Cj7, Rust Free, New Red Hot Custom Paint, New Interior, Automatic, 304 V8, Fast on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jeep Gladiator was designed as an outdoor lifestyle tour de force

LOS ANGELES — It's been more than 30 years since the last Jeep Wrangler-based pickup went out of production. And it's been more than a dozen years since a modern Jeep Wrangler-based pickup concept first taunted us with its chunky bed-shaped behind. But today, America's signature off-road brand has finally unveiled the production version of a Jeep Wrangler-based pickup. And it looks, rather predictably, like a four-door Jeep Wrangler with an open box in the back. (From some angles, it also looks like a Jeep that is towing itself.) "There were some key drivers that the designers had to work around," says Timothy Kuniskis, head of Jeep North America. "We wanted to not just go after Wrangler buyers, but after truck buyers. So this vehicle had to have four doors, four real doors. But the big thing was the bed. We know our consumer, the one who will be interested in this truck, and for them, it had to be the width of an ATV and the depth of two dirt bikes, so that dictated the size of the bed." This new trucklet is called the Gladiator, which is a departure from the name of the previous Wrangler-based pickup, the Scrambler. The Gladiator name does have Jeep heritage, having been the moniker of the full-size truck the brand sold from the mid-1960s to the early '70s. Since nomenclature is key in defining product and perception, we would be remiss if we did not note the key semantic differences between the names. A Scrambler is a go-getter (or resolutely confusing.) A Scrambler is nimble and scrappy. A Gladiator, on the other hand, is about vanquishing and conquest, and is typically gigantic. A Gladiator is domineering. Having only seen the photos, it was difficult to tell how big this thing is. Luckily, we've now seen it in person, and it is indeed big, but not huge. "It's a midsize pickup, a segment that is exploding now. Tacoma is and has been the dominant player in the category, but with GM coming back in and the Ranger joining soon, and now us, we're going to see this category get to 500,000 units a year very soon," says Kuniskis. "Everything that psychologically drives a consumer to a Wrangler, there's a sub-segment of those buyers whose needs push them toward a pickup. These aren't people who are going to fill the bed with mulch and boulders. It's not a work truck. It's absolutely a lifestyle choice. These are people who are into surfing, mountain biking, dirt bikes, side-by-sides." Jeep is in an interesting position from a design perspective.

Chrysler recalling 31k SUVs and vans

Chrysler is issuing recalls covering roughly 31,700 vehicles worldwide due to two separate problems. In both cases the company believes that most of the affected vehicles are either still on, or in transit to, dealer lots.
One recall covers roughly 10,700 Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SRT models from the 2014 model year built between January 16 and April 17, 2014. The SUVs need a software update for the cruise control. It's possible that when the cruise is on and the driver presses on the throttle, the acceleration could last a second after the pedal is released or two seconds for the SRT. Afterward, they return to the speed originally set by the driver.
Chrysler says it isn't aware of any accidents, injuries or even reported incidents of this happening in the real world. Also, in all cases, if the driver presses on the brake, the cruise shuts off. The automaker believes that there are about 6,100 affected SUVs in the US, 950 in Canada, 425 in Mexico and 3,200 outside of North America. The software upgrade will be ready shortly, the company says.

Car dealership in East Texas destroyed by tornado

Few things are as fundamentally and unconditionally destructive as a tornado. These cataclysmic phenomena pass through towns, leaving nothing in their wake but ruin and despair. According to an NBC affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a car dealership in nearby Canton was hit by a tornado Saturday night. No employees were hurt. Four other people in the area weren't so lucky. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Canton's new showroom and service center were pounded by the storm, leaving dozens of cars in various states of ruin. Some merely lost windows, while others were flipped and left on their sides or roofs. Photos show piles of cars stacked up like Hot Wheels dumped on the ground. According to a statement from the National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of up to 140 mph. Two other tornadoes were reported in the region. The area has been declared a disaster zone and first responders from up to 100 miles away have swarmed in to help out those in need. According to Reuters, the storms Saturday killed 11 people nationwide. Related Video: News Source: NBC DFW, National Weather Service, Reuters via Automotive NewsImage Credit: Reuters Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM tornado