2012 Dodge Durango Citadel Sport Utility 4-door 5.7l on 2040-cars

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Stellantis lays off salaried workers, cites uncertainty in EV transition

DETROIT — Jeep maker Stellantis is laying off about 400 white-collar workers in the U.S. as it deals with the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles. The company formed in the 2021 merger between PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler said the workers are mainly in engineering, technology and software at the headquarters and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, north of Detroit. Affected workers were notified starting Friday morning. “As the auto industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainties and heightened competitive pressures around the world, Stellantis continues to make the appropriate structural decisions across the enterprise to improve efficiency and optimize our cost structure,” the company said in a prepared statement Friday. The cuts, effective March 31, amount to about 2% of Stellantis' U.S. workforce in engineering, technology and software, the statement said. Workers will get a separation package and transition help, the company said. “While we understand this is difficult news, these actions will better align resources while preserving the critical skills needed to protect our competitive advantage as we remain laser focused on implementing our EV product offensive,” the statement said. CEO Carlos Tavares repeatedly has said that electric vehicles cost 40% more to make than those that run on gasoline, and that the company will have to cut costs to make EVs affordable for the middle class. He has said the company is continually looking for ways to be more efficient. U.S. electric vehicle sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.19 million as EV market share rose from 5.8% in 2022 to 7.6%. But sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%. Stellantis plans to launch 18 new electric vehicles this year, eight of those in North America, increasing its global EV offerings by 60%. But Tavares told reporters during earnings calls last month that “the job is not done” until prices on electric vehicles come down to the level of combustion engines — something that Chinese manufacturers are already able to achieve through lower labor costs. “The Chinese offensive is possibly the biggest risk that companies like Tesla and ourselves are facing right now,Â’Â’ Tavares told reporters. “We have to work very, very hard to make sure that we bring out consumers better offerings than the Chinese.

Here's how to build the Hellcat-powered Dodge Magnum/Charger widebody wagon of your dreams

Dodge would undoubtedly offer a fire-breathing, Hellcat-powered variant of the Magnum if the model was still in production. It retired in 2008, and it's not coming back anytime soon, so Las Vegas-based tuner Jaye Fab is taking the matter into its own hands. It's developing a conversion kit that transforms an unsuspecting Magnum into a wide-bodied Charger wagon, and it plans to make it available to the public in the near future. If the name Jaye Fab sounds familiar, it's likely because it already made headlines in 2015 when it grafted the front end of a Charger onto a Magnum, gave the wagon a coat of can't-miss-it red paint, and drove it to SEMA. Its latest project takes the concept of a modern-day Dodge wagon a step further with a full body kit that includes wide fender flares and side skirts, among other add-ons. It's a work in progress, but we can already tell it's going to turn more than a few heads when it's finished. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We don't know which engine the donor Magnum was powered by when it drove into Jaye Fab's shop. What's more interesting is the one it will leave with: a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 from a Charger. The eight-cylinder develops 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque in its standard configuration, and we wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a few additional horses before Jaye Fab lets it loose on the streets of Las Vegas. The firm has done a stellar job at documenting the build on its Instagram account, and AutoEvolution learned it plans to make the kit available to Magnum owners who want a more modern-looking front end in the not-too-distant future. The mighty Hellcat V8 isn't included, but Mopar sells crate engines in search for tires to roast.

Brits recreate iconic Bullitt chase scene

Recreating the famous chase scene from Bullitt has become almost an art form in its own right. We've seen it done in a music video, with scale models and even in commercials. There are few films that are as defined by a single scene as the 1968 classic. Even if you don't know a single beat of the plot, the Highland Green Ford Mustang racing a Dodge Charger through the hilly streets of San Francisco is famous. It's so well known that the Silverstone Classic has created a homage to promote its celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang at this year's event in July.
Filmed around the famous UK circuit, the short film generally gets the key points of the scene right. It even has a green Volkswagen Beetle that keeps reappearing, as in the movie. Unfortunately, its Steve McQueen stand-in looks a little too old for the role. While the video shortens the chase considerably, it's still great to see these '60s behemoths leaning and sliding around the track. Scroll down for a touch of nostalgia thanks to one of the greatest scenes ever in cinema - we've got both the recreation and the original chase seen from the movie waiting for you.