This Week in Automotive News

This is the automotive news making headlines for January 1st-10th, 2024.

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On January 10th, Dodge, through its parent company Stellantis North America, announced the beginning of the Last Call series for the 2024 Dodge Durango. These Last Call SUVs will be part of the year-long celebration of the outgoing V8 HEMI.

The first in the Last Call series for the Durango platform will be the 2024 Dodge Durango SRT 392 AlcHEMI. It will have a 6.4-liter V8 producing 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. Additionally, many appearance extras will adorn the vehicle inside and out. Dodge will limit prodution to 1,000 AlcHEMI units. Pricing is expected north of $91,000 (USD).

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Volkswagen Group

reports sales inching closer to pre-pandemic levels. On Tuesday, January 9th, Reuters claimed the carmaker announced the company reached sales of 9.24 million cars for 2023. That is short of the 9.3 million from 2020, but headway after dealing with supply chain and Ukraine war concerns. Volkswagen Group is the umbrella company for many brands including in the USA, Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen. 

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Rolls Royce, on January 8th, presented it’s 2023 review. In it, the builder announced that it had sold more cars than it had ever done before. The manufacturer said it sold 6,032 units globally, all including some sort of bespoke customization The bespoke program permits customers to personalize each element of the cars order, from color, to interior treatments, and many things between.

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The 2024 Ford F-Series Super Duty took home the award for the 2024 North American Truck of the Year. On January 4th, the North American Car, Utility and Truck Awards Committee awarded Ford the laurel for the F-Series Super Duty trucks and Ford was quick to put out a press release announcing the win.  

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Electric vehicle manufacturer, Fisker, Inc, is switching its sales model. As the company has been ramping up its presence it has relied on online sales and exclusively company owned locations. On January 4th, the EV maker announced it is moving to a franchised dealership sales network and will add stores in North America and Europe. Fisker currently has information available for four models on its website. Fisker Inc. is not related to Fisker Automotive, or Karma Automotive.

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Adding to the other stories from January 4th, a spokesperson for RAM confirmed to Motor1com that the Ram 1500 Classic will continue for the 2024 model year. The platform in now 16 years old and will continue to sell alongside its replacement the RAM 1500. Pricing for the long-in-tooth truck is expected to start around $40,000 (USD) before rebates and/or incentives, according to autoblog.com. The website configurator is not live as of this writing.

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On January 2nd, Scout Motors released a video announcing that the newest Scout will be revealed during the Summer of 2024. Scout is a new brand, with a portfolio of EV only products expected to be launched under the Volkswagen Group umbrella. Details are few other than there will be an emphasis on off-road prowess for its SUV or truck products..

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Stay tuned for continuing news roundups.