The 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers weren’t good enough. Sure, they won their nine millionth NL West Division title, but this was quickly followed by a depressing sweep in the first round of the playoffs that saw their ace pitcher get dusted for six runs in the top of the 1st in Game One. The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers, after a few small lineup changes, were good enough to win it all. Stellantis has also recently undergone a clubhouse shuffle and suddenly things are starting to make sense.
I’m going to miss being able to rely on Stellantis execs getting into another pointless fight every other Morning Dump, which is likely not a sentiment shared by anyone who still works at the company. Will the company suddenly conquer the world next year? I doubt it, but the news is great if you’re a RAM fan or a UAW worker.
Ford’s attempt at making smaller trucks has been a model for success, with the Maverick in particular creating its own segment and outselling the Tacoma during that truck’s generational switchover. The problem Ford has isn’t building products people like, it’s keeping those products out of service bays. Alas, the Maverick is being recalled again, and for a reason that’s becoming too common with hybrids and EVs.
Oliver Zipse, current head of BMW, isn’t be recalled, but he’s going to retire next year, which means he’s only got a little time to accomplish all his goals. Perhaps he’ll want to go to Škoda? I hear Škoda is killing it.
The Ram Midsizer Is Coming
Everyone implicitly understands “good cop, bad cop” even if they’ve never been interrogated by the police. For a time, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares (not pictured) was the ultimate bad cop, managing to get into a fight with:
- Dealers
- Suppliers
- Workers in the United States
- Workers in Italy
- The Italian federal government
- At least one Italian state government
That is less than ideal for a company that makes cars and, eventually, the Stellantis Board of Directors got fed up with Tavares and made it basically impossible for him to stay with the company. Since then, it’s been a much chiller vibe at Stellantis as many of the decisions Tavares made were suddenly undone.
One of the biggest fights that Tavares picked was over the production of the new Dodge Durango in Detroit and a potential mid-size electric truck in Illinois. The United Auto Workers, backed by President Biden, negotiated record contracts with Detroit’s 2.5 automakers. This included the reopening of the long-time Chrysler/FCA/Stellantis facility in Belvidere, Illinois.
Then, all of a sudden, Stellantis made it sound like the mid-size electric truck project was on hold. And, actually, maybe Durango and more Ram 1500 production should move to Mexico or Canada. The UAW, unhappy with this, threatened to strike. It’s been an ongoing sticking point, but then things started to change.
Prepare yourself, because we’re entering a section that will be highly colored by your preconceived political biases, even though I suspect the outcome would have been the same no matter who won the presidency. The news, via the Detroit Free Press, is that the next-generation Dodge Durango will be built in the company’s main Detroit plant, and Belvidere will be getting a midsize truck of some kind.
If you ask the UAW, this has everything to do with the yeeting of Carlos Tavares into the Sun and the UAW’s new contract. From that Freep article:
The UAW noted in a statement provided by spokesman Nathan Pensler that the investment news followed months of the union pushing the company to keep its 2023 contract commitments in Detroit and Belvidere. The union had accused the company of confirming plans to move production of the next-generation Durango to the Windsor Assembly Complex in Ontario, which the company disputed. The current version is built at the Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson, formerly known as Jefferson North Assembly Plant.
The UAW said in its statement that both commitments had been “walked back by disgraced former CEO Carlos Tavares, and are being honored by the company’s new leadership,” but that with the new commitments related to Detroit and Belvidere, it had agreed to settle its grievances over those issues.
Sure. Maybe. Stellantis probably didn’t want a strike and the new UAW contract theoretically gave the union the ability to walk off the job even if a commitment was delayed, although a court was eventually going to decide if that’s the way the contract was actually written. It’s convenient for the union that this issue wasn’t tested. Additionally, when Tim Kuniskis returned as the CEO of RAM he made it very clear he wanted the Hemi V8 back, as well as a midsize truck, going so far as to say that RAM wasn’t really a truck brand without one.
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room, or the White House, in this case. Executives always want to curry favor with presidents, and our new president is about as open to being curried as chicken breast in Leicester. By waiting until there was a new president, Stellantis essentially gets to hand President Trump a win without having to do anything other than not to do the thing they maybe weren’t ever going to actually do.
Stellantis Chairman John Elkann did spend a lot of time with Trump before the inauguration as CNBC reports:
“John told the President that building on our proud, more than 100-year history in the U.S., we plan to continue that legacy by further strengthening our U.S. manufacturing footprint and providing stability for our great American workforce,” Antonio Filosa, head of Stellantis’ North American operations, said in the message.
One could imagine that Stellantis would have done the same with an incoming President Harris, but maybe not. Stellantis could be playing good cop/bad cop with the new administration. Conversely, President Trump threatening tariffs against Canada and Mexico will most likely result in automakers and suppliers planning more production here in the United States.
In that way, it’s possible that President Trump could be gaining something from threatening Stellantis over something he isn’t going to actually do by getting them to agree to not do something maybe they weren’t actually going to do.
For us, though, the important question is: What is this thing going to be? An electric truck? I don’t think that makes sense. An EREV truck built on an STLA Large platform also shared with the new Durango?
Maverick And Bronco Sport Recalled Over 12V Battery
Cars have been using 12-volt batteries for, oh, 75 years. Once automakers started regularly shoving high voltage systems like air-conditioning into cars it made sense. You’d assume this technology would all be figured out by now. Your assumption would be quite wrong.
These batteries have been big trouble lately, especially in electric cars. The issue with certain 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sports and 2022-2023 Mavericks seems to be a simple case of poor supplier design, at least according to NHTSA documents:
In affected vehicles, the 12V battery may experience internal weld and/or caston-strap failures, which could lead to a sudden battery degradation while driving. If the battery suddenly degrades during a drive it can lead to a vehicle that is unable to restart after an auto stop/start event or experience a stall while coming to a stop at low speed. Either of these conditions may be accompanied by a loss of 12-volt accessories, including hazard lights.
The supplier’s cast-on strap (COS) process positioned battery plate lugs too close to strap walls. This leads to cracked COSs, open battery cells and ultimately battery failures. Additionally, weak tombstone welds are occurring due to weld temperatures being too high or weld position being offset relative to the target position. Prior software released as part of FSA 24S24 is unable to detect certain electrical signatures present on failed batteries and/or failed to disable stop/start functionality quickly enough.
That’s less than ideal. The supplier in question is Camel Battery of China’s Hubei Province, if you were curious. OEM batteries are usually trash, so this isn’t a surprise.
BMW Boss Oliver Zipse To Retire In 2026
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, pictured above, has done a good job at BMW. Was it a great job? It’ll take a lot of time to know. Enthusiasts are largely cranky about some of the choices the company has made, sure, though enthusiasts are harder to please than shareholders.
Of Germany’s big auto groups, I think Mercedes is the best positioned for the future while Volkswagen is the one most burdened by the past. BMW, at least, is the most successful in the present moment. Its lineup isn’t my favorite. I don’t think it makes the best-looking cars. I’m not sure what’s going on with Mini. Overall, though, BMW has strayed the least from its roots and its EVs are currently the best of what Germany has to offer.
Everything, though, is going to ride on the company’s Neue-Klasse architecture and new sales model. BMW gave Zipse a lot of runway and a contract extension. That extension, according to Manager Magazine, is coming to an end, leaving Zipse only so much time to secure his legacy [translated]:
Oliver Zipse will leave behind a completely newly developed vehicle architecture and a production facility that has been revamped for the electric era, including new battery plants – an epoch-defining legacy. He will have technologically linked the group’s subsidiary Mini with Great Wall Motor from China . And he will have set all the course for centralized vehicle sales based on the Tesla model.
“He is to bring our most important project to market: the New Class,” Supervisory Board Chairman Reithofer told manager magazin in December – and gave Zipse another clear task. “That will happen largely in the next two years.”
It’s going to be a fun one to watch.
Škoda Increased Production And Sales In 2024
Škoda, VW’s Czech-based subbrand, isn’t one that most Americans think about a lot. Unlike Cupra, it isn’t coming here anytime soon, and the vehicles are mostly extremely Euro variants of cars we already get. This means, of course, that I think about Škoda all the time.
According to the company, things are going great!
In 2024, Škoda Auto manufactured over 925,000 vehicles at its global production facilities, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. Additionally, the company produced more than 280,000 battery systems for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles across the Volkswagen Group, over 1 million transmissions and nearly 500,000 engines. The main plant in Mladá Boleslav accounted for the share of this success by producing 575,000 Škoda vehicles. In 2024, production of a record number of new and refreshed models began, including the Scala, Kamiq, Kylaq, Octavia and Kodiaq model series. The company also continued to strengthen its international operations: capacity at the Pune plant in India was expanded for the Kylaq compact SUV, Škoda’s third model made in India for India. Additionally, preparations for vehicle assembly in Vietnam were finalised, and Kodiaq SKD production started in Kazakhstan.
