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Ram 1500 diesel overlander, off-road Jeep Wrangler show present and future of Mopar

Ram and Jeep both have some heavily customized off-roaders for SEMA this year. The Ram is a 2020 1500 Rebel with the diesel engine and an overlanding theme, and the Jeep is a 2020 Wrangler Unlimited with a general off-road theme. Each features loads of Mopar accessories, and, in the case of the Ram, accessories from other companies. They both have a few parts that haven't made it to market yet. 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel View 16 Photos 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel OTG The Ram 1500 has the suffix of OTG, which stands for off-the-grid. It's designed to be an overlanding vehicle perfect for getting you far away from civilization and still have your needs taken care of. As such, the new EcoDiesel with its strong fuel economy and large amounts of torque is a good engine choice, and the Rebel has plenty of rugged style to begin with. That style is augmented by some special concept Mopar parts such as a high-flow grille complete with flow-through Ram block letters, a la the Chevy "Flow Tie," and steel bumper with a retro-fitted Power Wagon winch. Another concept part is the intake snorkel. Dodge also dug into the existing catalog of Ram parts and added the base Tradesman's vinyl flooring for easy interior cleaning, as well as the Tradesman's rear bumper that doesn't have cut-outs for exhaust. The exhaust was then tucked away behind the bumper, giving the truck a better departure angle. Many ready-to-purchase accessories have been added to the Ram 1500 OTG, too. From the Mopar catalog comes off-road lights, rock rails, wheels and bolt-on fender flares. The utility rack, basket and tent all came from Yakima. A roof-mounted solar array along with sliding cooking areas and bed-mounted cooler all come from Dometic. A representative from Dodge also showed how the split tailgate can be used as an easily accesible place to have fold out cooking or table space. 2020-jeep-wrangler-mopar-accessories-01 View 4 Photos 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited While the Ram has parts from all around the aftermarket world, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has been outfitted entirely with Mopar parts. And most of those parts are already available, with two exceptions. On one side of the truck, Jeep is showing off some concept mesh covers for its tube-doors. The idea behind them is that they still allow for plenty of air flow, but help keep shrubbery, mud clods and other things from getting in. They're also simple to install or remove, since the slide on and zip up.

Detroit gets ready to train up workers for coming FCA Jeep job boom

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles this week announced a $4.5 billion investment that would bring 6,500 new manufacturing jobs to Detroit and its suburbs and, nearly two years before the first new vehicles will even roll off the line, the city already is taking steps to ensure it can provide enough workers with the needed skills. Detroit's economy was once dominated by automotive manufacturing, but since the industry's gradual migration from the metro area it has suffered among the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Not long ago, Detroit was struggling to provide basic services, culminating in bankruptcy in 2013. Providing job training then would have been a tall order. But in its recovery, the city has overhauled its training programs and slowly built a track record for preparing people for specific jobs. "We're not starting from scratch," Jeff Donofrio, the city's executive director of workforce development, said Wednesday, a day after the Italian-American automaker announced its plan . "We want to make sure we're prepared for all the ... jobs that will come to the city as a result of the investments." The city works with two high schools, a community college and a workforce development organization, in partnerships with the auto union and companies, to tailor training programs for positions in manufacturing, construction, information technology and health care. Detroit worked closely with global auto parts supplier Flex-N-Gate to ensure Detroiters were handed jobs when the company last year opened a plant in what officials described as the largest investment in the city in two decades. The city and company developed customized training with the nonprofit Focus: Hope, which prioritizes workforce development and education. "About 250 individuals went through that training and a vast majority were hired by Flex-N-Gate," Donofrio said. With tax breaks and land acquisitions still to be hammered out, Fiat Chrysler's specific workforce needs have yet to be revealed. But Donofrio insists that the city has a growing force of eligible workers: Detroit last year enrolled about 2,500 people in training leading to a credential for a specific job, up from about 700 two years earlier. Some prospective FCA jobs could be offered to laid-off Fiat Chrysler workers or those already working for the company on a temporary basis, and United Auto Workers officials say many of them are already in Detroit.

2018 Jeep Wrangler interior revealed with retro touches and bright colors

Easily one of the weakest points of the current Jeep Wrangler (and most past ones for that matter) is the bleak, black plastic interior. Now, thanks to a pair of images from Jeep we get our first unobscured look at the new Wrangler's interior. And thanks to some retro cues, it's a much brighter and more cheerful place. As expected from spy photos, the dashboard's main design features are simple, flat body-color panels positioned in front of the driver and passenger. They harken back to the painted metal dashboards of vintage Jeeps, and at the same time bring a splash of color and contrast to what would otherwise be a plain, average interior. In fact, it's the same strategy used by both the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Beetle. There's more metal-finish trim around the switches that advance the bright look, too. The whole dash is flatter, with things like the grab handle mounted flusher. Everything has a more geometric, crisp shape, with each bank of buttons featuring beveled borders. At the top of the dash is a big touch screen for infotainment. It's possible lower-trim levels will have head units with smaller screens and some more buttons, but at least on this model, it's all about the touchscreen. There are volume and tuning knobs lower, though. This is also where the various climate controls are found. The instrument panel gets a sharp-looking center screen, too, and the analog dials have been reduced from four large units down to two on either side of the screen. Below the climate controls are the window switches, power outlet and media inputs. At the very bottom we find switches for off-road features, indicating that this is probably a Rubicon model. A switch to the left surrounded by red accenting controls the front and rear differential locks, and in the middle is a button for disconnecting the anti-roll bars for greater articulation. On the right are four generic buttons that seem like the auxiliary toggles in the F-150 Raptor, so they should be able to connect to lights, a winch, and other aftermarket accessories. Jeep still hasn't revealed any other details on specifications or pricing. That information will be released on November 29 during the Wrangler's official reveal at the L.A. auto show. We expect it to only offer a V6 at launch with either a manual transmission (shown in the images) or an automatic, with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine coming later. Related Video: