2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Long Bed 4x4 Diesel Auto New Vp44 Skyjacker Lift on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Stellantis ready to kill brands and fix U.S. problems, CEO Tavares says

  MILAN — Stellantis is taking steps to fix weak margins and high inventory at its U.S. operations and will not hesitate to axe underperforming brands in its sprawling portfolio, its chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Thursday. The warning for lossmaking brands is a turnaround for Tavares, who has maintained since Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA that all of its 14 brands including Maserati, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep have a future. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down," Carlos Tavares told reporters after the world's No. 4 automaker delivered worse-than-expected first-half results, sending its shares down as much as 10%. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money." The automaker now also considers China's Leapmotor as its 15th brand, after it agreed to a broad cooperation with the group. Stellantis does not release figures for individual brands, except for Maserati which reported an 82 million euro adjusted operating loss in the first half. Some analysts say Maserati could possibly be a target for a sale by Stellantis, while other brands such as Lancia or DS might be at risk of being scrapped given their marginal contribution to the group's overall sales. Stellantis' Milan-listed shares were down as much as 12.5% on Thursday, hitting their lowest since August 2023. That brings the loss for the year so far to 22%, making them the worst performer among the major European automakers. Few automotive brands have been killed off since General Motors ditched the unprofitable Saturn and Pontiac during a U.S. government-led bankruptcy in the global financial crisis in 2008. Tavares is under pressure to revive flagging margins and sales and cut inventory in the United States as Stellantis bets on the launch of 20 new models this year which it hopes will boost profitability. Recent poor results from global carmakers have heightened worries about a weakening outlook for sales across major markets such as the U.S., whilst they also juggle an expensive transition to electric vehicles and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. Japan's Nissan Motor saw first-quarter profit almost completely wiped out on Thursday and slashed its annual outlook, as deep discounting in the United States shredded its margins. Tavares said he would be working through the summer with his U.S. team on how to improve performance and cut inventory.

Junkyard 1983 Dodge Rampage has Franco-American roots

Lee Iacocca and the K-Cars get most of the credit for saving Chrysler after the company's 1979 bailout by the US government, but the success of the Simca-derived Omnirizon platform was a large, if overlooked, component of Chrysler's early-1980s resurgence. The Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon were sold in the United States for the 1978 through 1990 model years, and variants included the 1983-1987 Dodge Charger and the Rampage, this well-worn example of which I spotted in a Denver self-service wrecking yard last week. The early Omnirizons came with a Volkswagen-sourced 1.7-liter engine, but all of the Rampage pickups (and their near-identical Plymouth Scamp siblings) came from the factory with a 2.2-liter K-Car engine making 96 horses. This truck has a 4-speed manual transmission, which would have made it reasonably quick by Malaise Era standards. This one had plenty of body filler and rust, even before the crash that sent it on that final tow-truck ride to this place, so it wouldn't have been worth restoring. Still, we can hope that some of its parts will live on in other L-body trucks. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1983 Dodge Rampage in Denver View 16 Photos Chrysler Dodge Automotive History Truck Classics dodge rampage

Viper owners raising money to retake the Nurburgring lap record

Nurburgring lap times – unofficial as they may be – are the locker room comparison contest of the automotive world. For several years, the lap record of 7:12:13 was held by a 2011 Dodge Viper ACR. The Viper and America were the rulers of the roost until the usurper, the Porsche 918, came in a stole the crown. The death knell is ringing for the Viper, and a group of owners are raising money to send the car to the 'Ring for one last chance at glory. The current Dodge Viper ACR is an astonishingly capable car. All of the flaws that make it miserable to live with everyday - stiff suspension, obnoxious exhaust, speed-bump-gouging splitter - make it one of the most formidable road-legal track machines ever created. Unfortunately, that single-purpose nature turned off a lot of customers, and slow sales have led to the end of Viper production. The Viper holds lap records on more than a dozen of tracks, but, like a driver winning the Indianapolis 500, only one belt notch truly matters. The ViperExchange is willing to supply two ACRs and two drivers well versed in the Nurburgring in order to retake the record. The problem with attempting to set the record is mostly down to logistics. According to the GoFundMe page, the total cost to send the cars, pay for the track, the supplies, and operating expenses is about $150,000 and $200,000. The group says this is entirely a volunteer effort and are asking for donations to fund the Viper's return. Those wishing to help replant the stars and stripes and fill the forests of Germany with the truck-like roar of an odd-firing V10 can donate online. If they fall short, donations will be returned. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: GoFundMe Auto News Dodge Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance dodge viper acr nurburgring record lap record