1976 Dodge Power Wagon on 2040-cars

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2020 Dodge Durango SRT Drivers' Notes | When excess is a good thing

Performance SUVs and crossovers from non-luxury brands are still in a nascent stage of development. Models like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, BMW X5 M and others are on subsequent generations of their high-performance high-riding machines. Meanwhile, the 2019 Dodge Durango SRT is still refreshingly new. It’s also about as American as it gets. Dodge shoehorned in the 6.4-liter V8 and gave it an exhaust system that screams ‘Murica at anyone who strays too close. It makes a glorious 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, completing the sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels, which means you have traction — something the Challengers and Chargers with this engine could use a bit more of. Despite the Dodge being far cheaper than other big, high performance luxury SUVs out there, it still isnÂ’t cheap. The SRT has a base price of $64,490. Ours stickers for a much higher $78,235. Unsurprisingly, Dodge makes you pay the big bucks for most of the luxury features and customization options. A $2,395 Technology Group adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and forward collision avoidance systems. Fancy interior materials like a suede headliner, nicer materials on the instrument panel and carbon fiber inserts can be had in a $2,495 package. The stripes are $1,295, and the 20-inch wheels cost $995. To get the second row console with an armrest and storage, youÂ’ll have to pay an extra $595. A $78,235 Durango might sound like a completely egregious amount of money, but itÂ’s still far below what youÂ’ll pay for a BMW X7 or Mercedes-Benz GLS that goes just as fast. ItÂ’s no muscle SUV for the people, but it is a muscle SUV for more people than could afford one previously. Assistant Editor Zac Palmer: An American SUV with a giant V8 feels like a superior descendant of muscle cars than most other “muscle cars” on sale today. Both the Mustang and Camaro slant toward the sports car side of things, leaving FCA to carry on the muscle car tradition. And man, Dodge carries it on well. FCA could slot its 6.4-liter V8 into nearly anything and IÂ’d love it, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it thrashing it about in this behemoth of an SUV. Traction off the line was one major benefit in the Durango over the Charger and Challenger. Matt the throttle and it just leaps forward, similar to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.

UAW workers strike at Stellantis casting plant in Indiana

DETROIT — United Auto Workers union members went on strike Saturday at the Stellantis casting plant in Indiana, citing health and safety issues including the company's alleged refusal to repair and replace the plantÂ’s air conditioning and heating systems. The 35-acre plant in Kokomo makes parts used in the powertrains of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles and a long-term strike could affect vehicle assembly lines across North America. Stellantis says production had not been scheduled for this weekend and it hoped to resume negotiations as soon as possible on a contract with striking UAW Local 1166. In a statement, Stellantis said it was committed “to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees. After bargaining in good faith for two days and presenting an offer we believed addressed the unionÂ’s concerns, we are disappointed by the UAWÂ’s decision to walk out.” The 1,200-worker plant, Kokomo Casting, is the world's largest die cast facility, according to Stellantis. It makes aluminum parts for components including transmissions and engine blocks. The UAW local complained in a statement that Stellantis “claims it has no money to meet its membership's basic needs while ”making record profits and investing billions in a new battery plant across the street." UAW local president David Willis did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. A person who answered the phone at union offices said he was preparing for a resumption in negotiations. The casting plant is to be retooled to produce engine blocks for hybrid-electric vehicles. In May, Stellantis announced a $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Kokomo that is to employ 1,400 workers. Stellantis, formed last year with the merger of Fiat Chrysler and FranceÂ’s PSA Peugeot, had said it would build two electric vehicle battery factories in North America. The other is slated for Windsor, Ontario. Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM

Stellantis is official: FCA and PSA merger finally sealed

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalize the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group – from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stellantis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE's bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wyman, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. "He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don't think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets," he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group's lagging fortunes in China, rationalizing its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. "It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don't think we will have all the details before one year," Santino said.