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2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is getting a meaner hood

Though we weren't really worried Dodge would discontinue it, we're glad to hear the Dodge Challenger Hellcat will continue into the 2019 model year. It's also getting some updates for the new year, as shown in these teasers from Dodge. The biggest one we can see is the hood, which trades the relatively subtle center scoop and dual heat extractors for a pair of big angry nostrils. Dodge says the twin hood scoops are a throwback to past Dodge performance models, take the Dart Swinger, for example. They also bring to mind some mid- to late-2000s Pontiacs, but we'll try to focus on the classic Mopars. A little bit of Photoshop work helps highlight some other aspects of the 2019 Challenger Hellcat. The Hellcat Widebody will clearly continue for the new year, too, as the vehicle in the teaser image has the bulging arches found on that Challenger as well as the one-year-only Demon. We can also make out five-spoke wheels that may have split spokes. Most of the body looks like the current model, too, so we don't expect any major changes to the chassis or powertrain. The only other information Dodge revealed about the 2019 Challenger is that more information will come this summer. So expect to hear more in just a few months. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Image Credit: Dodge Dodge Coupe Performance dodge challenger srt hellcat

Stellantis is official: FCA and PSA merger finally sealed

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalize the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group – from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stellantis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE's bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wyman, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. "He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don't think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets," he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group's lagging fortunes in China, rationalizing its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. "It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don't think we will have all the details before one year," Santino said.

1970 Hemi Challenger is a family heirloom with serious muscle

Petrolicious turns up the emotion in its latest video about a family's connection to their 1970 Dodge Challenger. The orange muscle car that gets the spotlight here is a remarkably beautiful vehicle, but the story of a father and his sons at the core of this clip might leave you feeling a little misty eyed. Juan Escalante is the current owner of this Challenger, but it belonged to his dad first. Juan's father spotted the iconic muscle car during the 1969 Detroit Auto Show and had to have one. He soon placed an order for the orange '70 Challenger R/T with the rare combination for that year of a 426 Hemi V8 and a four-speed manual gearbox. The family even brought the coupe with them when they moved to Venezuela in 1972, and local fans dubbed it El Hemi. However, parts were scarce for the muscle car in that country, and it returned to the US in 1996 for a restoration. Now, the rumbling Challenger with its Coke-bottle profile and black hood is the world's most awesome family heirloom for the Escalantes. In this poignant video, Petrolicious shows how the coupe connects Juan to his father. Related Video: