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Car Club USA: Louisiana Mudfest

There's nothing quite like mudding. Big tires, huge power, and crazy-wild gearheads that like to throw down on a mud pit almost as much as a thirty rack of Coors. In the latest, and some might argue greatest yet episode of Car Club USA, we head to Louisiana to throw some dirt at Mudfest. As Louisiana's one and only Mouth of the South puts it, "If you don't mud ride... go to Texas I guess." Joining The Mouth and friendly rivals The Most Hated Mud Sluts, we dive in. Beyond the obvious V8 blasting and tractor-tire spinning, those who know best describe Mudfest as, "Good cooking, good friends, good fun, and a lot of partying." It's a motorsport spectacle unlike any you're likely to find up North or out West, though no less impressive to behold. Follow along with the fun, the impromptu drag racing, the trash talking, and the mechanical madness. And find out why, at Mudfest, "if we don't tear it up, we ain't done it right." Each Car Club USA episode features a different car club or event from across the US, where passionate owner communities gather to share automotive experiences and embark on incredible adventures. From Main Street cruises to off-road trails, catch all the latest car club activity on Autoblog. Chevrolet Ford Jeep RAM Truck Off-Road Vehicles Car Club USA Videos autoblog black

Stellantis axed the SRT engineer team, but performance isn't going away

Stellantis has broken up the Street & Racing Technology (SRT) engineering team that created over a dozen high-performance vehicles, including the Dodge Charger Hellcat, but the situation isn't as dire as it sounds. The newly-formed company assigned SRT's former engineers to different positions, where they'll continue to make hot rods. "All of the core elements of the SRT performance engineering team have been integrated into our company's global engineering organization," a spokeswoman told enthusiast website Mopar Insiders. She added that integrating SRT's personnel into other brands in the Stellantis portfolio will ensure that the lessons learned from decades of peddling speed will permeate other products. Previously, SRT operated with a high degree of independence. Don't get too excited. Her statement does not necessarily mean that Citroen will begin building cars powered by the Hellcat engine, though a C3 Chat D'enfer sounds absolutely epic. Technology transfer will likely be limited to fields like aerodynamics and thermal management, and the design department might learn a couple of neat new tricks. Dodge will still move forward with the development of its next SRT-branded cars; the decision to dissolve the SRT team will not affect future models, according to the spokeswoman. Whether they'll be powered by a V8 is up in the air, because company boss Tim Kuniskis warned that regulations are killing the eight-cylinder engine. Similarly, Jeep will continue designing high-performance models, like the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. What changes is that the model will be developed and designed by a group of engineers and designers from Jeep, not from SRT. SRT is dead, but performance isn't going away. SRT's demise nonetheless marks the end of an era for Chrysler. The division traces its roots to 1989, when some of the company's brightest minds were brought together to develop the first-generation Dodge Viper. It merged with Team Prowler to form the Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) group, which was renamed Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) in 2002 and finally dubbed SRT in 2004. SRT has operated as the carmaker's in-house tuner since, its resume includes a diverse selection of cars ranging from the Neon SRT-4 to the 1500 TRX, and it was promoted to a standalone brand led by designer Ralph Gilles in 2011. Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) axed the SRT brand in 2014 but kept the name and the development team. Related video:

FCA to invest $4.5B for new Detroit plant, expanded production at current facilities

We expected some shifts in manufacturing plans as Fiat Chrysler plans to begin electrifying its Jeep brand, but this news bodes well for Michigan. FCA announced today that it would spend $4.5 billion to expand production in the state, including building a new assembly plant in Detroit and increasing capacity at five other facilities in the state. The plan, which FCA says will create nearly 6,500 new jobs, will help to meet increasing demand for Ram and Jeep products, and to electrify Jeep models. $1.6 billion will be set aside to transform the Mack Avenue Engine Complex into a site to build the next generation of Jeep Grand Cherokee, as well as an unspecified, new three-row Jeep model. FCA says this part of the plan will create 3,850 new jobs. FCA is increasing its investment in the Warren Truck plant to $1.5 billion in order to continue building the Ram 1500 Classic, as well as the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, creating 1,400 new jobs. FCA says that the new Ram 1500 Heavy Duty will still be built in Saltillo, Mexico. At FCA's Jefferson North facility, the automaker will invest $900 million to upgrade the plant. This site will continue to build the Dodge Durango, as well help build the next Jeep Grand Cherokee. FCA expects this to create 1,100 new jobs. As Jeep plans to electrify models in its SUV lineup, each of the above plants will produce plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeep models produced there, "with flexibility to build fully battery-electric models in the future," the company said in its announcement. "Three years ago, FCA set a course to grow our profitability based on the strength of the Jeep and Ram brands by realigning our U.S. manufacturing operations," said FCA CEO Mike Manley, referring in part to earlier investments in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. "Today's announcement represents the next step in that strategy," Manley continued. "It allows Jeep to enter two white space segments that offer significant margin opportunities and will enable new electrified Jeep products, including at least four plug-in hybrid vehicles and the flexibility to produce fully battery-electric vehicles." Other investments include $119 million to move production of the 3.0-, 3.2- and 3.6-liter Pentastar engines from Mack I to the Dundee Engine Plant, and $400 million for increased capacity and 80 new jobs at the Sterling and Warren stamping plants. This comes at a time when FCA's U.S.