Aurelia Butler

About one in six Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 orders each year choose to pay an extra $10,000 for optional stripes, Ford tells Car and Driver.There are $1000 vinyl stripes on the options list, but the more expensive choice is a hand-painted application.The Shelby GT500’s $10K stripes are available in Absolute Black, Kona Blue, and Oxford White.In 2020, when Ford announced that the new Mustang Shelby GT500 would be offered with hand-painted racing stripes that cost an extra $10,000, we questioned how many people would actually buy the pricey option. However, it sounds like the hand-painted stripes are more popular than we imagined. We checked in with a Ford spokesperson, who told us that every year since the start of production, about one in six Shelby GT500s is ordered with the hand-painted stripes.

The 2022 Shelby GT500 carries an MSRP of $78,350, so checking the box for the expensive stripes adds nearly 13 percent to the car’s starting price. They come in three paint colors: Absolute Black, Kona Blue, and Oxford White. For shoppers who crave the striped look but want to save $9000, a set of $1000 vinyl stripes in similar shades is also available.

Ford

We were surprised to learn that approximately 17 percent of people who purchase a GT500 pay for the painted-on stripes. We were also surprised when Ford told us that overall sales of the stripes exceed those of the $10,000 Carbon Fiber Handling package, which included upgrades such as aerodynamic add-ons, adjustable strut top mounts, and 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, though, since the $10K carbon-fiber kit was only offered for one year. Ford says it doesn’t track specific production numbers by packages or models, so we obviously can’t say for sure whether the stripes or the handling package was more popular for the 2021 model year, but it sounds like sales were closer than we’d have expected.

Ford

Every new Ford Mustang–including the GT500–is built at the company’s assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. However, Shelby models optioned with the painted stripes have them applied after the cars leave the assembly line; it’s part of a partnership with Penske. We’ve been told the process involves hand-prepping, painting, and then clear-coating. Initially, that detailed process meant limited availability, but Ford says it has since improved production and has been able to meet customer demand.Considering the $10,000 stripes are surprisingly popular on the GT500, we asked the folks on Ford’s PR team if there are any plans to offer them on more mainstream Mustang models. They declined to comment on future products. After all, it’s hard to imagine a future when someone would pay $10K to paint stripes on a $30,000 to $40,000 pony car. Then again, we’ve clearly been surprised by Mustang shoppers’ appetite for pricey stripes before.
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Ford has debuted a new generation of the Everest, a body-on-frame SUV based on the Ranger pickup.The Everest uses the same series of turbo-diesel engines as the global Ranger, as well as the gas-powered 2.3-liter EcoBoost expected to motivate the U.S.-market Ranger.The interior is very similar to that of its truck sibling, with a massive vertical touchscreen in the center console and a new digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel.The next-generation Ford Ranger, already revealed for global markets, will hit our shores by 2023 and will bring with it a hard-core Raptor variant sporting nearly 400 horsepower, 33-inch all-terrain tires, and Fox shocks. But the U.S. will miss out on the Ranger’s SUV sibling, the Everest, with Ford revealing the next-generation body-on-frame SUV today for the rest of the world.

Ford

Ford

The Everest shares its C-shaped LED headlights and grille with the Ranger but trades the truck’s chunky front bumper for a more refined look. There is, of course, a cabin instead of a bed, as well as longer rear doors for easier access to the backseat. Horizontal taillights are connected by an Everest-branded trim piece. The interior also closely mirrors that of the Ranger, with a vertical 10.1-or 12.0-inch touchscreen in the center console and an 8.0- or 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster behind the wheel. A 360-degree camera linked to the screen helps with parking and traversing rough terrain.

Powering the Everest are a mix of turbo-diesel engines not likely to be offered on the Ranger we will receive in the United States, with a 3.0-liter V-6 positioned above single- and twin-turbocharged versions of a 2.0-liter inline-four. The gas-powered 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder expected to power the U.S.-market Ranger will become available in 2023. A six-speed automatic and 10-speed automatic transmission are available depending on trim and engine. Two four-wheel-drive systems will be offered, and certain markets will also get a rear-wheel-drive Everest. While the United States does already get a Ranger-related off-road SUV in the form of the Bronco, that won’t stop us from daydreaming about tackling dirt roads in the more subtle-looking Everest.
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• Our Bring a Trailer pick of the day is this refurbished and upgraded 1975 Chevrolet K5 Blazer four-speed 4×4. • This model year was the last for the Blazer’s iconic removable roof.• Bidding is open on this 1975 model until Monday, March 7, with current bidding at $20,000. The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer may be a stylish crossover with pleasing road manners for the daily commute, but there’s little of it that resembles its more rugged ancestry. Fortunately, examples of that history remain available. Take for example this 1975 Chevrolet K5 Blazer 4×4, which is open for bidding until March 7 on the Bring a Trailer auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Originally developed as an answer to the Ford Bronco and the International Harvester Scout, the original 1969 Blazer was essentially an SUV version of Chevy’s C- and K-series pickup trucks. The Blazer featured in this listing is from the second generation, which started in 1973 and lasted for nearly two decades. Pre-1976 models, like the one from today’s listing, featured completely removable roofs, giving them an unmistakable look on the road.

