Posts Tagged ‘jeep news’

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Reborn Jeep Cherokee Takes a Radical Design Turn

Optimistic plans for a well-equipped new ute.

by on Mar.27, 2013

The Jeep Cherokee may revive an old new, but there's nothing old about its distinctive design.

Making its formal debut at the New York Auto Show, the Jeep Cherokee replaces the maker’s old Liberty model – and brings back a nameplate that decades ago helped touch off America’s love affair with sport-utility vehicles.

The name may be retro, though the design is anything but.  The new Jeep Cherokee may maintain the maker’s familiar, 7-slot grille but it has virtually nothing in common with the old, chunky Cherokee, never mind the Liberty.

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The most distinctive design detail is the new ute’s face, with its unusual, creased grilled and split headlamps. The main lamps sit just above the bumper and in contrast to traditional automotive styling, smaller slit daytime running lights frame the hood.

“It could be a bit controversial,” admits Ralph Gilles, the head of design at Chrysler LLC, who is nonetheless convinced buyers will fall in love with the distinctive shape of the new crossover.

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Chrysler Scrambling to Boost Jeep Production, Add New Models

Toledo plant could near 500,000 annually.

by on Mar.21, 2013

Jeep is struggling to meet surging demand for the flagship Grand Cherokee - the 2014 model shown here.

Chrysler is looking to kick up production of Jeep vehicles as it stretches to reach its objective of selling 800,000 Jeeps annually. More than half of those are to come from the SUV brand’s expanded plant in Toledo, Ohio.

The ramp-up of Jeep production is happening significantly faster than outlined in the playback Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne unveiled in late 2009, shortly after the U.S. maker emerged from bankruptcy. But Jeep’s aggressive growth plans can’t soon enough for the Italian side of the company.

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Marchionne told reporters in Italy earlier this week that a lack of Jeeps caused by the work at its factories – and a changeover to new models — will hurt the company’s finances during the first quarter. But he is hoping that the trans-Atlantic alliance can more than recover from that shortfall by year-end.

Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit is still ramping up production of the new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is also being prepared for expanded export as Marchionne pushes to transform Jeep into a truly global brand.

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Jeep Tackling Moab With Six Concept Utes

Concepts like the Trailhawk designed to make easy work of tough trails.

by on Mar.20, 2013

The Jeep Wrangler Slim is one of six new concepts heading to Moab for the annual Easter Safari.

Chrysler is heading into the annual Easter Jeep Safari, about to get underway in Moab, Utah, with a half dozen concept utes intended to show just how far Jeep and the Mopar parts division can stretch the brand for the thousands of enthusiasts drawn to the western wilderness.

The new concept vehicles include the Jeep Wrangler Flattop, which features 37-inch tires and a go-anywhere package, to the curiously named Jeep Wrangler Slim, which the maker says is designed for “affordable, extreme weekend fun.”

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“We go to this extremely popular event in Moab each year to showcase the latest production vehicles from Jeep, as well as a host of new customization and personalization ideas. In doing so, we connect with and receive a tremendous amount of feedback from our most loyal customers,” said Mike Manley, the Jeep brand CEO, during a background session in the wilds of Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

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First Drive: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel

Diesel power to the people.

by on Feb.25, 2013

Jeep makes some unexpectedly significant updatest to the Grand Cherokee for 2014.

It wasn’t all that long ago that the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee landed among the three finalists for North American Truck of the Year. And though the SUV didn’t win the coveted trophy it clearly clicked with potential buyers, helping drive a dramatic increase in sales

So, as the 2014 model-year approaches, it might seem like there’d be little reason to pay much attention when Jeep announced it is updating the Grand Cherokee once again. Three years in, that’s normally the time manufacturers come up with minimal cosmetic and technical changes that the average buyers would barely even notice.

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Not in this case.  While true, Jeep hasn’t gone back to square one, there are some surprisingly significant changes – from the basic electric architecture to the powertrain options, as well as exterior design details — coming for the 2014 model-year that justify a closer look by reviewers and a serious re-think by potential buyers.

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Officials Confirm New Jeep Liberty to Debut in NY

Name may yet change.

by on Feb.19, 2013

The 2014 Jeep Liberty undergoing testing prior to its introduction at the NY Auto Show.

