1994 Jeep Cherokee Country Sport Utility 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Autotrader picks best cars for 2015's college grads

Summer is here and the school season is winding to a close. That means millions of students will be graduating college and (hopefully) entering the workforce. For many, that will mean buying a new car suited to the new stage in life into which they will now be embarking. That can be a bewildering choice, especially for someone who's never bought a car before. Fortunately, Autotrader has come up with a short list of recommended cars – new and used – which it recommends to the graduating class of 2015. Among the site's top choices are some compelling crossovers and hatchbacks, including the Buick Encore, Chevy Trax, and Jeep Renegade, as well as the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa Note, Mazda3 and Fiat 500. Can't stretch to buying new, or don't see the point? Autotrader has also identified the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and even the Lexus IS as smart buys in the certified pre-owned category. "Any time someone goes through a major life change, such as graduating college, they need to determine if their current ride makes sense for their lifestyle, from both a financial and functional perspective," says Autotrader editor Brian Moody. "For example, while that hand-me-down SUV from your parents was nice when you turned 16, you may want to opt for a safer, more fuel-efficient car as you transition into the working world." Autotrader Names 10 Best Cars for Recent College Graduates ATLANTA, May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For many, graduating college is a milestone like no other – it represents a new chapter, a proud accomplishment and, fortunately or unfortunately, financial independence. Luckily for graduates who are in the market for a new car to suit their post-college lifestyle, Autotrader's expert editors say now is a great time to make a purchase, as dealerships are flush with affordable models that are fun, fuel-efficient and thoughtfully designed. Autotrader Logo "Any time someone goes through a major life change, such as graduating college, they need to determine if their current ride makes sense for their lifestyle, from both a financial and functional perspective," said Brian Moody, site editor for Autotrader.

FCA's puzzling trademark spree includes Apache and Orange Peelz

Here's one for the Mystery Machine. As noted by the WagoneerFans forum and picked up by Motor1, Fiat Chrysler recently went on a one-day trademark application spree at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. On March 6, the automaker applied for the names Apache, Farout, Orange Peelz, Shocker, Tomahawk, and Top Dog. All have been requested for "Land vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles," and the best guess so far has them being applied to concepts during next month's Easter Jeep Safari, which, assuming it goes ahead, will happen April 4-20. As for historical ties, one name has a connection to Dodge, another was a codename for a Dodge engine, and one was used on a previous Easter Jeep Safari concept. Tomahawk rings the loudest bell, that name applied to the four-wheeled, Viper-engined concept motorcycle that Dodge rolled out at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. The company supposedly sold nine examples of the "rolling sculpture" through Neiman Marcus over a four-year period. It doesn't appear FCA has used the name since, internally or otherwise. There is, however, a Cherokee tomahawk — not referring to a Jeep, but the light, short-handled ax used by the Native American Cherokee tribe. This one seems made for Safari use. Apache has a Dodge and a Jeep tie-in. At one time, Apache was the codename for the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 marketed as the 392 V8 on the Charger and Challenger R/T Scat Pack trims. That engine makes 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. But Jeep showed a Wrangler Apache concept (pictured) at the 2012 Easter Jeep Safari, built with a Mopar conversion kit for a 6.4-liter Hemi making 470 hp and 470 lb-ft. Mopar sold the V8 swap kits at least through 2016, but they appear to have fallen off the Mopar menu. At one time there were rumors of a supercharged Apache with more than 600 horsepower, and wouldn't that be a welcome surprise in Moab. The Farout could be a more or less extreme overlanding take on last year's Easter Jeep Safari Wayout concept, depending on whether one considers "way" or "far" more radical. The Shocker, Jeep might be disappointed to discover, already has an outside link in the Jeep Shocker stickers made for Wichita State fans who love America's 4x4. As for Orange Peelz, it's pretty close to Pedro's bicycling degreaser called Oranj Peelz, but a Jeep conception could be anything. Except maybe a paint color. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.