2007 Dodge Magnum Srt8 Wagon 4-door 6.1l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Stellantis lays off salaried workers, cites uncertainty in EV transition

DETROIT — Jeep maker Stellantis is laying off about 400 white-collar workers in the U.S. as it deals with the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles. The company formed in the 2021 merger between PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler said the workers are mainly in engineering, technology and software at the headquarters and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, north of Detroit. Affected workers were notified starting Friday morning. “As the auto industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainties and heightened competitive pressures around the world, Stellantis continues to make the appropriate structural decisions across the enterprise to improve efficiency and optimize our cost structure,” the company said in a prepared statement Friday. The cuts, effective March 31, amount to about 2% of Stellantis' U.S. workforce in engineering, technology and software, the statement said. Workers will get a separation package and transition help, the company said. “While we understand this is difficult news, these actions will better align resources while preserving the critical skills needed to protect our competitive advantage as we remain laser focused on implementing our EV product offensive,” the statement said. CEO Carlos Tavares repeatedly has said that electric vehicles cost 40% more to make than those that run on gasoline, and that the company will have to cut costs to make EVs affordable for the middle class. He has said the company is continually looking for ways to be more efficient. U.S. electric vehicle sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.19 million as EV market share rose from 5.8% in 2022 to 7.6%. But sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%. Stellantis plans to launch 18 new electric vehicles this year, eight of those in North America, increasing its global EV offerings by 60%. But Tavares told reporters during earnings calls last month that “the job is not done” until prices on electric vehicles come down to the level of combustion engines — something that Chinese manufacturers are already able to achieve through lower labor costs. “The Chinese offensive is possibly the biggest risk that companies like Tesla and ourselves are facing right now,Â’Â’ Tavares told reporters. “We have to work very, very hard to make sure that we bring out consumers better offerings than the Chinese.

Chrysler extending production of current Dodge Avenger, Jeep Wrangler, Grand Caravan

Are you hesitant to pull the trigger on a brand new Dodge Avenger in hopes that a new one will be coming? Well, don't hold your breath. According to The Detroit News, Chrysler will be extending production of the current Avenger sedan through the end of 2015.
Originally, we heard that the company would kill the Avenger to better focus its midsize sedan efforts on the Chrysler 200 replacement. But then new reports stated there would indeed be an Avenger successor, and that we could see it as early as next January. This Detroit News report cites supplier sources confirming the extension of Avenger production, though Chrysler has not released an official statement on the matter.
These same suppliers say that the current Jeep Wrangler will live on through mid-2018 - that's right, another five years. The Detroit News reports that a replacement for the iconic, go-anywhere Jeep was due in mid-2016.

Dodge Demon lightweight by SpeedKore Performance comes to SEMA

We already know that the Dodge Demon is crazy fast. We experienced that firsthand. But its more than ample amounts of built-in speed doesn't mean that owners won't be tinkering with it to make it faster. But if you don't want to add more power (or even if you do), you can always make the car lighter. That's what SpeedKore Performance Group has done, and it will bring its lightweight carbon fiber Dodge Challenger SRT Demon to the SEMA show in Las Vegas, where it will be introduced by none other than rock legend Sammy Hagar. Last year, SpeedKore brought its carbon fiber-bodied Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat to SEMA, and now it has applied the same treatment to the 840-horsepower Demon. The body panels and spoilers will be manufactured using SpeedKore's autoclave in Grafton, Wisconsin. SpeedKore will also be one of many companies bringing a modified Ford Mustang to SEMA. A carbon-bodied Ford Shelby GT350R by SpeedKore was recently featured on "Jay Leno's Garage." Last year, Leno also drove SpeedKore's 1970 Dodge Charger Tantrum, which features a carbon fiber front end and a 1,650-horsepower Mercury Marine engine. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Speedkore Dodge Challenger SRT Demon: SEMA 2017 View 13 Photos Related Gallery SpeedKore Performance 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon News Source: SpeedKore Performance GroupImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Aftermarket Celebrities SEMA Show Dodge Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance dodge demon dodge challenger srt demon SEMA 2017 speedkore performance