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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 spy shot mega gallery

We've already seen the 2018 Jeep Wrangler in official shots from the automaker. But there were only three, and they showed off only two of the many trim levels we're sure will be offered. So, feast your eyes on this spy shot mega gallery, which puts on display both two- and four-door Wrangler models in Sport, Sahara, Rubicon, and Overland guises. There are more than 40 images here, so take your time before coming back to finish reading. Done? OK, good. There are a few interesting bits worth obsessing over, starting with the two-door Rubicon in black. Obviously, there's no front bumper on this prototype. We can't say for sure whether that's because it's been out testing in its natural habitat, but we can clearly see the potential for top-shelf approach angles. We also get a good look at the removable soft top, which has nice, big, open side windows without the diagonal strip of opaque vinyl cutting through. There are five different four-door Wrangler Unlimited models in this gallery (not including the Wranglers of the last slide that are shot from further away), in Sport, Sahara, and Rubicon trim levels. We see soft tops (with what we hope are preproduction rear windows that don't line up very well) and hard tops in both matte black and body color. Clearly, the hardtops have removable sections for an open-air experience without the hassle of completely pulling off the entire outer shell. Also note that the black Unlimited Overland (with silver highlights and mirrors) is an export-only trim. Finally, take a look at the interior shots at the end of the gallery. We're not sure which model we're looking at, but it's a bit incongruous to see a contrast-stitched and leather-covered dash with a small UConnect touchscreen surrounded by a bunch of hard plastic. Thankfully, we're sure that a larger LCD will be optional, along with a cool body-color dash panel and an additional screen between the two main gauges. The interior we see in this spy gallery shows the eight-speed automatic shifter sitting next to a console-mounted four-wheel-drive shift lever. We've heard that multiple 4x4 systems will be available, including one safe to engage for full-time four-wheel-drive. Related Video:

Sunday Drive: Rendering the future at Jeep and Ford

Last week brought us quite a wide variety of automotive news nuggets, and judging by the response of our own readership, the Jeep Wrangler pickup truck led the way. It's not expected to hit the sales floor until April of 2019, which means we've all got an entire year to wait, but that just means we have lots of time to anticipate its arrival. And we do so today with a series of renderings that show what the so-called Scrambler may look like in a few different colors. Another set of renderings depicting a hotly anticipated new vehicle follow just behind. The Baby Bronco – will Ford ante up to the retro-inspired table and call it the Bronco II? – will be one size smaller than the regular-grade Bronco, and we think it'll compete with the Jeep Renegade as a subcompact crossover with some real off-road chops. Moving onto some tuners, both old and new(er), we first present a sweet old Dodge Ram pickup truck tuned by none other than Carroll Shelby himself. The blue and silver striped truck looks so period perfect that it stands out as a star even alongside a quartet of vintage Shelby Mustangs with which it will share space at the Bonhams auction in Greenwich, Conn., this June. And finally we turn our attention to the Hennessey Veliciraptor, an absolute behemoth of a truck. Based on the most excellent Ford Raptor, the Velociraptor ups the crazy quotient with six wheels and 600 hundred horsepower. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the latest automotive news. Jeep Wrangler pickup renderings: Latest imaginings of the Scrambler Ford Baby Bronco comes alive in these exclusive renderings Bonhams to auction Carroll Shelby's prototypes and personal cars Hennessey VelociRaptor 6X6 First Drive Review: The incredible hulk