Sales in 2024 were also up more than 6% in a challenging period. The good news doesn’t stop there, though, as the company is now showing off the Superb SportLine, a slightly gussied-up version of the already excellent Suburb sedan and wagon. It’s also available in a PHEV version with a very usable 79 miles of all-electric range (WLTP) from a 19.7 kWh battery.
What I’m Listening To While I’m Writing TMD
I’m not sure why, but it took me a while to finally give Lola Young’s album some time. I’d heard her on the new Tyler the Creator album and just sort of glossed over her. This was a mistake. Please enjoy “Messy,” a great track that works on your local independent music channel or any pop station.
The Big Question
What should the new Ram truck be?
Lead photo: Stellantis via Motor1
I think the new “midsize” truck will be a federalized version of the Ram Rampage that is currently on sale in Brazil. That is a unibody truck that is based on the same platform as the Tonale/Hornet… so federalizing the platform shouldn’t be as expensive as an all new platform. Even though it looks Ranger/Tacoma sized in photos, it’s actually roughly the same size as the Maverick. Which would allow it to compete in a less crowded field than if it were BOF and Ranger/Tacoma sized.
Also, the gas engine in the Rampage is the Hurricane4, which is already used in the US in a variety of vehicles.
To me this makes the most sense.
Hated the ram truck until I saw the sliding door. Now in love.
Škoda has probably the best current car styling, those wagons look so good. Even better than the VW Arteon.
It should be smaller than the current so called mid-size trucks. Sliding rear doors would be a great calling card. Hybrid four and maybe the Pentastar V6. It’s a dependable engine that many would be comfortable with. Offer a manual transmission. Hit the market with the cheapest edition first, then offer the high zoot models later. Colors.
Can’t wait till they sell 3, so two catch fire while the third has the front fall off
New Ram should be trying to compete with the Maverick. Hybrid, smaller, inexpensive comparatively.
Correct take imo. The midsize is so saturated with pretty loyal buyers. They’d be much better off targeting the compact market first which is basically just the Maverick and Santa Cruz. With Tavares gone they’d have a (theoretical) shot to deliver a knock out, develop a solid base of buyers, then try to muscle into the midsize market.
It should be the Mitsubishi L200.
Stellantis already has them in Fiat disguise as the Fiat Fullback and Ram 1200.
They could just throw a hybrid drivetrain in it and sell it for an affordable price.
Too late! That partnership has ended, the Ram 1200 and Fiat
FullbackTitano are now the same Chinese ute, the Kaicene K70.So basically they’re gonna start making the Kaicene K70 in the States?
https://i.imgur.com/2aTv6rU.png
Or maybe the Jeep Gladiator is gonna get one helluva facelift.
I believe you’re correct on the first guess. Ram will likely ship them from China as CKDs and build them in Belvedere, IL.
Go smaller, real entry level, “bare bones,” the least possible nannies and tech.
“Scamp” sounds appropriate for such a small, minimal pick-up. Then offer a high HP. version “Skedaddle”.
Perfect timing on the song. I heard a clip of it in a video yesterday but it was incorrectly attributed so I couldn’t find the whole thing.
DID THAT RENDER HAVE SLIDING REAR DOORS?
shut_up_and_take_my_money.gif
That caught my eye too, and I concur.
I’m a little confused about the discussion of “a new version of the Dakota, and a new midsized truck”. Wouldn’t the Dakota be the midsized truck, i.e. a Ford Ranger competitor? I imagine that anything smaller than that (i.e., a Maverick competitor) would not be called a “Dakota replacement”, at least not by Stellantis.
You mean the Rampage since that would be the small truck sold in Brazil that looks positively badass for a trucklet.
That would indeed make sense to me, but this article did not make that necessary reference (unless I missed it). FWIW, the boffins at Allpar are saying the same thing.
102.7 WEQX out of Manchester VT, a fiercely independent radio station playing predominantly contemporary alternative rock, plays this catchy song with some frequency.
This “FM Gem” of a station is dedicated to its local audience, has top notch DJ’s who are enjoyable to listen to, and are knowledgeable and enthusaistic about the music they play. The station also has a kickass Grateful Dead show called the Dead Zone. Hit it on the dial or the app.
