Car FYI

Photo Credit: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Celebrating 75 years as a brand in 2020, Jeep has always emphasized versatility in conventional and unconventional means. Though the four-wheel drive and impressive off-road capabilities initially defined Jeep’s identity, there was a long-running marketing push by the marque to present their vehicles as an upscale product that can reach peaks few sedans would reach. Starting in the late 1990s, a growing driving consumer base entered the domain of the Jeep brand.   First appearing in the 1963 model year, the Jeep Wagoneer was a longtime entrant in the sport utility vehicle category as a modern, premium product for its time. Sculpted by highly influential industrial designer Brooks Stevens, the original Jeep Wagoneer presented features attracting urban and suburban dwellers as much as drivers requiring a durable four-wheel drive vehicle. The SJ platform version of the Wagoneer endured the Jeep brand’s ownership by Kaiser Motors, American M...

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...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy Car collectors enjoy no only the thrill of owning a vehicle but the culture surrounding the popular brands that have driven our passions and emotions. When collecting Ferrari, the love can be enjoyed with the possession of a multimillion dollar classic like a highly rare 250 GTO or something as little as a one dollar die-cast car. Ferrari aficionados also take pleasure the in full range of merchandise surrounding the ‘Prancing Horse’ brand. Hats, jackets, sunglasses, watches and picture frames are just a few officially licensed items offered to collectors of the Ferrari brand. Ferrari is one of the most coveted brands when it comes to merchandising. Now, for the latest collectible item, why not own a piece of the company ambitious founded by the legendary motorsport figure Enzo Ferrari? Selling 10 percent of the Ferrari company in an IPO (Initial Public Offering) release on the New York Stock Exchange, the first shares will be offered at $52 a share s...

Photo Credit: FCA US Becoming the most famous six-cylinder engine design created for Chrysler/FCA products since the Slant-6 that was produced for most than 40 years, the 3.6-liter displacement size Pentastar V-6 gained favour for being powerful, fuel efficient and universal in a single package. Topping out at 305-horsepower with the Dodge Challenger, the evolved engine allows the coupe to achieve 30 miles per gallon highway fuel economy (7.8 liters per 100-kilometer range by Canadian fuel economy measurements). For 2015, almost every vehicle of the Chrysler, Dodge and Ram division offer the modern six-cylinder powerplant. Offered as the base engine in the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan, even the Ram pickup truck and ProMaster work van make use of the power source. For 2016, the Pentastar V-6 has undergone a significant reworking that should be immediately noticed by buyers of FCA vehicles . Introduced by Chrysler for the 2011 model year, the Pe...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy When connecting with Canadian motorists, we certainly love our pickup trucks. In the case of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the full-sized Ram pickup trucks sold under the Ram brand is, by almost every definition, the workhorse for the auto company. The half-ton version Ram 1500 pickup truck possesses powerful towing and hauling capacity from innovative yet potent engines such as the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, 5.7-liter Hemi V8 as well as the recently-added EcoDiesel V6 engine. Important to the Canadian arm of FCA, the vehicle is a high-selling product. In the first five months of 2015, the Ram pickup line accounted for 37,572 in sales dwarfing the Jeep Cherokee as well as the Chrysler 200 Sedan. With the success of the EcoDiesel V6 engine last year, the Ram brand has gained encouragement to expand into deeper niches with their full-sized truck line-up. During the 2015 auto show season, the world was introduced to the Ram 1500 Rebel off-road warrior 4x...

Photo Credit: FCA Flickr/ Sony Computer Entertainment Approaching the summer time in the northern hemisphere, it is approaching the period (a frightening short one in Canada) where automotive enthusiasts can delight in the perfect weather for outdoor auto shows and other events. The sunny, warm days serve as the invitation for rolling eye candy to stroll out of garages. While summer provides a much more inviting time of year than winter, there is the inevitable days of rain or excessive heat. Perhaps a video game took help pass the time? For Sony Playstation 3 gamers plugging in Gran Turismo 6, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has prepared a little something extra to bring sunshine to cloudy summer days. First mentioned last week,  SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo  is now fully unveiled by FCA and Sony Computer Entertainment. A super sleek supercar, the SRT Tomahawk is the latest vehicle motivated by virtual world o...

Through video gaming, car enthusiasts have entered an era where our automotive indulgence is achieved without being in physical connection with the actual vehicle. The realistic appearance of video game automobiles and careful emphasis on mimicking real world performance in the virtual world. Recently, popular racing game franchises provided users the opportunity to pilot new cars such as the 2015 Ford Mustang , Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the BMW M4 even before they appeared in dealerships. While video games had often coveted presenting real, licensed vehicles in their pixelated experiences, developers' cooperation with the auto companies has transitioned. Instead of real world automobiles from popular auto makes being installed into video games, the gamer world has provided a new environment for providing life to concept cars. Since 2013, the Gran Turismo 6 game for the Sony Playstation 3 has opened the door to the designers of severa...

Photo Credit: General Motors 2014 is coming to a close providing what has been a year's worth of memories. As a follower of automotive culture, I have been highs and lows shaping what has been the past 12 months. The auto sector for 2014 consisted of exciting new designs, evolutions in technology and visions of a thrilling future. Conversely, some high-profile fails have also left a negative impression. With the conclusion of 2014, I want to some automotive-related highlights for this year. The following is Car FYI's first grouping of Most Spectacular Vehicle Launch of 2014: (Tie) 2015 Ford Mustang and 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata For 2014, despite all the movements in the realm of electric-powered driving and autonomous driving technology, the human driver has been rewarded handsomely. A new crop of gasoline-fuelled sports cars and high-performance vehicles has explored new heights in design as well as horsepower. Arriving ahead of the Ford Must...

Some believe that companies are living entities similar to other creatures on this planet. Certainly businesses can be fostered into valuable members of human society when properly encouraged. Like individuals, companies are also required to pay taxes in a fair civilization (although many elect to declare their residence in a civilization that results in the smallest tax bill). Businesses can even be adored to an extent as brands and products can assemble a strong following. The automotive sector contains some of the deepest connections where people have grown all attached to a product name. The Chevrolet Corvette is envied for being a sports car embodying American performance while the Jeep Wrangler epitomizes classic utility. Even the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic enjoy a fondness among North American motorists as trusted transportation. These types of associations are highly valued to the point even a minor change has the potential of completely ostracizing audi...