September 13th Throttle 🏎️💨

What’s up Throttle Heads 😎 Welcome back to another edition.

Hoonigan Files For Bankruptcy Citing $1.2 Billion Debt

Everyone’s favorite car stunt brand founded by the late rally driver Ken Block has sadly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company is attempting to get rid of $1.2 billion worth of debts which is honestly a lot for a company of their size. They are also attempting to raise “up to $570 million in new capital” according to the filings. Hoonigan was the lifestyle brand of Ken Block which was known for its YouTube channel which featured insane drifts and stunts.

The company was acquired by the Private Equity firm Clearlake Capital and merged with Wheel Pros, an aftermarket wheel firm Wheel Pros. The total capital is sitting on a mountain of debt totaling $1.8 billion. The Hoonigan bankruptcy filing is expected to alleviate a significant portion of this. While this is disappointing to hear, the company’s press release calls this move a “strategic transition” which will help “strengthen [the] financial foundation and support long-term growth” in the company. The Hoonigan brand changed forever in 2020 with the passing of its founder Ken Block after a tragic snowmobile accident in Utah. Hoonigan has been an innovator when it comes to sports marketing and if their creativity and vision are in tack, I believe they can come out of this with a renewed revelenace and strength.

Ram 1500 REV and Jump Wagoneer EV Will Be Built In Michigan

Stellantis is gearing up to launch a host of new electric vehicles in the coming months such as the Ram 1500 REV, the Dodge Charger Daytona, and the electric version of the Jeep Wagoneer S. To bring these vehicles to driveways across the country, Stellantis is pouring $406 million into three Michigan factories to produce their shiny new EV lineup.

The Sterling Heights Assembly Plant will become Stellantis’s first American facility to build an electric vehicle when it begins to churn out the Ram 1500 REV at the end of the year. The Warren Truck Assembly Plant will get $97.5 million to build a future electrified version of the Jeep Wagoneer which has yet to be unveiled. Lastly, the Dundee Engine Plant will get $73 million to be retooled to manufacture and produce battery traps for the STLA frame platform for the 1500 EV. The plant will continue to build gasoline including a new turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder for hybrid vehicles.

These upgrades are all part of Stellantis’s “Dare Forward 2030” plan. Under this plan, Stellantis is aiming to exclusively steel electric cars in Europe by 2030 and have 50% of their U.S. lineup be electric vehicles. This plan is great as not only is it highly realistic but it caters to the demands of each market instead of a one-size fits all solution many other automakers have been using. This will put Stellantis on track to have net-zero emissions by 2038.

Dodge Transforms the Hornet Into a 1072-HP Electric Rally Car

Dodge has rallyfied the Hornet and has just pulled the tarp off the Hornet R/T FC1-X electric rally car. Besides having a mouthful of a name which is honestly worse than German cars, this is one dope car. Dodge will run the R/T in the 2024-2025 season of Nitrocross in Group E, the highest class of the series. Besides its name and graphics, the Hornet R/T has almost nothing in common with the production version of the Hornet. Instead of a four-cylinder or a plug-in hybrid, the R/T features an electric powertrain pumping out 1072 horsepower to all four wheels.

The “axial flux motors” enable the car to do 0-60 in 1.4 seconds according to Dodge. With drivers experiencing 2Gs under acceleration, it will certainly push you back into the seat and would be awesome to ride in. Nitrocross started in 2020 and features wheel-to-wheel racing on dirt tracks which honestly seems pretty sick to watch. All of the FC1-X cars are identical with Dodge’s only disquishing features being the graphics and name. With 75% of Nitrocross fans being between the ages of 18-34, it is a prime market for Dodge to sell the production Horney to. Lia Block, Ken Blocks’s daughter is set to get behind the wheel of one of the cars who is an emerging motorsports star. She was signed to the Williams F1 Driver Academy in 2023. Nitrocross will surely gain more recognition and fans as the sport is attracting some big names in motorsports and manufactures like Dodge.

Volkswagon Gives The Toas Better Looks And More Power

Volkswagon has struggled over the past decade in the US as it has often forced European-ness on Americans. Clearly, they know nothing about American history as this has never worked for the nearly 250 years America has existed. Volkswagon boosted the horsepower of the 1.5-liter engine to 174 horses which is a 16-horsepower boost over the previous generation. This enables the Taos to do 0-60 in 7.4 seconds when equipped with front-wheel drive and 7.5 with all-wheel-drive. All-wheel-drive models now get the eight-speed auto front-wheel-drive models have always had. VW has not released fuel economy ratings yet but we can expect it to be similar to previous models. Previously, the front-wheel-drive Taos was rated at 36 mpg and the all-wheel-drive was rated at 32 mpg.

The interior of the Taos now looks like what you expect of a car in 2024 with an 8.0 touchscreen and leatherette panels breaking up the grey interior. The base models include wired Apple Carplay and Android Auto with the upper trim levels getting wireless phone mirroring and some handy features such as satellite ratio. VW touch-sensitive climate interface is now standard which is a bummer as I always prefer physical climate switches. Volkswagon showed off the car with a vibrant Bright Moss Green which is a sick color although I am not sure if I would spec it with it. The 2025 Taos will be on dealer lots later this year and pricing should be announced closer to then.