1991 Jeep Comanche Upgraded on 2040-cars

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FCA profits surge in second quarter

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles gave the cash register a beating in the second quarter, improving its net profit to 333 million euros ($364M US), which is a 263-percent jump over its reported Q1 profit of 92 million euros ($108M US). At the same time, FCA improved its global profit margin to 7.7 percent. Compared year-over-year, in Q2 2014 FCA reported net profit of 197 million euros making this year's Q2 a 69-percent increase, and profit margins a year ago were 4.9 percent. The two big factors for this increase are strong NAFTA sales and Jeep. In the US alone, Jeep sold 222,940 units in Q2 this year, a jump of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. Revenue in the NAFTA region totaled $18.8 billion, adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were $1.45 billion, both of those numbers more than doubling compared to 2014. The vastly better numbers come on marginally more global sales, 1,181,000 units sold in Q2 2014, 1,193,000 units sold in the same span this year. In the US, FCA began charging dealers one-percent more for vehicles to up the margins, a move that helped boost its US margin from 4.1 percent a year ago to 5.8 percent the first half of this year. The company is holding steady on its guidance of global deliveries at 4.8 million and its net profit guidance at $1.1 to $1.3 billion. It has increased its adjusted outlook for the year to $120.5 billion in revenue, and EBIT to "over $4.93 billion." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Jeep FCA

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk undisguised with Hellcat power

Superchargers make everything better. Mount one to the top of a 6.2L Hemi V8 and pack it under the hood of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and you have a recipe for a completely bonkers, wholly unnecessary, and totally sweet SUV. We've known for a while that the so-called Trackhawk, essentially a Hellcat Jeep, is on its way. We now have photos of a completely undisguised test vehicle on public Michigan roads trying to make its way to SRT headquarters. Jeep already makes an SRT version of the Grand Cherokee. That version only puts out a measly 475 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from a 6.4L Hemi. After developing a couple of 707-hp Dodges, SRT felt that Jeep needed some of that Hellcat love too. In the photos, we can see that, aside from the front fascia, the Trackhawk will look fairly similar to the standard SRT Grand Cherokee. The front retains the requisite Jeep grille, though it's been narrowed a bit to make room for larger air intakes below. The Hellcat engine creates a lot of heat, so designers needed to make sure the beast has plenty of room to breathe. New LED fog lights have been integrated into lower air ducts. We still don't know many of the Trackhawk's finer details, like the exact price or release date. We do know that Jeep claims a 3.5-second 0-60 time, making it both the quickest-accelerating Hellcat-powered vehicle and one of the quickest-accelerating vehicles in the world. For comparison, BMW claims the X5 M will do 0-60 in 4 seconds flat. Related Video: Featured Gallery Grand Cherokee Trackhawk View 9 Photos Spy Photos Jeep SUV

Stellantis is open to putting a gas engine in its EVs to meet demand

With the EV segment caught in a tug-of-war between market demand and government regulations, carmakers are having to adapt to avoid losing both money and sales. Stellantis is keeping every option on the table, including putting a gasoline engine in its electric models. Natalie Knight, the chief financial officer for Stellantis, made the announcement while presenting the carmaker's first-quarter shipment and revenues results. She cited the Jeep Wagoneer S as an example: Unveiled in January 2024, it will go on sale with an electric powertrain, but the brand hasn't ruled out expanding the lineup with a gasoline-powered model later on, according to Wards Auto. It could be a hybrid, or it might not get any type of electrification. The call will depend on whether there is "a clear demand for that in the market," the executive said. Compare that with comments from new Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa, who has said hybridizing the Wagoneer S isn't in the cards — but making a PHEV version of the all-electric upcoming Recon, however, might be. "I don't want to ignore the fact that we want to stay close to the consumer, and if we see there's an opportunity with those models that we introduced as BEVs first, we'll look into that," Knight said. Stellantis plans to launch 25 new models globally in 2024, and 18 of those will go on sale with electric power. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll remain electric-only throughout their production run. The brands that live under the Stellantis umbrella can build a gasoline-powered version of an EV with relative ease because many of the cars in the group's portfolio ride on a multi-energy platform. For example, the new Dodge Charger (pictured) will go on sale with an electric drivetrain later in 2024, but the range will grow with the addition of a 3.0-liter straight-six in 2025. Across the pond, the Jeep Avenger (a small, hatchback-like crossover not designed with our market in mind) was hyped as an all-electric model when it made its debut in 2023, but it quietly gained a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain in early 2024. The city-friendly Peugeot 208 is offered with piston or battery power, too. One of the next electric recipients of a gasoline engine might be the new-to-us Fiat 500e. The retro-styled hatchback has exclusively been available as an EV since it went on sale in Europe in 2020, but executives are reportedly looking at turning it into a hybrid due to slow sales.