Chrysler Group is planning to show off the new version of the Jeep Liberty at the New York Auto Show, Mike Manley, president and chief executive officer of the Jeep brand has confirmed.

Manley also said Chrysler plans to have the new version of the Liberty on sale by “the end of the second quarter,” following its debut in New York at the end of March.

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Other sources inside Jeep said the final, final call on the name for the upcoming vehicle has yet to be nailed down. There is plenty of speculation Jeep could drop the Liberty name and start fresh. The final call, however, will be made by Manley and other Chrysler executives prior to the unveiling at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center.

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Spy Shots: 2014 Jeep Liberty

Mid-line Jeep returns in more stylish, more flexible trim.

by on Feb.15, 2013

The newly reborn Jeep Liberty makes a camouflaged appearance during street testing.

As Chrysler clearly hinted with the roll-out of its refreshed Jeep Grand Cherokee last month, the maker’s SUV brand will be a busy place in the coming months.

Not only will we see the updated flagship model but replacements for the small Compass and Patriot models. But wait, there’s more, as those commercials on late-night TV like to say.  There’s an even smaller model to be built in Italy and rumor of a reborn Grand Wagoneer.

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But one of this year’s most significant introductions – at least now that Grand Cherokee is out of the way – will be the rebirth of the Jeep Liberty.

As these spy shots illustrate, there are a number of major changes slated within a year for the mid-size Jeep line, which will turn into a sort of junior Grand Cherokee.

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Chrysler Planning Car, Truck, Crossover Blitz

Maker expects to introduce 47 new or refreshed models over next four years.

by on Jan.31, 2013

A US version of the Alfa Romeo 4C will be one of the 47 new products coming from Fiat/Chrysler.

The only domestic automaker to gain market share in 2012, Chrysler is betting it will need a new product blitz to keep its momentum going.

And it has plenty of new cars, trucks and crossovers on the drawing board – 47 all-new or significantly refreshed models coming to market over the next four years, according to CEO Sergio Marchionne, including six from the Italian Alfa Romeo brand which is scheduled to make its return to the U.S. market late in 2013.

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“We are overspending, and we understand this. But we are doing this with a very clear agenda and a very clear intent,” Marchionne said during a conference call with analysts and reporters. “We’ve earned a lot of goodwill by providing a dramatic improvement in the quality of our products and by launching what we have launched. I still think that we need to continue to pound the ground.”

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Jeep Upgrades Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT for 2014

New EcoDiesel will deliver 30 mpg.

by on Jan.14, 2013

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee's towing capacity jumps by 44%, to 7,200 pounds.

Barely three years after delivering a dramatic redesign of its big Grand Cherokee, Jeep is tinkering with success and while the updates for 2014 include a number of new safety and security features, an enhanced infotainment system and a new mileage-boosting 8-speed automatic, perhaps the biggest story for the upcoming model-year will be the addition of an all-new EcoDiesel.

A number of the updates, including the 8-speed gearbox, will be shared with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT performance model which, for the next model-year, will see its rated towing capacity jump by a significant 44%.

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“It’s going to be a big year for product from Jeep,” proclaims the maker’s general manager, Michael Manley.

The updates to the various Grand Cherokee models will coincide with some big revisions to the Jeep Compass and Patriot compact crossovers that also debut at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

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Jeep Compass Gets New Look, New Direction

Jeep Patriot gets a temporary reprieve.

by on Jan.14, 2013

The 2014 Jeep Compass adopts a style more in keeping with "big brother" Grand Cherokee.

A quick search of the web reveals a wide range of opinions about what Jeep has in store for its two smallest models, the Compass and Patriot.  And there’s good reason.  They’re actually two takes on the same platform, one designed to look like a fairly conventional SUV, the other a crossover.

Contrary to some forecasts that the one or both models would vanish or be replaced by the 2014 model-year, it seems they’re due to stick around, at least for now. But the changes being revealed at this year’s North American International Auto Show would suggest that the Jeep Compass is the most likely to remain in the line-up long-term.

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“We knew that Compass and Patriot needed work to take them into the future,” explains the brand’s chief executive Michael Manley.

Both undergo some notable changes for 2014, and they will share a new PowerTech 6-speed automatic gearbox that replaces the previous CVT transmission, and which will help the two compact crossovers achieve an EPA-rated 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

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