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Jeep bringing two special-edition Renegades to the LA Auto Show

Few manufacturers do limited edition runs like Jeep, which has released everything from a 75th Anniversary Edition Wrangler to a Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Renegade. The automaker is revealing two new versions of the Renegade next week at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show: a 2017 Jeep Renegade Deserthawk and a 2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude. The off-road ready Deserthawk starts at $28,140 and builds on the bones of the already capable Renegade Trailhawk. The extra $1,495 nets you an exclusive Mojave Sand paint option, hood, and rear panel decals. It also comes equipped with rock rails and the towing package. Inside, the Deserthawk comes with black leather seats, Light Frost stitching and accents, all-weather floor mats, and a cargo tray mat. As it's based on the Trailhawk, the Deserthawk comes with four-wheel drive, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Renegade Altitude, like the other Jeep Altitude models, essentially means black on black on black. It comes with 18-inch gloss black wheels with gloss black accents on the front and rear badges, grille rings and tail lamp rings. The black theme continues inside with black cloth seats and black gloss trim. The Altitude also features what Jeep calls Metal Diamond door handles and shift knob. Standard features include a backup camera and a keyless ignition. All that black gloss will set you back at least $22,390. Look for the Renegade pair to arrive in dealers soon. The Altitude will be available later in November while the Deserthawk hits showrooms in January. Related Video: LA Auto Show Jeep Crossover Off-Road Vehicles jeep renegade

Final Toledo Jeep decision may have nothing to do with city's efforts

Toledo, OH is doing all that it can to keep production of the Jeep Wrangler in its boundaries, but the biggest issue facing the plant may be insurmountable, no matter how desperately the city wants to keep the Wrangler local. The Wrangler is built in a rather interesting manner at the Toledo Supplier Park: Fiat Chrysler only handles the very final assembly of each vehicle, while two other companies, Kuka, a German firm, and Hyundai-Mobis, a member of the sprawling Hyundai empire, produce the body and chassis, respectively. The vehicles are then transferred over to the FCA part of the park, where they're painted and completed. This was, as The Detroit News explains, a convenient arrangement back in 2006 when the supplier park opened. Chrysler, which was still owned by Daimler at the time, arranged for Kuka and Mobis to handle production, saving it a huge sum of money. Both suppliers own their own machinery and buildings and employ their own workers. Now that FCA is a relatively healthy entity, though, there's not a lot of need to be sharing profits with two other companies. "What [FCA boss Sergio Marchionne] would like is to have the advantages of high-capacity utilization, owning that capacity and taking advantage of that for himself versus having a supplier doing some of the things his competitors do internally," David Cole, chairman emeritus at the Ann Arbor, MI-based Center for Automotive Research, told The News. "It really adds another level of complexity to the situation." While Sergio Marchionne is a man that generally gets what he wants, it seems unlikely that either Mobis or Kuka would give up their role quietly. According to Jon Zapf, Mobis North America's chairperson for UAW Local 12, the company "definitely wants to maintain their part of this production process." According to The News, Jeep is likely to announce the location of next-generation Wrangler production in June. Expect to hear much more on this one in the coming months.

Consumer Reports says these are the worst new cars of 2014

Consumer Reports has announced its annual list of worst vehicles, a cringe-inducing contrast to its list of top vehicles. Ignominiously leading the way in 2014 is Chrysler, which has a staggering seven models listed.
Jeep nearly sweeps the small SUV segment by itself, with its Compass, Patriot and 2.4-liter version of the new Cherokee, while the only midsize sedans listed by CR were the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger. The new Dodge Dart and the Dodge Journey round out CR's condemnation of Chrysler.
Ford is taking heat as well, with the Taurus, Edge and their counterparts from Lincoln all listed as the worst vehicles in their respective segments. Toyota doesn't fare much better, with its Lexus IS, Scion iQ and tC also making the list.