“SEE YAAA!”
My local alternative station! It really is solid. I’m a fan of Saturday morning’s “Jam and Toast” show, which is two hours of live recordings by jam bands from the previous week (usually, sometimes older stuff when the winter doesn’t bring as many shows to pick from).
They also put together a lot of shows around the NY Capital Region (a good chunk of their listener area).
Jam & Toast is my Jam when i am making Toast on a Saturday Morn
KOZT, in Ft. Bragg, CA is also a solid listen IMHO. I will give WEQX a listen, assuming they stream.
RAAAMMMMMPAAGGEEEE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cR-WiGKZtg
I was thinking “Archer” before I clicked your link. Thanks!
Come to think of it, the episode where Malory buys Archer a Dodge Challenger spy car as a present is one of the more effective product placements I’ve seen. Does anyone at Stellantis know how to sell Dodge products anymore? Doesn’t seem so.
Yeah, that was great, if obvious, product placement but one wonders how big the audience really was. I guess the show plays well among men, but all the women in my house hate it. Now if they could get some product placement on HGTV they might expand their audience by 100%.
My wife likes the show just as much as I do, but I suppose most people who enjoy Archer don’t exactly aspire to emulate Archer, lol.
If HGTV is giving away one of their “Dream Houses” this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if they threw in a Dodge Hornet. It’s not like Stellantis is selling them anyway, might as well start giving them away as promotional fodder at this point.
I was forced to watch the “dream house” program just the other night. It’s already just a big commercial, with the hosts explaining how James Hardie siding and Moen faucets are just the best. Might as well throw in a Hornet.
HGTV used to have some value when they had a couple of shows that were actually about design. But I guess that was 15+ years ago now.
Now it’s all about buying million dollar houses that are perfectly fine and blowing out all of the walls to turn the house into something akin to Parks and Rec’s Entertainment 720. But with shiplap. Fake renovation drama shows don’t do it for me either.
Bring production of the Fiat Toro to Belvidere and call it Ram 1000 like they already do in South America. Or Dakota for nostalgia’s sake.
Any of those nameplates would work as long as Stellantis get the MSRP and powertrain options right.
Start with the 2.0T Hurricane for the base version at $25K MSRP and a plug-in Hybrid as the optional powertrain for an additional $2K or so. I’m aware the Hornet R/T offers a 1.3 turbo gas + Electric motor but that doesn’t sound reliable to me and the towing capacity might be severely compromised.
PS. Don’t go after the Tacoma while the compact segment led by the Maverick provides a much better opportunity for success as there are only 2 players right now.
What about the Ram Rampage?
even better. Fresh out of the oven for North Americanization
“What should the new Ram truck be?”
It should be called the DODGE Dakota. And in terms of size/capability, it should be targeted directly at the Ford Maverick. And it should come with a hybrid powertrain at a price point similar to what Ford initially charged for Maverick hybrid and couldn’t keep up with demand.
Note that when you look at the dimensions of the original Dakota, it’s not far off from the current Maverick. In terms of width and height, the Maverick is actually bigger.
New Dodge should be an EREV – There’s the SCOUT EREV truck on the way – but not everyone wants an off-roader + it starts at $60K.
The RAM 1500 EREV that’s on the way is too damn big, too damn expensive, and too damn inefficient for my tastes. Half size it and it might be interesting.
If Dodge was smart they’d have a low cost Maverick sized pickup with enough but smallish battery for at about 100 miles all battery range in the winter – and at least make a modest attempt at making it efficient with at least 4 miles/kwh.
Then add a small ICE generator (love the liquid piston or the Omega-One rotaries – maybe partner with Mazda for a flying Dorrito?) but regardless, at least have the ICE optimized for generator only duty (maximum efficiency at the best generator RPM). Top it off with a large enough gas tank to get a minimum of 500 miles battery + gas combined range and you have a winner!
Now offer it in FWD and AWD models. Meet 25′ Maverick capacity / tow at least (4,000 lb tow) as an option on all trims and decent performance (0-60 ! 7 secs) on all as well + NAS charge port and simple model selection with the base model having decent features (cruise, safety nannies) + upscale for quiet cruising without low profile tires and all the lux goodies that manufacturers love to add to the build$ ! + a rougher trail-friendly trim for those that want it.
Oh and since I’m wishing have someone who is NOT colorblind come up with the exterior and interior color schemes (I’m lookin’ at you Ford!).
