like that the base model doesn't have a...

This is a real head scratcher for me. The SUSW platform doesn't adapt that well to a battery electric drive and the EU masters have not backed down on zero emissions mandates. Why are they sending the Rampage to Europe with only a few years left on the clock for IC engines? This is not to say...

The KM Cherokee sits on the STLA-Large (transverse engine) platform, while both the Ford Maverick and Ram Rampage have a longer wheelbase and greater length than the Cherokee. The Cherokee also has mechanical AWD.

In less than a year there will be a new Fiat branded pickup truck for the Global market. (Which means everywhere but here.) It will be the same size as the Fiat Strada which is built in Brazil. I think there is a case to be made for building and selling such B and C-segment vehicles here in the US.