2022 Dodge Challenger Gt on 2040-cars

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Stellantis ready to kill brands and fix U.S. problems, CEO Tavares says

  MILAN — Stellantis is taking steps to fix weak margins and high inventory at its U.S. operations and will not hesitate to axe underperforming brands in its sprawling portfolio, its chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Thursday. The warning for lossmaking brands is a turnaround for Tavares, who has maintained since Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA that all of its 14 brands including Maserati, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep have a future. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down," Carlos Tavares told reporters after the world's No. 4 automaker delivered worse-than-expected first-half results, sending its shares down as much as 10%. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money." The automaker now also considers China's Leapmotor as its 15th brand, after it agreed to a broad cooperation with the group. Stellantis does not release figures for individual brands, except for Maserati which reported an 82 million euro adjusted operating loss in the first half. Some analysts say Maserati could possibly be a target for a sale by Stellantis, while other brands such as Lancia or DS might be at risk of being scrapped given their marginal contribution to the group's overall sales. Stellantis' Milan-listed shares were down as much as 12.5% on Thursday, hitting their lowest since August 2023. That brings the loss for the year so far to 22%, making them the worst performer among the major European automakers. Few automotive brands have been killed off since General Motors ditched the unprofitable Saturn and Pontiac during a U.S. government-led bankruptcy in the global financial crisis in 2008. Tavares is under pressure to revive flagging margins and sales and cut inventory in the United States as Stellantis bets on the launch of 20 new models this year which it hopes will boost profitability. Recent poor results from global carmakers have heightened worries about a weakening outlook for sales across major markets such as the U.S., whilst they also juggle an expensive transition to electric vehicles and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. Japan's Nissan Motor saw first-quarter profit almost completely wiped out on Thursday and slashed its annual outlook, as deep discounting in the United States shredded its margins. Tavares said he would be working through the summer with his U.S. team on how to improve performance and cut inventory.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

PGA golfer Kevin Na won a '73 Dodge Challenger, gave it to his caddie

PGA Golfer Kevin Na had one of the best Memorial Day weekends on the planet, as he took home more than $1.3 million from winning the Charles Schwab Challenge. But his caddie Kenny Harms' weekend wasn't too far behind. In addition to the monetary purse, Na won a restomodded 1973 Dodge Challenger, which he then immediately gifted to Harms. Plus, as a sponsor of the event, Lexus gave Harms a free one-year lease on a new UX F Sport. In 15 events so far in 2019, 35-year-old Na has three times finished in the top 10, but his victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Texas was his first tournament win of the year. Na, who has been a pro since 2001, was awarded a restored '73 Challenger as part of his winnings. His caddie had been ogling the ride all week, and even predicted the car would be his: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As soon as Na won the tournament, turned to Harms and yelled, "that's your car!" This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After the event, Na joked that he wasn't sure how Harms convinced him to give the car away. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. According to a PGA.com report, Harms had told Na he wanted the car, which commemorates the year Charles Schwab was founded, when they heard about the prize months before. Coincidentally, Harms first car was a crummy 1973 Chevrolet Camaro. Steve Strope and his Cali-based shop Pure Vision handled the Challenger customization. Aside from the suggestion of blue paint, Schwab let Strope work his magic. He took the car down to the bare metal before building it back up as an impressive restomod. Because Dodge started downgrading power in the '73 Challengers, Strope swapped in a modern 6.4-liter Hemi crate motor that's rated at 485 horsepower. Several other special touches were added, including tartan interior accents that nod to the famous tartan jacket that is awarded to the tournament's winner. The video above details some of the work. Something tells us the Lexus UX might get a little more use but a little less love than the Challenger. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Auto News Dodge Coupe Classics lexus ux PGA