Miradart

Call me a pessimist, but I think this is bad. This will give the combined company an excuse to kill the Dodge and Chrysler brand. Both of these brands have been living on a near-starvation diet for a decade. And they wonder why they have a shrinking list of buyers...... SMH. It has been a disgraceful way to treat the brands that wear the names of the founders, and of the PROFITABLE end of the company. It's all a hot mess with poo sauce.

You could be right. But think back to 10 or maybe 15 years ago. What did our mobile phones look like, and what could we do with them? Granted, the buy-in is substantially different. But between a 6 minute recharge on the horizon, and EV charging stations now popping up all over, I could expect the transition to come quite quickly, once it really gets going. Even in Canada, PetroCanada is just now advertising that they have a coast-to-coast EV charging now available along the Trans Canada Highway. That's 4800 miles. So, It's safe to say that things are picking up speed. At the end of the day, there are many of the old barriers to EV ownership that are falling to the wayside. I guess time will tell when the 'real' jump comes. 'Granny, and uncle Ned' may never change, but I don't think that is a surprise to anyone. Older folks often aren't willing to jump on new things, no matter how much better it might be. But I don't think that that is where the market shift will happen anyways. It will be to middle age, and younger buyers. Once a useful EV truck, or SUV comes along, I could see things changing very quickly. We may have ICE for the 'foreseeable' future, but that largely depends on how far down the road 'foreseeable' describes. All I know is that I can see its end from where I stand. But as the old car ads used to say, "Mileage may vary"

This isn't as shocking as some may think. For anyone who follows the recent advancement in EV's, batteries, and solar PV power, the writing is on the wall for the death of the ICE. About half a decade ago, I'd have balked at that statement, but things can change in 5 years. Especially the past 5 years. Sure, there will still be ICE engines sold 5 or 10 years from now. But those will be holdout projects, sold to people where the infrastructure, OR corporate interference in has made a changeover implausible.

Unless they extend it, which they've done before. Who knows? The recession might hit, and a low cost van might be the only thing that does sell! haha!

I guess if they can have a new Pacifica (nee Town and Country) and still sell the old Caravan, I guess anything is possible. Milk that last drop out of old development costs!

Not wanting to nitpick, but: "Also going away will be the standard cab variants of the Titan and Titan XD, leaving just the standard cab and quad cab in the lineup." Is the standard cab in or out? Did you mean Single cab? And what is their 'standard' cab configuration? I'm so confoozed! Sad to see their Cummins engine go though. I thought that was the one thing that could help them break out in the market. Now, they're just another truck company with an oversized payload capacity for what people actually use, and a thirsty gas engine to move it. As FCA already has their own in-house diesel for the Ram and Jeep, I can't see them doing anything with this Cummins.

If the Durango is retired and replaced with a "Jeep" vehicle, it is more proof that FCA's plan all along was to take Dodge out behind the woodshed, and kill it dead. Given their completely nonexistent attempts at broadening Chryslers's model range, that has surely been the plan for Chrysler brand too. Just like Daimler Chrysler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is pronounced with the "Chrysler" part silent.

Arrogance leads to lessons hard learned. I mean, it's not like efficient car assembly is a 'new' thing. We've only been at it for 110 years

Wait...... You mean that Tesla isn't fond of the 'right' way to do things? Go figger!! I mean, who would have ever seen this coming! Haha!!

It seems odd that they'd be going after Winterkorn on this. I get that they have these powerpoint presentations that they claim he was shown, but he was late to the party. I would think the guy that was at the helm when it was first conceived would be the guy they'd go after. I wonder where the inditement of Ferdinand Piech is.

Given who is running the EPA right now, and his most recent announcement, I expect the 2018 EcoDiesels will be approved once FCA adds the ability for it to burn coal. Haha!!

I haven't heard about it, but does anyone know if the bonuses that went out to those who were in charge when the fraud was being developed, is being asked for back? You'd think they would at least ask.

I do kind of snicker when I read the BMW 7 series is on this list. I've heard from many sources that the last thing you want in life, is a higher end BMW, that is out of warranty! This appears to be especially true of the 7 series. Quirky is a kind word for it.