Dodge has all but promised that a Hemi V8-powered Charger is on the way. Get all the latest automotive news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ China’s car sales growth slowed in July due to weaker demand for hybrids and a crackdown by government regulators on a price war in the world’s largest auto market. More at Yahoo! Finance.
+ Rivian filed a lawsuit against the registrar of Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) in federal court in a bid to sell its EVs directly to consumers in that state, as Tesla already does. More at Autoblog.
+ General Motors will import EV batteries from Chinese battery giant CATL as a stopgap measure while the automaker prepares to manufacture its own lower-cost LFP batteries. More at World Auto Forum.
+ In victory lane at Watkins Glen, NASCAR Xfinity race winner Connor Zillisch fell from his car and fractured his collarbone, forcing him to sit out the Cup race the next day. More at BBC Sport.
+ A former executive says bankrupt battery maker Northvolt stepped up production of high-quality battery cells before shutting down, a key factor in finding a buyer for the company. More at ET Auto.
+ Garagisti & Company, a British supercar startup, is hoping to produce a sports car with a 6.6-liter V12 producing 789 horsepower and an old-school six-speed manual transmission. More at Car and Driver.
+ Consumers are racing to buy electric vehicles before the fast-approaching deadline to claim tax credits worth up to $7,500, according to analyst Liz Najman at Recurrent. More at CNBC.
+ Dodge CEO Matt McAlear has all but promised that a Hemi V8-powered version of the Charger is in the works, joining the twin-turbo inline six and battery-electric models. More at The Drive.
+ The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an audit into more than 137,000 Kia vehicles regarding concerns that an engine recall was not effective. More at CBT News.
+ At Portland, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing clinched his third consecutive IndyCar championship in a dream season that includes eight victories and five poles. More at Racer.
Photo courtesy of Stellantis.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from August 8 here.
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Why? The Hurricane six will spank the ancient Hemi with its 1950s technology.
So would an EV Charger. But some people insist on the V8 sound and get off on the name “Hemi”. If I’m not mistaken, that engine does not have hemispherical combustion chambers and the name is just marketing.
Kudos to Dodge for recognizing its strengths, but I think it will be very difficult to price these cars at a level that will sustain the brand. They failed at selling us rebranded Fiats so it’s time to try rebranded Opels.
Americans have had a difficult time accepting Peugeot & Citroen, so Stellantis can’t put all of their effort there. Brand those as Chryslers. I imagine that Jeep needs shared platforms to stay viable, so they have to find something that’s versatile.
This is Chrysler’s last shot. They aren’t coming back if they miss, and Jeep will go down with them.
V-8s are a religion (grunt). Chrysler has sold “ it’s a HEMI” (grunt) for generations now. Sixes (no matter how powerful) are for grandmas and losers (grunt). So they’re kinda trapped. Their buyers want a BIG V8!
(grunt) and nothing else…. No matter how much better the Hurricane might be.
The biggest unforced error wasn’t launching it as an EV first, it was launching it as a coupe first. They teased the 4 door again at the Hurricane launch, but until they actually ship it, they’re dooming themselves to a tiny niche – and missing a ready market for a hot EV sedan from literally anyone else but Tesla.
There is nothing “Hemi” about today’s Gen 3 “Hemi” other than that precious trademarked name. Its more Mercury Marine outboard boat motor than arguably the greatest engine of all time for over six decades now: our Gen 2 ’64-’71 426 Hemi…
What the heck is “piston ring noise detection software”? The Kia engine recall audit likely happened due to the 5/31/23 USDOT Inspector General Audit Report #ST2023031 that really reamed NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation to improve its “risk-based processes”, recommending (ordered) ODI to “develop and implement procedures for conducting audit query and timeliness query investigations” (along with a dozen other IG findings)…