Done right it could cover most bases without too many variants or options…. An efficient EV for local trips / commuting + a comfortable highway cruiser for anything over 100 miles + a rugged off-roader for outdoors. Plug it in at home and most of the time the gas engine won’t even be used.
We’ve a 25 Maverick Hybrid Lariat on the way. Only thing missing is a plug-in EREV option. The Hybrid gets very good MPG in the city so we’re going to have it replace our Bolt EUV for around town and the highway MPG is decent enough for our road trips.
If they do it right, maybe in a couple of years we’ll trade in the Mav for it.
FWD and AWD? I think RWD and AWD/4WD would be a much easier sell to traditional truck buyers.
I think RWD only for a small pickup isn’t the best for practical use. Want that weight on the driven wheels. Of course if the 100 mile batter is over the rear axle and it’s hefty enough then I guess it’s not a problem if there’s enough weight there. Batteries are getting smaller and lighter every year though so who knows?
Sure RWD is more fun (I’ve had 7 Miatas) but for this application, if the rear axles are under an empty truck bet, I think FWD/AWD is the winning combination.
Agreed for the compact segment. RWD would be fun but FWD/AWD is the combo here I think.
Midsize that is more likely to see actual haul/tow duty, RWD/4WD is the move.
None of my truck driving friends have switched to Mavericks, but most, if asked, would tell you how much they love Chevy LUV trucks, Nissan hardbodys, Isuzu PUPs and old Ford Rangers. FWD/AWD would just be going after the same small slice of pie. BOF would be important too.
As long as it’s efficient and has a decent towing option, body on frame or unibody shouldn’t be an issue. A small truck by its nature won’t tow a lot so unibody should be okay.
Near infinite rebuildability and easier customization goes a long way if you are into working on and modding trucks. I would not buy a unibody truck. Once they start to rot, you are pretty well done. Nice to be able to replace a bed if it takes a smack or gets rusty. Suspension is a lot easier to work on and upgrade/repair.
The Dakota? Flexible architecture will be critical. EREV version, Hurricane 6 version, Hemi SRT (Raptor fighter?) version built with a body on frame design. potentially even with some flexibility in the cab/bed length area. Standard cab/long bed at the entry level for the workforce (the OG Dakota had the ability to haul a 4×8 sheet of plywood flat, IIRC), move upmarket with an extended cab like my old ’97 Dakota 4×4 (perhaps a 3-door layout?), then the full 4 door cab/short bed. If you can keep the wheelbase/frame/overall length consistent across the three layouts, there’s a huge potential cost savings on the architecture and engineering if that can be done.
Now you have me dreaming of a Dakota R/T with a Hemi/Hurrisix 1/2-ton engine like the 2nd gens with the Ram’s 5.9L Magnum. I had a 99′ Dakota 5.2L 4×4 but I stroked out to a 390. Still regret selling it to this day.
For a small to midsize truck, the already existing Brazil market Ram Rampage would be an ideal candidate. It would compete directly with the Maverick and looks just like a mini Ram 1500.
For a larger, mid-sized Taco fighter, they already have the Gladiator platform, which itself already borrows a little from the Ram platform. Just give it IFS for better on-road manners and better high speed off-road handling and a Ram or Durango styled body like how the 2nd gen Dakota was and there you go.
They should do a Dakota Ramcharger EREV. That’s their best chance of capturing major market share. Anything designed just to compete with the Tacoma is unlikely to make waves.
Seriously. Imagine trying to out-Tacoma the Tacoma. That is such an uphill battle that you would need to bring some serious A-game. Stellantis, as we know, does not have an A-game, so though should try a different angle entirely.
The best I can think of is going after the Maverick. That segment has so much potential and also provides for a more competitive MSRP
That new Ram render is hideous. An integrated bed is a bad idea, even Honda ditched that design on the Ridgeline, and that’s just a truck-shaped minivan.
It’s an old render and (almost certainly) isn’t being considered for the new vehicle.
This is a physical concept vehicle from 2006.
Now it makes sense why that front end reminds me of the Dodge Nitro. Remember those?
I really try not to.
Truck shaped minivan would be so dang useful to a father of small children. For example… Me!
Sure it’s useful, but it’s not exactly a “truck”.
The new Ram should be called the A Lama Ding Dong.
A mediocre truck with ballz, flags, and big mirrors. Price it like 3-5k below more compelling offerings from competitors. They’ll sell a bunch.