In an effort to start meeting tight emissions rules, Stellantis will stop stocking some dealerships with ICE equipped vehicles.
In an effort to get a jump on the 2026 CARB requirements, Stellantis will no longer allocate strictly gas-powered (non-hybrid) vehicles to 14 states. For the time being, customers will only be able to get the automaker’s gas-powered cars by directly ordering them. As on now, dealerships in these 14 states will not stock extra ICE vehicles on their lots.
CARB (California Air Resources Board) policies represent the tightest restrictions on emissions in the United States. For many years, CARB requirements have led the way in reducing carbon emissions, and has worked closely with the EPA. Other states that follow CARB guidelines are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Restrictions on PHEVs in non-CARB states
Dealers in non-CARB states are no longer able to receive deliveries of plug-in hybrid models without customer orders. In other words, they can’t stock their lots of PHEV Jeeps and whatnot. Perhaps it has to do with the amount of PHEV and hybrids that CARB states wish to sell. California alone makes up a massive percentage of the car-buying public, based on population alone.
“I think many of us expected when the CARB rules actually kick in in 2026 in a meaningful way that we’d have some allocation challenges. The fact that it’s happening in the middle of 2023 is a bit of a surprise. People are going to go to Reno and Vegas and Phoenix to get ICE Wranglers, if that’s what they want.”
Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association. Via: Automotive News.
Four additional states are poised to conform to CARB requirements in the near future. Other states are negotiating with the DOT and EPA which may lead to a form of compliance, in some form. In terms of Stellantis’ fleet, and how it will change in the upcoming months; there will be notable changes to the availability of Jeeps.
As of now, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee 4xe and upcoming Dodge Hornet RT PHEV will be available. In addition, the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV and Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV will be available as well. There was no mention on pickup trucks yet, but Ram still offers the e-Torque system in their half-ton Ram.
Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.
