1993 Jeep Cherokee Base Sport Utility 4-door on 2040-cars

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Jeep Grand Commander three-row crossover SUV revealed in Beijing

Jeep has finally revealed its first three-row SUV since the Commander, and the new one is called, as we expected, Grand Commander. And it looks just like we expected from leaked images and patent drawings. It pulls a bit of inspiration from the Jeep Yuntu concept, but it generally looks like a much bigger, stretched-out Compass. We do see a bit of Renegade inspiration in the D-pillar, though. Interestingly, the Grand Commander isn't really bigger than our Grand Cherokee. The Grand Commander is just under 192 inches long, which is only 2 inches longer than the Grand Cherokee. But the Grand Commander's wheelbase is four inches shorter. It's also about two inches narrower than the Grand Cherokee. This is all interesting considering the Grand Commander's greater passenger capacity. Also interesting is the Grand Commander's powertrain. It's only available with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, likely lifted from the Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler. If so, it's been detuned, and it now makes just 231 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque as opposed to the 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet in the other Jeeps. The Grand Commander's four-cylinder is also paired to a nine-speed automatic, and it can be had with either two-wheel or four-wheel drive. The question of course is, will the Grand Commander come to America? It would fill a gap in the Jeep lineup, since the brand has no three-row vehicles. There have been many rumors of a three-row Jeep, possibly called Grand Wagoneer, as well as Grand Commander prototypes running around the U.S. But the size of the Grand Commander has us questioning whether it would be brought here, or if Jeep would develop a larger three-row, maybe based on Durango, for our market. Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep Grand Commander View 10 Photos Image Credit: Jeep Beijing Motor Show Jeep Crossover SUV

The UAW's 'record contract' hinges on pensions, battery plants

DETROIT - After nearly four weeks of disruptive strikes and hard bargaining, the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three automakers have edged closer to a deal that could offer record-setting wage gains for nearly 150,000 U.S. workers. General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis have all agreed to raise base wages by between 20% and 23% over a four-year deal, according to union and company statements. Ford and Stellantis have agreed to reinstate cost-of-living adjustments, or COLA. The companies have offered to boost pay for temporary workers and give them a faster path to full-time, full-wage status. All three have proposed slashing the time it takes a new hire to get to the top UAW pay rate. The progress in contract talks follows the first-ever simultaneous strike by the UAW against Detroit's Big Three automakers. The union began the strike on Sept. 15 in hopes of forcing a better deal from each major automaker. But coming close to a deal is not the same thing as reaching a deal. Big obstacles remain on at least two major UAW demands: restoring the retirement security provided by pre-2007 defined benefit pension plans, and covering present and future joint- venture electric vehicle battery plants under the union's master contracts with the automakers. On retirement, none of the automakers has agreed to restore pre-2007 defined-benefit pension plans for workers hired after 2007. Doing so could force the automakers to again burden their balance sheets with multibillion-dollar liabilities. GM and the former Chrysler unloaded most of those liabilities in their 2009 bankruptcies. The union and automakers have explored an approach to providing more income security by offering annuities as an investment option in their company-sponsored 401(k) savings plans, people familiar with the discussions said. Stellantis referred to an annuity option as part of a more generous 401(k) proposal on Sept. 22. Annuities or similar instruments could give UAW retirees assurance of fixed, predictable payouts less dependent on stock market ups and downs, experts said. Recent changes in federal law have removed obstacles to including annuities as a feature of corporate 401(k) plans, said Olivia Mitchell, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and an expert on pensions and retirement. "Retirees want a way to be assured they won't run out of money," Mitchell said.

Jeep recalls 228k Cherokees over airbag deployment fears

Jeep is recalling an estimated 228,181 examples of the 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokee worldwide because the airbags can inadvertently deploy in some situations. Specifically, the campaign covers 168,092 vehicles in the US, 19,557 in Canada, 4,133 in Mexico and 36,399 outside of North America. According to Jeep, the problem occurs when drivers execute extremely hard handling maneuvers and upset the vehicle's balance, which causes the side-curtain and seat-mounted side airbags to deploy. "The air-bag systems, sensing potential rollovers, automatically activated," according to the automaker's announcement. While this occurred in "a small number" of cases, according to Jeep, the problem caused no reported injuries or accidents. To fix the fault, the company will issue a software update to recalibrate the bags' deployment. Statement: Restraint-System Software Upgrade February 2, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is launching a global recall of an estimated 228,181 SUVs to upgrade software governing side-curtain and seat-mounted side air bags. The action follows an investigation by FCA US engineers after a small number of inadvertent deployments involving drivers who executed extreme maneuvers. These maneuvers dramatically changed the vehicles' angle of operation, relative to the ground. The air-bag systems, sensing potential rollovers, automatically activated. FCA US is unaware of any related injuries or accidents. The software upgrade will recalibrate the threshold for deployment and the vehicles will remain compliant with all applicable safety regulations. Affected are certain 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokees. Estimated volumes by market are as follows: 168,092 in the U.S.; 19,557 in Canada; 4,133 in Mexico and 36,399 outside the NAFTA region. The Company will notify affected customers. Software will be available at that time. Customers with additional concerns or questions may call 1-800-853-1403. Featured Gallery 2015 Jeep Cherokee View 41 Photos News Source: FCA USImage Credit: Jeep Recalls Jeep Safety Crossover