2007 Dodge Sprinter 2500 176k Mi on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler will invest up to $1.5 billion to build EVs in Windsor

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest between $1.35 billion and $1.5 billion in its Windsor assembly plant in Canada to build electric vehicles as part of a tentative deal with Canadian autoworkers, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said on Thursday. The auto union said FCA would invest in a state-of-the-art vehicle platform that will enable the assembly of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, with at least one new model in 2025. The announcement comes less than a month after Unifor said Ford would invest $1.46 billion in its Oakville and Windsor plants. "Not only is Fiat-Chrysler maintaining the current portfolio but they will be investing three derivatives to enhance the current portfolio," Dias said. Unifor also said it expects to extend the life of the Chrysler 300, a rear-wheel-drive luxury car and introduce multiple derivatives of the Dodge Charger and Challenger. The union said as many as 2,000 jobs would be added in 2024 at the Windsor plant. Market forecasting firm LMC Automotive on Thursday said it would take until 2024 for U.S. vehicle sales to recover from the coronavirus downturn and get close to the 17 million vehicles sold in 2019. Ratification meetings for the FCA deal will happen over the weekend, and members will vote on whether to accept the agreement on Sunday. The union is expected to begin negotiations with General Motors's Canadian unit next week. Related Video: Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Coupe Electric Sedan windsor

Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit packs the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye engine

When the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk launched we were stunned that it featured both the 707-horsepower Hellcat engine and all-wheel drive. But SRT has one-upped itself with a custom Durango for the One Lap of America motorsports event. It's called the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit — nicknamed "Speed Trap" — and it has the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye engine, and it still has all-wheel drive! Besides the 90-horsepower advantage over the stock Trackhawk, the Durango SRT Pursuit race SUV gets improved handling via concept lowering springs and 11-inch wide wheels with 305-mm wide tires that are shared with the Challenger Hellcat Widebody. It has improved stopping ability from 15.75-inch brake rotors up front with 6-piston calipers, and 13.78-inch rotors with four-piston calipers. This is the same kind of setup as the Trackhawk uses. Oddly enough, Dodge left the factory heated and cooled front seats, but removed the two rear rows of seats for weight savings. The Durango also gets a roll cage and racing harness. The finishing touches include a cat-back exhaust and the low-profile police light bar and paint scheme. Now before you ask, there don't appear to be plans to put a Redeye-powered Durango into production. With that being said, the company clearly has the capability to mate that engine to an all-wheel-drive system, and it would be hard to imagine the company not capitalizing on that. Even if the powertrain didn't make it to a Durango, it would seem like a great complement to the existing Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, or even an updated version of it. Hint, hint, wink, wink, FCA. Related Video:

The Dodge Demon isn't the only way to a 10-second quarter mile

The Demon's rear tires smoke, the front tires lift – and in under ten seconds (after having spent $85,000) you've covered a quarter mile. In short, we fully get the attention shown Dodge's SRT Demonstrator. With disruption the operative word of the times, it's good to see a representative of the movement coming from Detroit. The SRT Demon delivers disruption in spades. There is, however, a viable alternative – and it doesn't require getting on the list at your Dodge dealer. If you want to do 0-60 in under three seconds or the quarter mile in around 10, the folks at Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha – with any of their one-liter superbikes – have you covered. The gestation of what we now know as the superbike came roughly a decade after the debut of the muscle car. It was in the early '70s, as emission and safety regulations – along with rising insurance premiums – decimated the ranks of Detroit's fastest that motorcycle makers found their magical, almost mystical momentum. Honda's CB750 four was arguably the first, followed soon by Kawasaki's Mach III and Z-1. After that, it was Katie-bar-the-door, with more horsepower offered by Japanese OEMs until, invariably, insurance premiums went higher and, during the last recession, 20-somethings couldn't get affordable loans or insurance. Today, Japan's Big Four are once again engaged in a horsepower war, fueled by the rising interest in MotoGP, along with the rising profits available when selling a $20,000 motorcycle. And if that $20,000 - $10K per wheel – seems high, simple math tells you it's less than half of what you'll spend per corner if buying Dodge's Demon. The specs tell the tale. The Demon, fattened by both its flared fenders and a platform dating from the George Bush administration, supports its 4,200+ pounds on a wheelbase of 116 inches. That's in contrast to Suzuki's GSX-R1000 – redesigned for 2017 – which puts its 443 pounds atop a wheelbase of just 56 inches. To maximize its Hemi-supplied 800+ horsepower, Dodge diverts the air conditioning from the Demon's interior to the engine, which makes racing on a summer evening (you guessed it) devilishly hot. On Suzuki's GSX-R1000 – or similarly-equipped superbikes – almost all of the air at 100+ miles per hour is directed at you. To further underscore the differences, know that the GSX-R1000 and its like-minded competition can turn a quick corner, while the Demon is hard-pressed to execute a U-turn at the end of a quarter-mile straightaway.