2001 Dodge Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Red on 2040-cars

Auto blog

FCA CEO Mike Manley will take undefined new role after PSA merger

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Mike Manley will remain with the new group set to result from a planned merger with French rival PSA-Peugeot, Chairman John Elkann said on Wednesday. In a letter to Fiat Chrysler (FCA) employees on the day the two companies announced a binding agreement for a $50 billion tie-up to create the world's fourth-largest carmaker, Elkann said he was "delighted" that the combined group would be led by current PSA CEO Carlos Tavares. "And Mike Manley, who has led FCA with huge energy, commitment and success over the past year, will be there alongside him," he said. He did not say what position Manley would hold. Elkann — who will chair the new group — said there was still much to be done to complete the merger. "Over the coming months we must work tirelessly and determinedly to fulfill all the approval requirements needed to finalize the commitment we have signed," he said. Related Video:     Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot FCA PSA merger Mike Manley carlos tavares

Cruise Woodward Avenue with Autoblog's Dodge Challenger Hellcat

While Autoblog was consumed by coverage of the increasingly important Monterey Car Week last weekend, there was another big even going on. The Woodward Dream Cruise is significantly lighter in terms of news, but there's no denying that it's a far bigger, and far more egalitarian than what the wine-and-cheese crowd experience on the links at Pebble Beach. The Dream Cruise crams tens of thousands of cars and over a million spectators along a four-lane ribbon of asphalt between Ferndale and Pontiac, MI. What's remarkable aren't these numbers, though, so much as the distances they travel. Owners and admirers come from far and wide, across the United States and in some cases across the globe, to take in the spectacle. This year, local radio and television coverage featured fans that traveled from Japan, Australia, and Europe, just to take in the cruise. Of course, we realize that not everyone can make the pilgrimage to Woodward Avenue. With that fact in mind, we decided to bring a bit of the Dream Cruise to Autoblog with a time-lapse video of the cruise route. You can experience the good (a Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Oldsmobile Cutlass 442), the bad (the traffic jams), and the ugly (no, your 2003 Ford Focus does not qualify as a classic, get the hell out of the cruiser lanes). So join us, as we turn off 8 Mile Road behind the wheel of our 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and run north, through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, and Bloomfield Hills, before ending up on Wide Track Drive in Pontiac.

Watch a Dodge Challenger Demon break 200 mph

We all know that the Dodge Challenger Demon is a monster in short bursts. Its 840 horsepower and drag-ready tires allow it to hit 60 mph in a claimed 2.3 seconds on the way to a sub-10-second quarter-mile time. But it turns out that the Demon doesn't run out of grunt after the quarter-mile. This was proven by a group that took one to the runway where space shuttles landed, Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in Florida. There they hit a top speed of 203 mph. Dodge doesn't give a top speed for the Demon, but for a bit of comparison, the 707-horsepower Hellcat Widebody has a top speed of 199 mph. Watching the video, it's interesting how calm things appear to be in the cabin. There doesn't appear to be much vibration, and the car was clearly staying steady in a straight line, since the driver hardly moved the wheel. And before you know it, the 2.3-mile run is over. The run's not official unless a record-keeping body is witnessing it, and there will surely be Demons out there trying to beat this run, but it's sure fun to watch in the meantime. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.