Tim Kuniskis, the straight-talking Stellantis exec whose retirement lasted about as long as your new year commitment to jog five miles every day, is back as CEO of the company’s Ram truck division and he’s got a lot he wants to share. This includes: how badly he wants a mid-size truck, how much the company screwed up the 1500 launch, and how he felt about outgoing Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
The Morning Dump, as always, doesn’t shy away from politics if it’s relevant. Unfortunately, cars and politics are blending more and more lately. President Biden, in his last week in office, has finalized rules that will make it way more difficult to sell Chinese-built cars in these somewhat United States. What will happen to the automakers who do sell those cars already? Most of them will be fine, though a couple seem like they’re in trouble.
Do consumers care about the brands they buy? Yes! And a new survey shows this is only increasing over time, especially for hybrid owners. And, speaking of hybrid owners, the data we most lack is how often PHEV owners actually charge. Thanks to a new study, we can do a little extrapolation.
‘Whether It Makes Sense Or Not, It Doesn’t Matter. It’s Anti-American, You’ve Taken My Flag Away, F*** You”
Last year, longtime exec Tim Kuniskis retired from the company that was once Chrysler and was now Stellantis. There were conspiracy theories about this, stating that perhaps Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares kicked him out after too many disagreements.
Tavares is gone and, magically, Kuniskis is back. Does that mean that the rumors were true? Not quite. He says he “didn’t need to retire” he just needed a break. Don’t we all?
And are we sure Tavares didn’t give that extra push? Here’s what Kuniskis told the Detroit Free Press:
I was totally fine with Tavares. I didn’t agree with him on a lot of stuff, but that’s not unique to him. That’s my personality. I disagree with a lot of my bosses. It didn’t matter what level of the company I was. It’s just who I am,” he said, describing his leaving as “100% my decision.”
This is a fun interview and Kuniskis lays a lot of blame for Ram’s current issues on the decision to do a bunch of stuff at once, including adding an EV powertrain, designing an EREV powertrain, ditching the V8, and adding a new electrical architecture. It was too much and it threatened the big money-maker for the company.
And, speaking of money-makers, the company basically had the Ram 1500 Classic as the fill-in for the midsize truck market. That’s no longer around and Kuniskis wants something better.
Kuniskis couldn’t offer any news on the midsize front, but he noted that “I desperately want one. … I don’t know how you can be a dedicated truck brand and not have one.”
I agree! You have to have a midsize truck. You know, other than the Gladiator, which is a Jeep.
So what of the decision to swap the Hemi V8 for the Hurricane inline-six? That’s an engine David enjoyed, saying he didn’t miss the Hemi V8. Kuniskis lays it on thick for Road & Track in this interview:
“Honestly, the bigger issue is not Hemi vs. T6,” Kuniskis said in an interview with Road & Track. “The bigger issue is we took away a fundamental American thing. Americans love freedom of choice more than anything. When you take away their freedom of choice and tell them ‘you must take this,’ they revolt. Whether it makes sense or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s anti-American, you’ve taken my flag away, f*** you. It doesn’t mean they are making an irrational decision, maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, I don’t know. But we as Americans, that’s what we do.”
Because it says “f***” we’ll have to make some guesses as to what he said there. Funk you? Fark you? Fail you?
This doesn’t mean the V8 is coming back because, as Kuniskis points out, the 1500 has been too short of supply to make any conclusions about comparative powertrain sales. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
American Cars With Chinese Software Banned As Of 2027, Hardware As Of 2029
The long-discussed issues related to Chinese-built cars in America have finally resulted in some concrete rules, with the Biden Administration announcing it’ll ban most Chinese-built items like drones and cars, that have “connected” software or hardware.
“It’s really important because we don’t want two million Chinese cars on the road and then realize … we have a threat,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters in an interview, citing national security concerns.
In September, her department proposed a sweeping ban on key Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads, with software prohibitions to take effect in the 2027 model year and those on hardware in 2029. They also bar Chinese car companies from testing self-driving cars on U.S. roads.
In theory, this would screw companies that sell Chinese-made cars in America, which include:
- Lincoln Nautilus
- All EV Lotus cars
- Buick Envision
- Volvo S90
- Volvo EX30
- Polestar 1 and Polestar 2
But, as always, there are some exceptions. Cars with hardware or software that existed before the rules go into place are fine, so long as the software isn’t being managed by a Chinese company. That should help with Lincoln and Buick. It’s the Geely companies that are in trouble here. Does the US Government consider Volvo a Chinese company? Was the EX30 already on sale before the rules went into effect? What is Polestar going to do?
It’ll be up to the new Trump Administration to enforce these rules, although this has generally been an area of bipartisan agreement so I doubt they’ll be immediately reversed.
Consumers Like Their Brands Even More, Are More Likely To Stick With Hybrids Than In The Past
For all the complaints about high prices, people tend to enjoy the brands they already own. This makes sense as you already know where to get service, you’re used to the buttons, et cetera. This is the second year of the LexisNexis brand loyalty survey, and the findings are consistent with what I’d expect post-pandemic.
Loyalty is determined by a buyer returning to the same brand they own, so if you own a Honda HR-V and then buy a Honda Passport you’re counted as loyal. Basically, during the pandemic, there was such a shortage of vehicles that some people migrated to other brands due to availability, not necessarily displeasure with their current car.
That behavior is mostly gone, and the loyalty rate has jumped to 52.6% of all buyers, which is near pre-pandemic levels. What’s more interesting to me is the behavior related to fuel type:
Consumer migration across fuel types saw owners continuing to dispose of an ICE (internal combustion engine) in exchange for hybrid and electric powertrains (see figure 1). Loyalty to ICE was 97.6% in 2019 and has steadily fallen to 85.2% in 2024. Loyalty to electric and hybrid vehicles have both been on an upward trajectory since 2019 however electric vehicle loyalty in 2024 decreased slightly from 77.7% to 74.7%. Hybrid vehicle replacements jumped 5 pp from 2023 to 52% in 2024.
Hybrid owners are the least sticky, in part because many of them probably migrate to EVs, though more and more hybrid owners seem to be happy with their hybrids.
The other reason, of course, is that there are way more and better hybrid options for buyers than in the past.
Do People Plug In Their Plug-In Hybrids?
Most automakers with PHEVs probably have some idea of how often those consumers plug in their vehicles. They rarely, or maybe never, share this data with us. This is annoying. Is this a sign that PHEV buyers never plug in, as sometimes alleged? No. Automakers are just weird like that.
Thankfully, PlugShare did a large survey of Canadian buyers (n=16,041) that helps provide a clue. I didn’t see in here where they ask PHEV buyers specifically how much time they’re plugging in, but they did ask about how they charge. But they did ask where and how.
According to the survey, most PHEV charging (46%) happens at Level 1 at home, 39% happens at Level 2 at home, and about 16% happens anywhere else. Why would you have a Level 2 charger at your home and not use it? It makes little to no sense, so right there we can assume at least a third of Canadian PHEV owners charge at some level. Those who charge at a Level 1 at home are maybe not likely to charge all the time, but I still assume most probably do.
That last about 16% I’m a little more suspicious about, but this does make me think that most Canadian PHEV owners probably charge their PHEV most of the time. If I had to guess, I’d say about 75% of PHEV buyers use charging regularly.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
The new season of Shoresy is coming out, so I’m jamming to the Season 3 music this week. Here’s Art d’Ecco with “Serene Demon” and an enjoyable strange video.
The Big Question
Did taking away the V8 make you feel one way or another?
Top graphic image: Jay Leno’s Garage/YouTube
On plugging in PHEVs, we plug in ours (Fusion Energi) every time it’s parked at home, it’s just a habit. Don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t try and plug in as much as possible, utilizing the battery is kinda the point for a vehicle like this and the trade-offs some of them require (a tiny trunk in ours).
Yeah, I plug in mine every day at both work and home. Electricty is at least 1/4 the cost of gas, so it’s better economically. Also leaving it plugged in means the car heats and defrosts itself just before I drive, so I generally never have to scrape ice off.
I think what was overlooked is that 16% other. I’m sure that’s mostly plugging in at work. That would align with the small number of employers in Canada with chargers in their lots. Possibly also the occasional charge a bit at the mall when shopping.
The public L2 EV chargers around me are mostly 6.6 kW ChargePoint units that share power. That’s a heady 3.3 kW when two vehicles are plugged in. There are a lot of plugin hybrids plugged in. It’s fine for charging the small batteries in them. The rates are a little more expensive than home rates around me. It makes sense for a PHEV to plug in. It’s still cheaper than gas and saves an extra trip.
Engines have to evolve, it’s just where we’re going.
I would even argue that mass acceptance of turbos in the US hinged completely on their: (a) running on 87 octane, which is over 90% of all gasoline sold here and (b) being offered by non-European brands, which made them both more accessible and acceptable.
There’s still an aural joy in a V8, and there’s plenty of arguments that an underworked V8 has more longevity than an overworked turbo 4…all valid. But for the 100-150k mile ownership period, it’s getting harder to make a case for a V8 as time goes on. Especially from the brand offering the Hurricane I6 (which I have yet to drive…I absolutely have a soft spot for the Grand Cherokee Hemi, it just puts a smile on my face).
What about that “third owner” who buys it at 200,000 miles or more? They’re stuck with the bill of repairs or a ticking timebomb of an engine that’s been overstressed since day 1.
I’m confused, saddened, and appalled at the number of commenters here who seem so DAMN confident that loving a V8 automatically means you are a misogynist with a tiny wiener and anger issues. Quit being dicks. Just because a v8 isn’t a portion of the hobby you are passionate about doesn’t mean jack. When they decide that the 3 wheel design of the Reliant Robin is the most efficient and demand all vehicles go to that design, I’m sure you’ll all be there harping about how 4 wheels is for the weak. Its the SAME.
Kuniskis has been behind V8s and fun vehicles for as much of his career as I am aware of. If he is acting then he has been acting for many years. So good on him for that. Its not like this opinion he voiced is a sudden about face.
I can respect him for sticking to his values, especially when it lines up well with the image of the company and the values of other Mopar fans.
Definitely. Mopar fans and their opinions are very set-in-stone. Having CDJR under the leadership of a Frenchman with no regards to that has cost them dearly. A lot of companies can change things up a bit and get away with it – Mopar really can’t, because their buyers truly will just stick with what they have or find something used instead.
Calling a dude from Portugal a Frenchman is the most American thing ever.
I only speak for myself, but I don’t see anyone directly linking V8s, specifically, to the brodozer stereotype. (After all, aren’t a bunch of the stereotypical brodozers powered by other engine configurations like I6s?)
It’s actually the inverse to me, where he’s trying to link taking away an engine option to being “un-American” and “taking my flag away.” Like you’re un-American if you don’t agree with him. 4jim’s post about “irrational machismo mistaken for patriotism” captures it well.
I don’t read any connection in Kuniskis statement directly making V8s an American right, so therefore I don’t see him saying not caring makes you unAmerican. He’s linking removing options to Americans responding as he describes, and in my experience, he carries a lot of truth. Americans, of all creeds, tend to get scruffy if we think we are being told what to choose by someone else. Thats all I read in his comment. Yes, the decision was “can I have a V8 in my truck”, but he’s talking about a perspective of the american people, no a piece of automotive hardware.
It is totally on Stellantis taking away that choice from Americans. Stellantis chose to not develop a highly efficient V8. Stellantis chose to not offset their V8s with hybrids and EVs. Pretty sure if Americans want to choose a V8 they can buy one from GM or Ford. Hell, even Toyota still sells a V8 in the LC500.
No one forced Stellantis to give up the V8. They had an opportunity and they squandered it.
Yeah it’s really annoying.
Like if I gloated in the comments about how happy I was that wagons and manual transmissions were disappearing, and sprinkled in some stereotypes of questionable accuracy about their drivers, I don’t think it would be well received.
Yeah I have never been a fan of small boosted 4 bangers in things like civics or subbies. I have gained more respect over time for these small engines pushing out the power they do. Yet I still prefer the sound and feel of V8s (or bigger) engines then I would ever like a 4 banger or 6 banger but I wouldn’t go around gloating about wanting those gone people should have choice in what they like and want.
But it’s still OK to hate on V8 drivers who ARE misogynists with tiny wieners and anger issues, right?
RIGHT?!
Yes. But don’t blame the sweet sweet sound of a V8 for it.
Scorn scales exponentially to the decibel level.
As long as we recognize that not everyone with a tiny wiener is a misogynist with anger issues.
Oh don’t worry. Nobody is accusing you of being a misogynist with anger issues.
I was just throwing that in on behalf of a friend…
I didn’t see that. Just comments about the odd, pseudo patriotism remark. I love V8’s (I’ve owned more V8 vehicles than anything else), and I’m none of those things. I just don’t base my identity or vehicle choice around it. For example, as much as I like the idea of a Coyote-powered pickup, I think the 2.7V6 ecoboost is probably the best half ton engine right now. It’s all about the right tool for the job.
The 2.7L ecoboost is a great engine. But calling it ‘best’ is very dependent on the use. I tow a 7,000 lb boat too often to consider the 2.7L for my use.
Those Canadian charging stats are interesting but not sure they apply for the US, where gas is definitely cheaper and electricity possibly/likely more expensive.
Pictured where??
Even my fleet operators have come around to plugging in our PHEVs (CMax Energi and Outlanders); at first they couldn’t be bothered because they don’t pay for the gas, but eventually they learned that doing so would save them trips to the fuel station.
I think that anybody who has a PHEV that ISN’T plugging in every day is driving less than a day’s worth of range, and anybody who’s Level 3 charging in the field is doing so because they’re driving MORE than a day’s worth and wants to top off to finish their errands.
The current (underpowered for BEV’s) public L2 charging poles definitely will charge a small PHEV a good bit in an hour or two. Around me the rates are only a little more than home rates. It makes sense to plug in where the vehicle already is. And, saves a separate trip to the gas station like you said.
Inline 6’s are my favorite so it didn’t bother me, but I can understand why some big truck people don’t like it.
There are legendary I6 engines (Ford 300, AMC/Jeep 4.0).
If we look outside the US: BMW M50/M52/M54 and their spicier S50/S52/S54 cousins.
It’s a more than a bit surprising they didn’t use the popularity of the Cummins I6 to market the Hurricane; it’s probably the only association that would have overcome the lack of a V8 for their buyers.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool straight six fan – My ’89 F150 with the 300 straight six was my favorite truck I ever owned.
I don’t have a problem with straight sixes for trucks. I have a problem with a Stellantis (Fiat) designed twin electrically actuated active-wastegate turbocharged / plastic boost pipes and manifold / air-to-water CAC / DOHC with wide authority dual cam phasers / ion sensing ignition coils for closed-loop combustion control straight six for trucks. I don’t trust them to get almost any of that right. Keep in mind that this is the same company that can’t figure out how to fix a problem with a simple oil cooler that is destroying engines in all their police package vehicles.
And all of that complexity and risky tech combines for some pretty underwhelming fuel economy improvements relative to the V8 it replaces. I understand why they’re doing it (government regulations) but as a consumer I wouldn’t ever make that tradeoff.
There’s no accounting for the current state of Stellantis’ products. If they built a new , high-tech V8 right now, it would probably be an insult to the Hemis that came before.
Historically, inline 6 engines have powered both legendary fire-breathing sports cars as well as big, brawny trucks and heavy equipment to this day. The problem is that ever since the gasoline V8 became a de facto standard for big, powerful engines in the US, it’s been associated with performance, while gasoline V6’s are for imports and for economy versions of US-made cars. Big diesel I-6s aren’t on the average American driver’s mind since they don’t really think about heavy trucks much, and I suspect that even non-Dodge/RAM-owning diesel pickup enthusiasts tend to forget or gloss over that the Cummins engine is an I6.
The US has generations of the false equivalency of V8=Power to overcome.
It used to show up in buyer preferences for Ford pickups. At one time, any models that could be equipped with small-block 289 or 350CID V8s could also be purchased with the 300 I6. Buyers accustomed to cars and non-Ford pickups would typically choose the V8 models. Dyed-in-the-wool truck owners and fleet buyers would snatch up the I6 instead, especially when pairing it with a manual transmission. A 300 I6 and proper gearing would work and haul as well as the V8s, and usually use less fuel. Unless you specifically needed a big-block V8, the I6 was usually the answer. But buyers wanted “V8 power”. Particularly during the Malaise Era, the V8s were just expensive bragging rights, while the I6 was the king for getting work done.
I’ve owned, at different times, an ’83 F150 with the I6 and an ’84 C10 with a small-block V8. Both were set up for maximum payload, which meant lower-geared rear ends. The I6 Ford’s endless torque meant that it would haul all day, get only minimally slowed-down on hills, and hit 70MPH or more on the highway without a problem. (Other than being noisy as hell…) The Chevy, even properly tuned-up running the previous owner’s added high-torque cam and carb and exhaust upgrades, just revved up and then ran out of breath once the torque fell off. It could do 65, but anything more was just pushing it hard; it was just a typical V8 short torque curve with a low-geared rear end. Plenty of power, but speed only up to a point. An overdrive would have helped, but it would have further limited practical hauling at highway speeds especially on hills. It would have been fine with a higher rear-end ratio — but that also would have cut into payload and towing capacity. The I6 Ford didn’t have to compromise quite that much,and got by also without an overdrive gear. The Chevy sounded great, but the Ford was the hauler.
I see a lot of Silverados with either a 4 cylinder turbocharged engine or a V8. Ram should kept the Hemi and leave people the option to decide. GM is smart here, they put the 4 cyl engine in the affordable versions/packages/lease specials, that market does not care about a V8.
RAM should have done that. The truck market is about options and personalization.
RE Hybrids – I love mine and wish my entire fleet was at least hybrid. I’m likely looking at a Crown to replace my Camry at some future date. I’m open to a PHEV with the longer range that will cover most errands.
Good news: Starting with Model Year 2026, OEMs are incented to sell more PHEVs (per CARB’s “Advanced Clean Car II rules) as long as they have a 50 mile electric range and pass a bunch of tests on electric mode.
Ouch. The truth hurts sometimes.
The US: Fifty small, squabbling countries in an ill-fitting trench coat.
With a head that’s schizophrenic and has tourettes.
I think Ford made the right call by keeping the Ecoboost and the Coyote. This is likely where Kunis is referencing choice.
Yes, the 3.5 EB makes more power, and has better MPG’s, but there will always be a market for the V8 trucks (at least for now). Besides…V8’s often make better noises.
While I have no clue what sort of person Kuniskis is behind closed doors, he’s inherited a brand in crisis, caused by previous leadership showing they have no regard for what it’s loyalists want. He knows that buyers see the brand as moving away from what made it appealing. Whether or not it’s cringy, pandering, or just pathetic, he’s doing this on purpose, because that’s the sort of messaging Mopar die-hards want to see.
The average Ram buyer of 5-10 years ago who’s still clinging to their current 1500 “WITH A HEMI IN IT” because that’s what they value, they hate that they’ve had the option removed. He’s coming back into leadership and needs to make a statement to rebuild sentiment towards the brand, and the truck market is one of the most stubborn and instinct driven vehicle segments out there. He’s not an idiot, he knows this market and what it takes to succeed in it, and this blitz of aggressive sentiment is the first step.
This right here. Kuniskis is playing the part Ram buyers want him to play. Maybe they’re not the brightest for believing it, but it’s where Ram makes their money.
He’s acting, not like Carlos Tavares, but like Jon Lovitz.
Personally, I don’t have an emotional investment in Stellantis dropping the V8. Now, I think that it may be problematic in the near-term given the reports of reliability and quality control issues with the new I6 engines. Going from more reliable to less reliable seems like it’s probably not the best step, in my opinion.
But in terms of “am I mad there’s not a Hemi V8 option anymore?” I can’t really be fussed.
On the PHEV front – I plug mine into a level 2 charger at home all the time. My goal is to maximize the amount I’m driving on EV-only mode.
Mopar people “Crap a strait six”
Jeep people “Cool a strait six”
I actually am fine with it as long as the reliability, fuel economy, and power are up and the price is down.
Most* people: “Cool, a straight six!”
jeep people are not known for their spelling abilities. Are you late for your middle school English class, teacher?
The spelling corrections weren’t the main focus of my reply.
Jeep people: Cool! A strait! I can finally justify buying that snorkel!
or as we see on the facebook marketplace ads 4.0 strait V6
“Title in hand. Ran when parked. Front axle is out because I tried to swap to a vovlo differential. Willing to trade for dirtbikes or boats. No title.”
Love the typos, but you’ve got far too much dedication to proper capitalization and punctuation.
This is true. Most of the listings that bother to tell you about the vehicle tend to spew all the information without regard to making proper sentences.
Also Mopar people: ooh a slant 6!
That’s the ticket, Ram just needs to tilt the Hurricane Six!
I think the main concern with the Hurricane is that it’s a heavily boosted engine built by Stellantis. If that doesn’t set off some alarm bells then you haven’t been paying attention lately.
It entertained me just to hear people whine about it.
I am 100% not Dodge’s target market. It’s clear who they are (were?) targeting and pretty obvious that their buyers wouldn’t like the decision to ditch it.
Irrational machismo mistaken for patriotism is definitely one of the reasons we’re in a mess today.
I have no feelings about the V8. I’d look for overall performance, efficiency, and reliability. If the Hurricane does that just as well, if not better than a Hemi, no problem.
PS: The top shot is wonderful.
If someone needs a certain number of reciprocating air pumps to move their
workgender-affirming vehicle to signal theircapabilitypatriotismmasculinity – that’s pathetic.WELL DONE!
Poignant that no reciprocating air pumps can ever match the raw performance of spinning electromagnets*.
*I think many EV motors are out runners but you get the idea
Regular Car Reviews did a short the other day proposing an inverse relationship between an automaker’s quality and their flag-stroking jingoism, where the latter increases as a response to a lack of the former.
This does seem generally true, however Stellantis being the trend setter it is, has seen quality go down remarkably quickly as it abandons it’s headstrong, American as F*** marketing. Truly a revolutionary industry leader.
I think he said Ford, a common four-letter expletive at Chrysler-related companies.
If Ram is going to make a mid-size truck, the smart thing to do would be to share architecture with the Gladiator to amortize costs, especially with the Gladiator plateauing in sales. Unfortunately, I’ve not heard great things about the Gladiator platform so hopefully Ram will revise it.
The smarter thing to do would be to focus not on mid-size but a compact to compete with the F*** M*verick.
“a compact to compete with the F*** M*verick”
Maybe they could call it the Iceman.
A Top Gun marketing campaign wouldn’t be out of character for Ram, though your own post above regarding the correlation between quality and patriotic advertising also applies.
Mave*ick
too meta
In the TV edit version of “Casino” it is changed to “freak you”.
“Freak you Sam Rothstein”
Good thing Ace drove a Cadillac then…
I don’t give a shit what engine is in a vehicle as long as it performs at least moderately well and it’s not a ticking bomb with horrible quality issues. It remains to be seen how good/bad the Hurricane will hold up but at the same time I think they should have kept the Hemi around. Much like how Ford is operating.
So, my fiancé has already told me that she wouldn’t buy a new Charger. Why? It’s not that she can’t afford one, (she can’t), it’s because there isn’t one with a hemi, she simply doesn’t care about the I6 and especially the EV. Her R/T has the hemi and that’s why she bought it. Kuniskis is absolutely right about the mentality of the buyers.
Put a pin in that and check in later. I expect a lot of such pledges to *NEVER* buy will quietly die just like a new year commitment to jog five miles every day.
“Freedom of choice” is nonsense. Can I get a V-12 Ram? No? Then there is no freedom of choice, just boilerplate “heritage”.
You can choose whichever Ram you want. As long as it seats 6 and you didn’t want a long bed.
Kuniskis is incredibly cringy
Yeah love the doublespeak- “maybe irrational, maybe not”.
I would argue no more so than Ralph Gilles, who dropped quite a few public f-bombs in his time. It seems like it comes with the territory in the post-Zetsche FCA/Stellantis organization.
And that attitude probably reflects a lot of the buyers, too. I don’t care where I am in America, or whether I’m in an urban or rural area, I’m steering clear of Dodge vehicles. They’re like Altimas, but faster, and the owners have guns. With them.
Difficulty: I live in Alabama so I encounter both ends of the spectrum every day…
I would expect guns in Altimas and I would expect them to be HiPoints.
I think it’s intentional at this point, he knows that Stellantis and their American brands have suffered because the previous leadership ignored feedback from the NA market, and he’s coming back and want’s to make a statement that panders to the the US buyers who feel betrayed by what was once the “Brotherhood of Muscle”. He hasn’t gotten into his role as the CEO of a historically American heavy brand (twice) without recognizing how important posturing to consumers is for sales.
Reflects the customers… and he has a valid point. Until the consumer readily accepts the new powertrain it is a liability.
Ford kept the V8 around against the arguably superior EcoBoost for a reason.
Yeah, the flag thing is off-putting. They took your flag away, Mr. Kuniskis? And which flag would that be?
I’m getting South Park vibes “They took yer job!”
He seems like the type of guy that won’t buy something unless it has MOLLE webbing.