‘All I want for Christmas is a… Hellcrate HEMI crate engine?’ Mopar offers holiday gift ideas for gearheads

Photo: FCA US media website.

The idea of a 707-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI engine under the Christmas tree might be a bit much for some folks. But if you have a gearhead on your holiday shopping list—and $20,020 to spend—then why not?

‘This Hellephant is a beast:’ FCA unveils 1,000-horsepower 426 Hemi engine at SEMA 2018. World so not shocked. World thinks it’s awesome anyway. World right.

Photo by Bill Hayward.

You’ve got to give FCA credit: they sure know how to put on one Hellephant of a show at a tradeshow.

A ginormous crowd was gathered at the FCA booth on the lower level South Hall at the Las Vegas convention center, well ahead of the traditional 4:26 p.m. start time, commemorating the 426-cubic-inch displacement of the original Mopar hemi engine.

Nexen Tire announces more booths at SEMA, salutes injured veterans with hot Dodge Challenger build

Photo: Nexen Tire America

Nexen Tire America announced yesterday that they are expanding their booth locations for the 2018 SEMA Show (Las Vegas, October 30–November 1), where they will showcase five custom builds, including the Custom Nexen Tire Purple Heart Dodge Challenger R/T, on display in Booth #61012 along with Nexen’s other show vehicles.

If you’re interested in automotive industry jobs, FCA might make you very happy, survey says

Recruiters greet candidates at an FCA job fair.
Photo: FCA USMedia Website

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) stated this week that they have scored among the top companies in the United States—not just in the car business, but overall—in providing a positive, transparent, and insightful experience for career seekers.

The automaker’s performance as a prospective employer was good enough this year to earn them a 2018 North American Candidate Experience Award (CandE Award), in a competition organized each year by Talent Board, a nonprofit that conducts research on the quality of the job candidate experience.

Fiat Chrysler reports record September sales, Ford and GM down

2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Photo: FCA Media website.

September sales reports from the automotive industry are out. Although it turned out to be a bearish month for two of the Big Three, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles boasted their biggest September in nearly two decades, with sales of 199,819 vehicles led by Ram and Jeep.

In the mood for something retro? How about a new Fiat 500 1957 Edition?

Photo: FCA Media website.

It’s hard to keep up with the many flavors of Fiat 500. Clearly, a Fiat 500 is not for everybody. The basic characteristics of the variations that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) markets under the 500 nameplate invite a number of obvious criticisms—too small, too quirky-looking for some tastes, too underpowered.

And for a car that looks so bleepin’ little, they’re actually surprisingly heavy—not a great quality if you’re looking for a small car that you can have fun chucking around.

But, if nothing else, the Fiat 500 lineup adds a lot of personality to an automotive market today that, overall, from a design perspective, at least, is pretty humdrum and samey-samey. For the driver who simply wants to stand out as different or make some kind of a contrarian statement, a Fiat 500 fits the bill quite well.

Will the next Dodge Charger be a badge-engineered Alfa Romeo Giulia? Let’s assess the pros and cons

FROM LEFT: Dodge Charger SRT and Alfa Romeo Giulia.
Photos: FCA US Media Website. 

The untimely loss of Sergio Marchionne is of course tragic—for his family, for FCA, and for the automotive industry.

Yet the true extent of his legacy in transforming the automaker he led may still lie ahead for us to see.

While listening to the most recent episode of the Motorweek podcast yesterday, I heard the panelists discussing a set of related automotive rumors that I had somehow missed: rumors about the design future of the Dodge Charger.

This week’s flurry of Dodge announcements points to FCA aligning to fill voids Ford, GM are leaving in the market.

Photo: FCA Media website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) issued a flurry of Dodge-division announcements late this week that, although they tell us little that we didn’t know already, further clarify their strategic direction for Dodge going into the 2019 model year.

The Dodge announcements give us a snapshot of an automaker that is continuing to stay the course with two of their current strong suits: fleet sales and performance-focused passenger cars.

Despite tragic accidents, the self-driving car money trail tells one story: They’re here. They’re autonomous. Get used to it.

Waymo-branded self-driving Chrysler Pacifica. Photo: FCA.

It doesn’t take much research to at least get a “Zen sense,” if not a quantitative sense, that auto enthusiasts tend to be, to say the least, ambivalent about the self-driving vehicle juggernaut.

And that’s not hard to understand: it's all about the sense of individual freedom and control that comes from owning and driving your own vehicle. The American driver knows that he or she can, theoretically, at least, decide on any given day to pack up the car and go anywhere in this vast country—whether it’s a temporary vacation or a permanent move.

BREAKING: More recall woes at Fiat Chrysler—this time it's 4.8 million vehicles for cruise control software issue.

FCA US LLC is recalling an estimated 4.8 million U.S.-market vehicles to upgrade software in their Powertrain Control Modules. The upgrade addresses an unlikely sequence of events that would compromise cruise-control functionality.

