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Why Chrysler didn't send off 300 with Hellcat-powered model

Chrysler is sending off the 300 with a limited-edition model powered by the mighty 6.4-liter (392-cubic-inch) Hemi V8. Earlier rumors claimed that the 2023 300C could get the supercharged, 6.2-liter Hellcat V8, but a new report suggests there aren't enough engines to go around. Quoting unnamed inside sources, The Drive wrote that the available supply of Hellcat engines is already spoken for. Sister company Dodge uses the eight-cylinder in several models, including the Challenger, the Charger, and the Durango, and Ram needs it for the 1500 TRX. Enthusiasts can also buy the V8 as a crate engine. Hellcat production is coming to an end with no successor in sight so demand is high. Another issue brought up by the publication is that stuffing the Hellcat between the 300C's fenders didn't necessarily make sense from a business point of view. The big sedan shares its basic platform with the Charger, which is offered with Hellcat power, but engineers would have needed to make at least a handful of modifications to install the engine. On the other hand, Chrysler sold the 300 with the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 until the 2014 model year so the engineering work has already been completed; put simply, this is the simpler and cheaper solution. Muscle car fans hoping for a 700-plus-horsepower Chrysler sedan will need to build it themselves; like we mentioned, the Hellcat is offered as a crate engine. Buyers who score one of the 2,000 units of the 300C earmarked for our market likely won't be disappointed by its performance, however. The V8 sends 485 horsepower (up from 470 in the 300 SRT) and 470 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler quotes a 0-60-mph time of 4.3 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.4 seconds. Pricing for the 2023 Chrysler 300C starts at $56,595 including destination. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

FCA to idle Belvidere Jeep plant again for a week in February

Bloomberg reports that Fiat Chrysler will shut down the Belvidere, Ill., plant that assembles the Jeep Cherokee for a week this month, starting February 17. FCA has been tweaking the plant's headcount and production schedule for a while now, usually downward. The automaker laid off 1,371 workers last February and fired 32 more in May, the same month it eliminated the third production shift. In August, the automaker shut down the plant for one week, then did so again for two weeks last month. As in August and January, FCA explained this month's idling by saying it needs to get production in alignment with demand. Cherokee sales declined 20% in the U.S. last year, helping to account for Jeep's overall 5% domestic drop in 2019. On top of the shutdown, FCA is offering buyouts to certain plant workers among the 3,600 hourly and 300 salaried personnel. The choices are either taking a "separation package" that comes with a $60,000 lump sum payment, or accepting voluntary termination that pays a lump sum based on seniority. Employees that choose a buyout can't return to Chrysler, becoming no longer "eligible for recall, rehire or reemployment." Belvidere personnel have until March 11 to make their decisions. Bloomberg says the aim is to reduce the number of workers with more seniority and higher pay grades; a company spokesperson said the move would "create opportunities for those employees still on layoff," who were lesser-paid. Around 900 of those laid-off workers remain on standby for reassignment to another plant. Analysts predict a soft year for car sales, so FCA might not be the only automaker pruning the rolls. Early estimates have come in below 17 million, and if that comes true, 2020 will be the slowest year since 2014, when 16,531,070 units left lots. The new contract between FCA and the UAW made provisions for Belvidere, which has tempered talk of a total shutdown.The automaker will invest $55 million for "fresh models/features off of the current (KL) platform" that underpins the Cherokee as well as the Chinese-market Jeep Grand Commander (it was previously used for the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200). Outside of that, some observers think the carmaker could be planning a three-row Chrysler crossover based on the KL platform, akin to the Grand Commander, for the United States. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Stocks down as automakers, Boeing lead China's hit list in trade spat

Shares in U.S. exporters of everything from planes to tractors fell on Wednesday after China retaliated against the Trump administration's tariff plans by proposing duties on key U.S. imports including soybeans, beef and chemicals. U.S. automakers' products are prominent on China's list of tariff targets, yet shares of automakers ended higher on Wednesday as Wall Street stocks changed course in the afternoon when investors' trade fears subsided. Tesla shares closed 7.3 percent higher at $286.94, Ford shares gained 1.6 percent to close at $11.33, and GM shares were up 3 percent at $38.03. Aircraft maker Boeing closed down 1 percent, weighing the most on the Dow Jones Industrial Average as documents from China's Ministry of Commerce and the U.S. manufacturer showed the move would affect some older Boeing narrowbody models. It was not immediately clear how much the tariffs would impact its newer aircraft. Boeing said it was assessing the situation while analysts from JP Morgan said the proposals from China looked to have been calibrated carefully to avoid a major impact on the planemaker. Fellow Dow component 3M lost as much as 2.4 percent. And farming equipment maker Deere lost nearly $10 per share at its lowest. The company urged the two countries to work toward a resolution to "limit uncertainty for farmers and avoid meaningful disruptions to agricultural trade." The speed with which the trade spat between Washington and Beijing is ratcheting up — the Chinese government took less than 11 hours to respond with its own measures — led to a sharp selloff in global stock markets and commodities. China was hitting back against U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to impose tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods with similar tariffs on U.S. goods even as Trump said the country is "not in a trade war with China." "Everybody knew they were going to retaliate. The question was how strong of a retaliation. Today's move clearly shows that they mean business," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of 50 Park Investments in New York. China levied 25 percent additional tariffs on U.S. goods, but unlike Washington's list that covers many obscure industrial items, Beijing's covers 106 key U.S. imports including soybeans, planes, cars, whiskey and chemicals. Trump denied that the tit-for-tat moves amounted to a trade war between the world's two economic superpowers.