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he budding romance between Honda and Nissan may have already come to an end. On Thursday, Nissan president Makoto Uchida informed his counterpart, Honda president Toshihiro Mibe, that he was pulling out of merger talks, according to several media reports. A withdrawal ends months of behind-the-scenes conversations between the two Japanese carmakers. The two auto giants, along with fellow carmaker Mitsubishi Motors, announced in late December that they would explore a merger, possibly creating the world’s third-largest automaker. Honda, No. 57 on the most recent Fortune Global 500 ranking, reported $141.3 billion in revenue for 2023; Nissan, at No. 136,...

Illinois had some rare, good news yesterday.Stellantis, the Big 3 auto maker, announced it will be investing $1.2 billion in its Belvidere assembly plant and bringing back about 1,500 jobs there.You’ll never know who really got it done if you listen to Illinois’ leadership.It was a “dramatic turnabout,” as the Detroit Free Press put it.As you may remember, Gov. JB Pritzker announced to much fanfare in October 2023 that the Stellantis facility in Belvidere, idled with layoffs just before the previous Christmas, would be reopened. But no deal was ever signed and, last year, Stellantis indefinitely postponed any Belividere expansion,...

Donald Trump has been president for three days and one of the big automakers, Stellantis, is already announcing the reopening of a plant in Illinois which will make new Durango trucks in Detroit. This is not a coincidence. This is what happens when the United States has a leader who cares about American jobs and building products in America. This is also a reminder of why so many American union members backed Trump in the 2024 election, even though union leaders backed Kamala Harris. Do you think this plant would be reopening if Harris had won? Yahoo Finance reports: Stellantis...

The three largest American automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, are, according to a recent New York Times report, planning a coordinated lobbying push to convince President-elect Donald Trump to maintain a suite of climate rules forcing electric vehicle purchases. The Thursday report—titled "Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles"—cites unnamed "lobbyists and officials from several car companies" who say manufacturers want Trump to keep the Biden administration's tailpipe emissions regulations, fuel economy standards, and generous tax credits for electric vehicle purchases. But at least one of the referenced automakers, the multinational automaker Stellantis, is pushing back...

Executives at Ford Motor Company, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis are begging President-elect Donald Trump to keep in place President Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates. The plea comes as automakers have invested billions in EVs that have failed to turn a profit. In March of this year, Biden issued a federal regulation to begin phasing out gas-powered cars, requiring American automakers to produce EVs and ensure that by 2032, the majority of new cars sold in the U.S. market are electric. Since then, Ford, GM, and Stellantis have staked their futures on EVs. The results have been bleak as...

Jeep maker Stellantis — one of the Big Three automakers — is set to lay off around 2,450 workers later this year at a discontinued Ram 1500 Classic factory outside of Detroit. “With the introduction of the new Ram 1500, production of the Ram 1500 Classic at the Warren (Michigan) Truck Assembly Plant will come to an end later this year,” a Stellantis spokesperson wrote to The Hill. “As a result, Stellantis announced today that the plant will move from a two-shift to a one-shift operating pattern in General Assembly.” The company confirmed that layoffs could begin as early as...

Multinational automaker Stellantis is temporarily laying off about 1,600 auto workers at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant outside Detroit, Michigan, as executives cut production. Stellantis executives announced the temporary layoffs as they cut production at the Warren plant from two daily shifts down to just one for this month. Though sales of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have increased, executives said the temporary layoffs are meant “to align production with sales. Auto workers at the Warren plant also produce the Ram 1500 Classic pickup truck.

DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Automaker Stellantis is recalling more than 211,000 SUVs and pickup trucks due to a software issue with the braking systems. The recall affects 2022 models of the Dodge Durango and Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks. The Ram 2500 is the model with by far the most vehicles impacted. Nearly 158,000 of the 2500 pickups will be recalled, while just over 500 Ram 3500s are affected. Around 53,000 Durangos will be recalled. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, many of these vehicles have a problem with the anti-lock braking control module, which could potentially...

Car manufacturers are slowing their transition to producing electric vehicles (EVs), because of low customer demand and production problems. Mercedes-Benz announced to investors in March of this year that it is going back on its pledge to sell only fully electric cars by 2030. Instead, investors were told that the company plans to continue to make gasoline-powered cars well into the next decade. Fully electric cars and hybrids will account for only up to half of its sales by 2030. It appears that carmakers are suffering after committing wholeheartedly to the ideological fad of EVs, rather than introducing them as...

Multinational automaker Stellantis is making a big hiring push for low-wage engineers in Brazil, India, Mexico, and Morocco after laying off 400 Americans in its engineering, software, and technology departments in March. On March 22, Stellantis executives announced that 400 salaried engineering and software employees in Auburn Hills, Michigan, would be laid off to cut costs. An industry insider told Automotive News that Stellantis is making gradual layoffs in the United States to avoid WARN Act disclosures. Following layoffs of its American employees, Stellantis executives are looking to hire engineers for a fraction of the cost by hiring in Brazil,...