Fiat Chrysler Announces Student Design Contest Winners

First Place design by Eduard Cret.

Second Place Design by Emily Bryson.

Third Place Design by Jinho So.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) named three high school students last Friday as winners of the 2018 Drive For Design contest, a competition sponsored by the automaker's U.S. Product Design Office.

RECALL ALERT: Fiat Chrysler issues recall for fuel-supply tube on certain 2018 Jeep Cherokees

FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 48,990 SUVs in the U.S. to inspect and replace, as needed, a fuel-supply line.

A Company investigation discovered a batch of fuel-supply tubes may have connectors that were incorrectly fitted. If so, they may leak, creating a potential fire risk.

The Next Cop to Pull You Over Might be Driving a Dodge Durango

Photo: Fiat-Chrysler media website.

It's well known that fleet sales are an important emphasis for Fiat Chrysler's Dodge lineup. This is one of the reasons why Dodge is staying the course with a large sedan like the Dodge Charger, even in the midst of discontinuations of full size sedans like the Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Impala.

Fiat Chrysler Reveals Another 2109 Teaser: This Time, It's the Dodge Charger Grille

Left: today's 2019 Dodge Charger grille teaser. Right: 2018 Dodge Charger grille.
Photos: Fiat Chrysler media website.

After teasing the market last week with a glimpse of a dual-snorkel hood for the 2019 SRT Challenger Hellcat, Fiat Chrysler released another sneak peak today. This time, it was a tantalizing flash of another automotive orifice: the passenger side of a new grille for the 2019 Dodge Charger performance submodels.

Don't Look Now, But the Hellcat is Getting a Dual-Snorkel Hood

Photo: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. media website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles just released a couple of semi-obscured teaser press photos of the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT. And, yes—it looks like they're on a mission to make the Hellcat look even more badass.

Is the Fiat 500 the New Volkswagen Bug? Let's Think Small for a Moment

Photo: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles media website.

Could an automotive writer lose his car-guy card for a headline like that?

Some enthusiasts might think so, but consider this: the Fiat 500 Abarth Edition, which, with the turbocharged and twin-intercooled 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine, provides 160 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque (manual transmission) and 157 horsepower and 183 lb.-ft. of torque (automatic transmission), earned a spot on the U.S. News & World Report 2018 "fastest small cars for the money" list this year.

Alfa Romeo Introduces Stelvio Quadrifoglio to Asia at Auto China

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio holds a performance record for its class, having clocked a time of 7:51.7 at Green Hell. Photo: Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles media site.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles introduced the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio to the Asian market at the Auto China trade show in Beijing last Wednesday. The new high-performance premium SUV will remain on display at Auto China through Friday, May 4. Alfa Romeo's exhibit stand is in Hall E1 at the New China International Exhibition Center of Beijing.

Texas Auto Writers Association Honors Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio with Top Performance Awards

Alfa Romeo Giulia. Photo: Fiat Chrysler media website.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced last Thursday that the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) honored two models from Alfa Romeo's Quadrifoglio lineup with top awards in two performance categories.

TAWA crowned the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio as "Performance SUV of Texas" and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio as "Performance Sedan of Texas" in their annual Texas Auto Roundup, held at Eagles Canyon Raceway.

“The Alfa Romeo brand made a strong showing with the all-new 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia during our two days of evaluation,” said Mike Marrs, President of TAWA. “Both vehicles feature impressive style and craftsmanship and the Quadrifoglio editions were a blast to drive, offering excellent performance and handling on the track.”

Looking for a Hot Car that will Hold its Value? Edmunds Gives Dodge Charger the Nod

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles earned kudos recently for building a product that holds its value, when Edmunds designated the winner of the Edmunds Best Retained Value Award in the large car category: the 2018 Dodge Charger. Edmunds selects winners of the Best Retained Value award in each vehicle segment based on the five-year projected residual value.

“Buying a new car is a huge financial decision, and our 2018 Edmunds Best Retained Value Awards are designed to help shoppers discover the vehicles that can help them get the most out of their investment,” said Avi Steinlauf, Edmunds’ CEO. “This year’s winners underscore a commitment to quality and reliability, and are good bets to hold their value over the course of ownership.”

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to Transform Detroit Dodge Viper Plant Into Historic Vehicles Exhibition

Collection Will Initially Be Accessible to FCA Employees Only,
But Public Access May Figure Into Future Plans

The Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, former
production home of the Dodge Viper.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced plans recently to transform the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, where the iconic Dodge Viper was manufactured, into an internal meeting and display space that will showcase the company’s collection of concept and historic vehicles.

Renamed Conner Center, the former manufacturing facility, tucked in a Detroit neighborhood just south of the famed 8 Mile Road, will have space to exhibit 85 of the nearly 400 concept and historic vehicles that will now be stored onsite under one roof. Previously, the Company’s extensive collection was housed in several locations.