Bring a Trailer

According to the listing, this Blazer was a former forestry service truck that has since been repainted in an appropriately ’70s black-and-red motif. The 350-cubic-inch V-8 has the requisite upgrades: new cam, intake manifold, carburetor, and so on. The engine is connected to a four-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer case. Additional off-road improvements include a 4.0-inch lift, locking front hubs, and 33-inch tires. While a five-digit odometer means the true mileage is unknown, the listing says rust repairs were made to the floor and that the frame was sandblasted and repainted. It’s easy to appreciate the attention to detail evident in the badging and painted bowties on the quarter-panels.

Bring a Trailer

One hopes that the success of the new Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport might inspire Chevy to make a spiritual successor to the early Blazer (don’t hold your breath for a new International Scout). If not, there will surely be more examples like this one, which currently has a high bid of $20,000 in an auction set to end on Monday, March 7. If I didn’t already own a 1972 Chevy C10, I’d be tempted to place a bid.

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Stellantis said today that it will bring out the first fully electric Jeep in early 2023.The image shown with the announcement appears to show a vehicle about the size of the Compass, but no name or details were provided. The Jeep EV is only one of 100 planned EV launches from the multi-brand automaker by 2030, including electric muscle cars and family vehicles.At a global press event in Amsterdam, Netherlands, today Stellantis laid out its future business plan, called Dare Forward 2030. Unsurprisingly, it focuses on electrification, mobility, data as a service, reduced carbon footprint, increased customer care, and so on. With regard to new product, Stellantis promises more than 100 launches between now and 2030.

Stellantis

The highlights include Jeep’s first EV, coming in “early 2023.” No word yet on whether that’s a new model or an EV version of an existing Jeep, although the timeline certainly suggests the latter, and based on the image, we’d speculate that vehicle will be the size of the Compass. That new Jeep EV will beat the previously announced Wrangler EV, which is set to arrive in 2024.

Stellantis

The next battery-electric offering will be a Ram ProMaster van in late 2023, followed by a Ram 1500 electric pickup in 2024 (teaser image above). Although the company acknowledges that they are late to the blossoming EV pickup market, CEO Carlos Tavares boasts that the Ram will beat all others—including the Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and even the Tesla Cybertruck—in range, towing, payload, and charging time. That’s quite a claim, and we’ll be watching closely to see if it delivers.

Stellantis

The Wrangler EV also launches in 2024, in addition to “Lifestyle Family SUVs” from Jeep as well as Dodge’s first electric, described as a “Performance Muscle Car.” Chrysler finally joins the party in 2025 with a “Lifestyle Family Car,” which should be based on the Airflow concept unveiled at CES.The goal is to have 50 percent of U.S. sales being EVs by 2030, with that figure being 100 percent in Europe.

Stellantis

In addition to battery-electrics, Stellantis is also planning to delve further into hydrogen-powered vehicles. Last year, the company introduced a hydrogen-powered version of the Peugeot e-Expert and Opel Vivaro-e mid-size vans, and it will expand those offerings to larger models in 2024, with the U.S. getting a hydrogen-powered full-size Ram ProMaster van in 2025. Tier 1 supplier Faurecia is a technology partner on the hydrogen effort, which is likely to be exclusively a fleet offering. The company plans to further expand hydrogen powertrains into heavy-duty trucks.

Stellantis

Interestingly, it appears—from the above slide at least—that Stellantis is operating under a No Brand Left Behind policy. Even Vauxhall and Lancia are included! CEO Carlos Tavares said, however, that no additional Stellantis brands will be coming to the United States, so apparently, Francophiles can forget about seeing DS or Peugeot automobiles here.
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Good news for Chrysler: Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares today said the brand will be “relaunched” with “gorgeous” new models.Tavares was speaking at an event in Amsterdam on Tuesday morning.He also said no additional Stellantis brands are coming to the U.S. market. On that list are Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, and other marques not currently sold here. With just two models in its lineup, one of which is the ancient 300 sedan, the Chrysler brand has been teetering on the brink of extinction for some time. But no longer. At an event outside of Amsterdam today to discuss the future product strategy for the 15-brand Stellantis empire, CEO Carlos Tavares said that “Chrysler is one of the emotional pillars of the former FCA. It’s important for us to give this brand a future and opportunity to rebound,” and that “Chrysler will be relaunched.” He added that the coming Chrysler models “look really gorgeous,” which is something that CEOs always say about future products.We expect one of the first new models to be an electric compact crossover called the Airflow (pictured above) that will compete with the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Volvo XC40 Recharge. More specifics on future entries may be part of the presentation happening later today.The plans for the other faltering U.S. brand, Fiat, which sells only the 500X crossover at the moment, don’t sound as concrete. “We still have to think about how we make the Fiat brand rebound in the U.S.,” Tavares said. “We have a couple of ideas, and we didn’t yet make all of the decisions.”In speaking more broadly about the U.S. brand strategy, Tavares said, “We have the strategic vision to invest in all the American brands,” but added that “I have no intention to bring more brands to the U.S. right now. I think we have enough.” This is a developing story. We will update as more information is available.

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