Stellantis continues trimming its workforce as it focuses on electric vehicle production in the US Stellantis, the parent company of several auto brands, including Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, confirmed on Friday that it will be laying off hundreds more U.S. workers as it continues to trim its workforce amid its transition to electric vehicle production. The Wall Street Journal reported that the automaker had instructed several white collar employees working in software, engineering and technology to work from home on Friday morning, and then held meetings where the workers were informed that they were losing their jobs. Around 400 people...

The gas-powered Dodge Charger isn't dead yet. While the V-8 may be gone, Dodge will continue to offer the Charger will an internal combustion engine alongside the two new electric variants revealed today. At the top of the internal combustion food chain sits the Dodge Charger Sixpack H.O. It's powered by Stellantis's 3.0-liter twin-turbo Hurricane straight-six engine, rated at 550 horsepower. There's also a Sixpack S.O. version rated at 420 horsepower. "The Hurricane engine-powered Dodge Charger Sixpack models will give the Brotherhood of Muscle a gas option that produces better horsepower and torque numbers than the outgoing 5.7 and 6.4-liter...

Stellantis is offering to buy out thousands of its American white-collar employees as a result of the company’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) — a move spurred by tax credits from President Joe Biden’s administration. Executives with Stellantis — which owns Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, and others — announced a buyout plan in which 6,400 of its 12,700 non-union American white-collar employees would be offered a “voluntary separation package.”

The United Auto Workers union sent 6,800 Stellantis employees to the picket line Monday morning in a surprise, targeted strike at the company’s Ram truck facility. The Sterling Heights Assembly Plant is Stellantis’ “largest plant and biggest moneymaker,” UAW said in a statement Monday. The plant, about a half-hour north of Detroit, in Sterling Heights, Michigan, produces the Ram 1500 pickup. The union said the company, which makes vehicles under the Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Chrysler brands, has “the worst proposal on the table” in its negotiations on pay, converting temporary workers to full time and cost-of-living adjustments. “Despite having...

The United Auto Workers strike against the 'Big Three' Detroit carmakers entered its second day on Saturday, and some union members are questioning whether President Joe Biden has done enough to back their cause. The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than a tenth of the union's total membership, but UAW's strike fund has enough cash to support a full 150,000-member walkout for up to three months. The union representing workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis is seeking a 40 percent raise for its workers. The walkout is limited for now to three assembly plants: a GM factory...

The brother of President Joe Biden’s top adviser is a lobbyist for General Motors (GM), complicating matters for the White House as the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against record inflation and the administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandates. Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of Steve Ricchetti, who currently serves as Counselor to the President in the Biden administration, has a well-documented history of lobbying for GM. Steve Ricchetti was also once a lobbyist for GM. Most recently, Politico buried in a report regarding Biden’s ties to GM CEO Mary Barra how the White House has many close ties to the automaker....

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden visited members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) who are striking against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis. The president, though, failed to make mention his Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates which are partly responsible for the strike. Tens of thousands of auto workers are striking against the Big Three across the United States, looking to secure a new labor contract that includes wage increases to keep up with Biden’s record inflation and commitments that their jobs will not be eliminated by Biden’s green energy agenda which includes EV mandates. During his visit with UAW members...

The United Auto Workers (UAW) will expand its strike Friday afternoon, with employees walking off the job at General Motors and Stellantis parts distribution facilities, union President Shawn Fain announced. Fain, in livestreamed remarks, said workers have made progress in negotiations with Ford since a targeted strike began at the Big Three auto companies last week. “At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story,” Fain said. The union is expanding the strike Friday to include Stellantis and GM facilities at 38 locations across 28 states, he said. “We will shut down parts distribution until those two companies come to their...

An electrical short in the powered liftgate module could cause a fire, leading to this latest recall. Jeep is advising owners of the 2014-2016 Cherokee to park outside due to a fire risk associated with the powered liftgate. The automaker is recalling 132,099 vehicles in the US to fix the issue. The affected vehicles were built with a powered liftgate module in a spot vulnerable to water intrusion. This could lead to a possible electrical short that could cause a vehicle fire, which can happen whether the vehicle’s ignition is on or off. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety...

Stellantis is closing its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, in February 2023. The Illinois plant employs about 1,350 workers, who are expected to be laid off. Stellantis cited the rising costs of electric vehicle production for the closure. The company said the replacement of the Jeep Cherokee SUV, along with other vehicles on a new electrified platform, will be produced in Toluca, Mexico. Stellantis has said it will invest over $31.6 billion through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. It also has said it expects EVs to make up 100 percent of its sales in Europe and 50 percent in...