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How fracking is causing Chrysler minivans to sit on Detroit's riverfront

It's fascinating the way that one change to a complex system can have all sorts of unintended consequences. For instance, there are hundreds of new Chrysler Town and County and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans built in Windsor, Ontario, sitting in lots on the Detroit waterfront because of the energy boom in the Bakken oil field in the northern US and parts of Canada.
The huge amount of crude oil coming from these sites mostly use freight trains for transport, and that supply boom has resulted in a shortage of railcars to carry other goods. According to The Windsor Star, North American crude oil transport by train has gone from 9,500 carloads in 2008 to 434,032 carloads in 2013. Making matters worse, some North American rail infrastructure is still damaged because of this year's harsh winter, and that's slowing things down even further.
Chrysler admits to The Star that it has had some delivery delays due to the freight train shortage. In the meantime, it's using more trucks to deliver its vehicles. Trucking is a far less economical solution, partially because a train can carry so many more units at one time, but alternatives are slim. The Windsor plant alone has a deal for 33 trucks to distribute the minivans around Canada and the Midwestern US.

FCA registers 'Cuda' trademark, but we wouldn't get our hopes up

It seems Chrysler has submitted a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Cuda," as first reported by Motor1. Fans of Mopar will instantly recognize this as the abbreviated name of Plymouth's classic Barracuda muscle car, which occasionally bared the shortened nomenclature. Though this might seem like a sign that FCA is considering a revival of the beloved machine, we wouldn't get our hopes up. See, rumors of a 'Cuda or Barracuda revival have circulated pretty much since the moment Dodge showed the modern Challenger and when it went on sale. And some of those rumors have involved the re-registering of the 'Cuda trademark, even as far back as 2010. Over the years, each rumor died a quiet death as time went on and no 'Cudas appeared on dealer lots. There is one rumor that's recent enough to still have a slim chance of realization, circa 2015 to be exact. It predicts a smaller Challenger-based car called Barracuda that could appear as a Dodge in both coupe and drop-top versions. However, we doubt it will come true, since FCA doesn't exactly have a large development budget, and we're not sure what the company would have to gain by making another sports car to sell below the Challenger. Odds are, it would cannibalize sales from the older, completely developed, and thus more profitable Challenger. Really, this trademark filing is probably just a defensive move for Chrysler. It will ensure that no one else can slip in and snag the name for their own vehicle. It should also help ensure that Chrysler has the rights to use the name on other products such as memorabilia. Sorry to crush your dreams. Related Video: News Source: US Patent and Trademark Office via Motor1Image Credit: Chrysler Rumormill Chrysler Dodge Coupe Performance hemi cuda

Georgia sheriff buys Dodge Charger Hellcat, and the feds want a refund

A sheriffs office in Georgia recently purchased a new 2018 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It's currently being used and driven by Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway. Now the U.S. Department of Justice wants its money back. All $70,000 of it. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the DOJ described the purchase as extravagant. The purchase was originally approved by the DOJ, with the money coming from asset forfeitures. The government has since questioned whether the car is being used for its intended and stated purpose — undercover and covert operations as well as the Gwinnett County Beat the Heat program. The Beat the Heat program is a nonprofit meant to "to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and illegal street racing" by holding drag nights at local tracks. The Hellcat — along with a 1996 Chevy Impala SS, a 1990 Chevy Corvette and 2004 Volkswagen GLI — are all featured on the Beat the Heat website. All but the Hellcat are privately owned and funded. The DOJ prohibits the use of taxpayer money for "extravagant expenditures" and says the "the vehicle in question is a high-performance vehicle not typically purchased as part of a traditional fleet of law enforcement vehicles." The sheriff's office defended the purchase, stating that Sheriff Conway uses it to commute and "when he participates in field operations, covert and otherwise, with our deputies" and that "Conway maintains that this vehicle is an appropriate purchase, especially for an agency with a $92 million budget and the opportunity this vehicle provides in making our roadways safer." The DOJ has given the sheriff's department until July 31 to repay the money. Gwinnett County intends to comply with the reimbursement. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.