This is the automotive news making headlines for January 17th-24th, 2024
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The cheapest Tesla yet?
Tesla has told suppliers to gear up for another vehicle. According to a report, dated January 24th, multiple sources indicated to Reuters that the EV Manufacturer is aiming to start the process of bringing a small EV to market with production intent slated for 2025. That vehicle could possibly be a compact crossover. No official confirmation from the manufacturer has been made. Yet, a small Tesla model has been floated by Elon Musk (CEO) as far back as 2020. Will this be the sub-$25,000 vehicle he’s alluded to? Too soon to tell.
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The electric Jeep Wagoneer is coming
Jeep dropped a teaser of the Wagoneer S model, an all-new all-electric vehicle that’s being added to their product portfolio. On their Instagram account, a January 19th post, found here, showed… well, not much of the new offering. A few days later, however, leaked photos reportedly from the Jeep website, showed the all-wheel-drive SUV in more detail. The detailed pics were taken down quickly from the official account. However, our automotive colleagues at MotorTrend found some of the images, and posted them January 23rd.
The new Wagoneer S is expected to slot in between the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and is speculated to become available near the end of 2024. Jeep is targeting 400 miles of range and 600-horsepower for the new ride. Timing for 0-60 mph is expected in the 3 second range.
The SUV is part of an onslaught of 8 new or revised models that will become available under the Stellantis umbrella between now and 2026. Stellantis houses Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, in the United States among others.
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An electric Ford Raptor?
The Ford F-150 Raptor name is synonymous with serious offroading chops. But, it’s an internal combustion engined vehicle. So, ever wondered what an electric truck from Ford would look like if it was dialed up to the offroad Raptorish beast mode? For has.
On January 18th, the F-150 Lightning Switchgear was introduced by Jim Farley (Ford’s CEO) at a Ford Performance 2024 Kickoff event in North Carolina. In appearance, the truck that RTR Vehicles and Ford Performance teamed up to produce, looks like it drank from the well of Raptor offroad nutrition. Meaning, it has 37-inch tires, Fox shocks, a custom suspension, and custom carbon fiber components and panels. All this rounds out a very muscular truck. As nice as it looks, it will not become available to the general public.
So what’s the point? Think of the Switchgear as a concept vehicle to show what Ford can do with the Lightning platform. The hope is to continue to inspire customers and vendors in one of the many ways electric vehicles can be customized for fun. If, however, the Switchgear eventually gets green lit for production, the vehicle will likely be more toned down for passenger roadworthiness as well as offroading.
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Stellantis ending V8 availability
Stellantis is slowly eliminating V8 availability from its brands. For example: The Dodge Challenger, Charger, and Chrysler 300 have had their last V8 versions offered. Now, the another vehicle under the Stellantis umbrella is hearing the V8 bells tolling for it. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, with the 470 horsepower 6.4-liter HEMI V8, will be sent away.
Reports hit the internet on January 17th stating that dealers were actively receiving notices of the 2024 Final Edition. Trying to get ahead of the internet speculation, Jeep has since seemingly confirmed the Final Edition with this post from their Instagram account, dated January 22nd.
It is expected that allocations for dealers may be scarce with pricing not available as of yet. But, considering the base 2024 Wrangler Rubicon 392 begins just over $90,000 (USD), expect the Final Edition pricing to be near or at six figures.
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Stay tuned for continuing automotive news roundups.
