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Dodge, Jeep and Ram could soon be owned by Chinese automakers

For the past several years, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has made it widely known that the automaker he helms is up for grabs. First, he sent an email to GM CEO Mary Barra, who immediately refused to even discuss a merger. Later, Marchionne set his sights on Volkswagen. That too was swiftly rebuffed. It seemed like no global automaker was remotely interested in a partnership. Now, Automotive News reports that several Chinese automakers have come calling, only FCA isn't ready to answer. At least not yet. The news broke this morning that a major Chinese automaker had made an offer to purchase FCA for slightly above market value. FCA refused, saying the offer wasn't quite generous enough. It's unclear which automaker made the offer, but Automotive News says there's more than one interested party. FCA representatives have recently traveled to China to meet with Great Wall Motors, while Chinese representatives were seen at FCA corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Chinese government has a lot of money invested in local automakers. It's putting pressure on these automakers to expand globally, including to the United States. As it stands, it's a matter of when a Chinese automaker will start selling cars here, not if. Purchasing an established automaker with a wide range of products and a huge dealer network would do wonders in giving the Chinese a foothold here. Sure, Geely owns Volvo, but a luxury automaker doesn't have nearly as much reach as a more mainstream company like FCA. This seems like the best case scenario for both a Chinese automaker looking to move into the U.S. and for FCA, at least from a business standpoint. The latter doesn't seem to have any other interested parties. It will be interesting to see how FCA would sell a deal like this to the public. We're not sure everyone will be happy with Dodge, Jeep and Ram falling under Chinese ownership. FCA didn't turn down the Chinese because they didn't like the idea. It turned down the offer because there wasn't enough money on the table. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Earnings/Financials Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM

NHTSA upgrading Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango headliner fire probe

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into headliner fires experienced by a small number of Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango owners has been upgraded to an engineering analysis, the step before the initiation of a recall. In August last year the investigation began with 146,000 Grand Cherokees from 2012 after three complaints were received, but a report on Edmunds says it has been expanded to include 593,299 vehicles covering the 2011-2013 model years for the Jeep and the Dodge Durango, which uses the same headliner assembly, because of possibly 52 incidents of fire.
In some of those incidents drivers have reported a burning odor, smoke or open flames that were contained to the headliner or migrated to another area of the passenger compartment. The culprit has apparently been found: NHTSA blaming an electrical short in the sun visor vanity light wiring, which is routed under the headliner and held in place by three screws. Chrysler began its own probe into the issue when it was first reported and is still looking into the situation while, "fully supporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation."

Jeep bringing two special-edition Renegades to the LA Auto Show

Few manufacturers do limited edition runs like Jeep, which has released everything from a 75th Anniversary Edition Wrangler to a Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Renegade. The automaker is revealing two new versions of the Renegade next week at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show: a 2017 Jeep Renegade Deserthawk and a 2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude. The off-road ready Deserthawk starts at $28,140 and builds on the bones of the already capable Renegade Trailhawk. The extra $1,495 nets you an exclusive Mojave Sand paint option, hood, and rear panel decals. It also comes equipped with rock rails and the towing package. Inside, the Deserthawk comes with black leather seats, Light Frost stitching and accents, all-weather floor mats, and a cargo tray mat. As it's based on the Trailhawk, the Deserthawk comes with four-wheel drive, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Renegade Altitude, like the other Jeep Altitude models, essentially means black on black on black. It comes with 18-inch gloss black wheels with gloss black accents on the front and rear badges, grille rings and tail lamp rings. The black theme continues inside with black cloth seats and black gloss trim. The Altitude also features what Jeep calls Metal Diamond door handles and shift knob. Standard features include a backup camera and a keyless ignition. All that black gloss will set you back at least $22,390. Look for the Renegade pair to arrive in dealers soon. The Altitude will be available later in November while the Deserthawk hits showrooms in January. Related Video: LA Auto Show Jeep Crossover Off-Road Vehicles jeep renegade