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FCA's U.S. sales chief sues company for wrongful retaliation

Some fresh controversy is brewing at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as The Detroit News reports that the head of U.S. sales has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the company.. Reid Bigland, who's also in charge of the Ram truck brand, alleges that FCA made him a scapegoat for wrongful sales inflation practices and fixing vehicle sales statistics, which are currently under investigation by federal agents. Bigland claims that FCA executives punished him for cooperating with the federal investigators in the case by cutting his pay by more than 90 percent, according to the lawsuit he filed. The plan apparently was to use the money saved to pay for fines following any settlements made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. So far, the lawsuit alleges that FCA cost Bigland over $1.8 million in income. "They had the largest growth in retail sales in 17 years last year and refuses to pay him," Deborah Gordon, Bigland's lawyer in the case, said to The Detroit News. "Why is that? Because he participated in the SEC investigation and they don't like what he said." Bigland claims he just cooperated with the SEC investigation by testifying about FCA's sales reporting, from the time he took the position to the period prior to being appointed the company's U.S. sales chief. "In late 2018, presumably as a way to wrap up their investigation with some result, the SEC suggested to plaintiff that he admit to some wrongdoing as to defendants' monthly sales reporting," Gordon further said in a statement as part of the lawsuit. "The SEC also suggested a resolution involving some penalty to FCA. Because (Bigland) had not engaged in any wrongdoing, and there was no wrongdoing, he declined to do so." However, exacerbating the issue is the fact that Bigland reportedly sold his shares in the company last year, prompting FCA to act against him even more. FCA came under fire recently by federal agents in at least two separate investigations, potentially exposing conspiracy and corruption between company executives and private entities. The investigations are being led independently by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI. So far, eight convictions were reportedly secured, with one including former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Vice President Alphons Iacobelli, as one of the defendants. Iacobelli was one of the former top labor-relations executives for the automaker.

Jay Leno's Dodge Challenger raises $585k for USO in Scottsdale

Of all the metal moved in Scottsdale, AZ, this holiday weekend, the one you see here was hardly the most expensive. But it's noteworthy for another reason: despite being a relatively humble, second-hand 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, raised an impressive $565,625. That's because, first of all, it belonged to Jay Leno, and secondly because the proceeds were going to the USO. Leno donated the modern muscle car from his collection to benefit our men and women in uniform, and was on hand to present the car on stage at the Gooding & Company auction, along with USO president J.D. Crouch II and former Army chief of staff General George W. Casey, Jr. After frenzied and patriotic bidding, the gavel ultimately dropped at $360,000, accompanied by over $200,000 in additional contributions, bringing the total amount donated to the USO to over half a million. Commendable though it was, of course the Challenger didn't garner the highest bids at the auction. A 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider sold for $7.7 million and a 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS fetched $2.4 million. A rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupe Aerodinamico sold for over $4,070,000 – which, according to Sports Car Market, is the most ever paid at auction for a 400 Superamerica. And a 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera 6 also sold for a record $1.98 million. Featured Gallery Gooding Scottsdale 2015 News Source: Gooding & CompanyImage Credit: Jensen Sutta, Mike Maez/Gooding Celebrities Dodge Ferrari Porsche Auctions Classics dodge challenger srt8 gooding ferrari 400 superamerica

Mopar teases a big Hemi crate engine for SEMA

Mopar has released a new video teaser hinting at the release of a large and powerful crate Hemi engine at SEMA later this month in Las Vegas. The video functions like a lesson on symbolism in an English lit class. It opens with smoke and settles on a pair of backlit, large-clawed paw prints that look to be feline in origin. Then we hear earth-shaking pounding sounds of something larger than the paw prints that stomps over them. Then cue an overhead shot of what looks to be a vintage-model Dodge Charger and its growly Hemi engine entering the frame and then gunning the engine. Mopar already offers three crate Hemi V8 engines, topped by the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat, good for 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, found in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and marketed for pre-1976 classic muscle cars. So promising that "Something big is coming" is really saying something. Could it be a crate version of the 808-hp Hemi 6.2 that was found in the Dodge Demon, which was rated at 840 hp on racing fuel? Or is it something different? Curiously, Mopar says its reveal is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the odd time of 4:26 p.m. Could that time be a reference to the 426 Hemi — and specifically the Generation III 426 Hemi "Elephant" that Chrysler made several years ago? That technically qualifies as "bigger," and it would also align with both the muscle car-era Charger and round, earth-shaking footprints shown in the video. Time will prove whether we were right. Related Video: Image Credit: Mopar SEMA Show Chrysler Dodge Performance Classics dodge demon dodge charger srt hellcat