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Jay Leno drives the Demon-powered SpeedKore carbon fiber Dodge Charger

Jay Leno drives all sorts of wild vehicles on his TV and YouTube series "Jay Leno's Garage," from concept cars to classics. Although many of the vehicles are museum quality, they don't all come through in straight by-the-book factory form, as Leno often likes to highlight the creative and insane builds from premium speciality aftermarket shops. One of his favorites is SpeedKore, which recently dropped by with its carbon-fiber-bodied 1970 Dodge Charger Evolution. After cementing itself as one of the best builds of the year at SEMA 2018, the high-performance Charger paid Leno a visit to show off its immaculately assembled blend of classic and modern Dodge. It's not the first time SpeedKore has stopped by, as they've previously shot videos together of the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, the 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, and the 1970 Dodge Charger Tantrum. The Charger featured here wears its Evolution name because it is an updated take on the Tantrum build (which had 1,650 horsepower, by the way), but the two are quite different. The Charger Evolution uses numerous parts from Dodge's recent superstars, the Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Challenger SRT Demon. In fact, it's one of the only ways in the world to drive a Demon engine with a manual transmission. Under the hood is the 6.2L Supercharged Hemi V8 from a Demon pre-production car, and SpeedKore has tuned it up to 966 horsepower. It pairs with a Tremec M6 6060 six-speed transmission from the Hellcat. At full bore, the whine of the supercharger paired with the grumble from the custom stainless steel SpeedKore exhaust headers makes for a thrilling, if not unharmonized, battle cry. Whereas some restomods have cut corners, shoddy build quality, or imperfect fittings, Leno notes that SpeedKore's work is top-notch, despite the entire exterior body and many pieces of the interior being fully replaced with glossy clear-coated exposed carbon fiber. According to SpeedKore Vice President Dave Salvaggio, the Charger weighs about 3,400 pounds. Check out the full video above or read full details from our time with the car at SEMA. And as a bonus, Autoblog photographer Drew Phillips recently got to spend a day shooting the Charger. His gallery of photos appears below. Speedkore 1970 Dodge Charger View 53 Photos

Stellantis and LG announce Canadian EV battery joint venture

SEOUL — South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LGES) said on Wednesday it plans to invest $1.5 billion to set up a joint venture with Stellantis in Canada. LGES owns 51% of the joint venture, tentatively named "LGES-STLA JV" and Stellantis owns 49%, LGES said in a regulatory filing. In October, LGES and Stellantis NV struck an electric vehicle (EV) battery production joint venture, targeting to start production by the first quarter of 2024 and aiming to have an annual production capacity of 40 gigawatt hours of batteries. In a separate regulatory filing, LGES said it plans to acquire a stake worth $542 million in ES America to respond to demand from EV startups in the United States. LGES is considering building a factory in Arizona to meet demand in the United States, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, adding that the plant is expected to primarily produce cylindrical battery cells. LGES has its own factory in Michigan and two battery joint ventures with General Motors in Ohio and Tennessee. "We are considering a new production site, but nothing has been decided yet," said a spokesperson at LGES. LGES, which counts Tesla, GM and Volkswagen among its customers, currently has battery production sites in the United States, China, Poland, Indonesia and South Korea. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Electric

Nearly 700,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs recalled

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Thursday it will recall nearly 700,000 sport utility vehicles worldwide because a faulty electrical connection could prevent engine starts or contribute to a stall. The recall, covering 2011 through 2013 model year Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs, will address silicon deposits on the contact points of fuel pump relays that may interrupt electrical current, Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. It said it is unaware of any injuries or accidents related to the faulty vehicles. The Italian-American automaker had previously recalled most of the same SUVs in 2014 and 2015 for issues with their fuel pump relays. The company, which last month announced it planned to merge with Peugeot owner PSA, said it would notify owners at a later date when they will be able to schedule repairs at dealerships. The recall includes around 528,500 vehicles in the United States, 34,700 in Canada, 18,100 in Mexico and 116,500 outside North America, it said.