Clear on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bentley Continental GT V8 and Toyota 4Runner | Autoblog Podcast #604

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they talk about driving the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 First Edition, followed by the 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road. Then they revive a format called "This or That," discussing the Jeep Wrangler vs. Gladiator, Subaru Forester vs. Outback, Mustang vs. Camaro vs. Challenger, and whether they'd rather spend $25,000 on a new or vintage car. They've got an update on a previous Spend My Money segment, and, finally, they help another listener pick a daily driver. Autoblog Podcast #604 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 2020 Toyota 4Runner This or That: Jeep Gladiator or Jeep Wrangler Subaru Forester or Subaru Outback Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger Vintage car or new car Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Bentley Chevrolet Dodge Jeep Subaru Toyota Truck Coupe SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Classics

Dodge and Jeep recalling 895k SUVs for possibility of headliner fires

Dodge and Jeep are announcing recalls of a total of 895,000 Durango and Grand Cherokee models worldwide from the 2011 through 2014 model years. There's a possibility that the wiring in the sun visor can short circuit and cause a fire. It specifically affects vehicles built between January 5, 2010, and December 11, 2013, and there are approximately 651,000 of them in the US, 45,700 in Canada, 23,000 in Mexico and 175,000 outside of North America.
Screws that fasten the sunvisor to the headliner may pierce wires in the visor, if the part has been removed or serviced, potentially causing a fire risk. If the wires short circuit, they could overheat and potentially combust. The automakers report three injuries caused by this defect, and according to the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "there may be a total of 52 unique fire incidents."
To fix the problem, Dodge and Jeep will inspect the vehicles for suspect wiring, and all of the models, whether damaged or not, will get a new sun visor spacer with a wire guide to stop the possibility of short circuits. According to the automakers' announcement, "this condition is not present in vehicles which have not had the headliner or vanity mirror serviced." They will notify affected owners, and repairs will begin in August.

Dodge, Jeep, Ram showcasing electric wares over the next four months

Mopar Insiders took notes on Stellantis' half-year earnings call. Seems three of the eight Stellantis brands operating in the U.S. will be making big announcements about coming electric offerings in the next few months. Dodge is up first. We've been writing about the house of the muscle car trying to put on an extra special show during its Speed Week in Detroit in August, the span between Roadkill Nights and the Woodward Dream Cruise. Seems that's confirmed with the presentation of a "Gateway" muscle car and a "Future" muscle car. The former is expected happen on August 16 and be the Hornet PHEV, Dodge's version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV. The plug-in hybrid Tonale Q4 uses the powertrain from the Euro-market Jeep Compass 4xe, but gets a larger battery pack and produces a total 275 hp. We're looking forward to finding out if brand overlords decided the Dodge should have more, less, or the same output as the Alfa, and the same battery pack or the smaller Compass pack. The latter "Future" vehicle is expected to bow the day after. This would be a concept version of the Challenge e-muscle car that we've been salivating over for too long. Given two of Stellantis' most powerful motors slotted into the STLA Large platform, output north of 800 horses seems to be the consensus. The production version isn't slated for sale until the end of 2023, so the model on showroom floors will likely differ slightly from what we see next week. It's Jeep's turn in September, the off-road brand shining light on the plug-in hybrid options headed to showroom floors here. That should mean news on the Renegade 4xe and Compass 4xe anticipated in the U.S. in 2024, and a Gladiator 4xe the year after. Wagoneer and Cherokee electrification plans could be on the docket, too, as well as plans for wider global distribution of the Jeepster we've seen in Europe.  Finally, two months later, Ram takes the stage for updates on its electric Revolution. So far, that entails the Ram Promaster BEV, a van likely to combine years of experience from the Fiat Ducato Electric and the Peugeot E-Boxer that have been serving fleets in Europe. MI thinks November topics will include a 79-kWh battery, four drive modes, and the chance of the ProMaster getting a side door for delivery fleets like Amazon. Of course, the electric Ram pickup is the meat enthusiasts will have their forks out for.