Car FYI

Photo Credit: Car FYI Canada/Chris Nagy For several decades, automobiles have been introducing motorists to a trendy alternative to the familiar key. Originally allowing for the remote locking and unlocking of doors as well as opening a trunk, the key fob would eventually permit starting of an ignition. The technology of the modern key fob has even evolved beyond its initial buttons with many new vehicles greeting the driver by unlocking and starting simply by an approach.  Unfairly, with the emergence of new technology, there always seems to be those looking to nefariously exploit it. As the role of the physical key is being usurped by the key fob, a new avenue of car theft has the ability to bypass the long-operating defense of a vehicle. Thieves have been able to use electronic devices to acquire or spoof the radio signal of an automobile’s key fob and proceed to steal a vehicle in a relatively clean manner compared to previous methods of car theft. This type of auto theft ha...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy A little less than a month ago, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) held a Capital Markets Day function discussing plans across their entire fleet of brands. Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo, FIAT and Maserati all received mention through the presentation by FCA Chief Executive Officer detailing the company’s plans over a five-year time line. Expanded model lineups, electrification and an expanding autonomous driving partnership with Waymo were subjects being highlighted in the major announcement to investors and financial analysts. Receiving notably less attention through the FCA Capital Markets Day were two classic American brands. While Chrysler’s Pacifica were connected to the Waymo announcement but received little additional mention in regards to product plans for the brand as a whole. As for the Dodge brand, the entire presentation went with little acknowledgement leading to questions on the brand’s future relevance. Since 1914, the marque existed as the legacy...

Last year, the Mopar world was awakened by Dodge's new super high performance SRT Hellcat line of vehicles elevating the cause of muscle cars to near ridiculous level. A supercharged HEMI V-8 powerplant pumping out 707 horsepower and over 200-mile per hour speed potential were the numbers expected from a race car, not the most powerful production vehicle built under the Dodge brand. First appearing in the form of the two-door Challenger, the SRT Hellcat treatment was performed to the Dodge Charger sedan later last year. Now that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat has reached dealerships, the vehicle has moved quickly into the hands of buyers. Late February, FCA US (Dodge's parent company) learned of some of their dealers have been engaging in poor conduct in selling SRT Hellcat models that would not be available for months or perhaps n...