2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4wd 4dr on 2040-cars

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Chrysler adding 200 jobs at Ohio Jeep Wrangler plant

Chrysler is betting that the Jeep Wrangler will continue its strong sales surge as it continues to push the legendary brand out across the globe. The Auburn Hills automaker is reportedly adding 200 workers at the Toledo, Ohio plant that builds the Wrangler. What's more, those new hires will be at their posts quickly - they'll be on the job by April 1. Of those 200 workers, 130 employees will be there to relieve those who need breaks.
Why do they need so many relief workers? The Toledo Jeep Complex is currently working at a torrid pace with two ten-hour shifts. A third shift has been ruled out for the moment because of a production botttleneck - the plant's paint shop is already maxed out. According to Reuters, Wrangler production in 2012 cleared 200,000 units, and US sales were up by 16 percent.
Another part of the Toledo plant is presently down as Chrysler retools the line to build Jeep's divisively styled Liberty replacement, the Cherokee (seen in our gallery below). Production for the new model is scheduled to begin toward the end of May.

Ward's releases 10 Best Interiors list for 2014

While we're still a ways off from the automotive awards season proper, where things like North American Car and Truck of the Year, Motor Trend's Car of the Year and Car and Driver's Ten Best are named, that doesn't mean there aren't trophies being handed out to deserving automakers. Ward's 10 Best Interiors being one of them.
As the name might imply, the magazine focuses on the very best interior treatments in the US market. Whereas some awards purposely exclude extreme, high-dollar offerings, Ward's considers them - the only requirement is that a vehicle has a "new or significantly redesigned interior."
Ward's offered up the list of winners in simple, alphabetical order, and it only seems fair to do the same:

Jeep, Ram tease SEMA builds, and one looks like a Ram 1500 TRX PHEV

SEMA is back this year, and shows no signs of cancellation. And that means a whole new crop of custom builds from not only aftermarket companies, but OEMs such as Jeep and Ram. The two brands released teasers of their modified trucks for the show, and there are a couple of seriously intriguing ones. And the most brow-raising is the silver Ram 1500 TRX that could be a plug-in hybrid. What makes us say that? Well, take a look at the badging. The "RAM" badge in the grille is bright blue. And the front tow hooks are blue, too. Those cues are signatures of the Jeep 4xe plug-in hybrid models. And Jeep isn't the only one to utilize blue badging for electrified models. Ram 1500s with the 48-volt eTorque hybrid assist get blue-highlighted badges. So it seems like a slam-dunk that the wide-bodied desert-stomper in the teaser has a hybrid powertrain. We'd bet on it being the 375-horsepower turbo-four from the Wrangler, but maybe Ram put something unique together. The next curious model is what's quite clearly a variant of the military M715 truck. It's undoubtedly this year's restomod, as Stellantis brands are wont to build. Looking closer, it has a very high roof and center-mounted spotlight. Those are cues shared with the M725 ambulance. We wouldn't be surprised if Jeep took one of the old ambulances and turned it into one beast of an overlanding rig. We're excited to see what sort of other upgrades have been done, such as what engine will be powering it. Then we come to the interior of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much going on, at least until you look at the roof. The cargo area has a significantly raised section. And there are safari windows letting light in. It will be interesting to see what it looks like from the outside. Finally, we have teasers of what's probably a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe and a Ram 1500. The Wrangler shot is of the front fender, and the Ram is of the rear. They don't show much except what seem to be Mopar accessories. As such, we suspect these are show pieces for the Mopar catalog, and they might each have a couple of concept parts, but are otherwise a bit tame compared to the Jeep and Ram one-offs. All of these trucks will be revealed and on display at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The show will run Nov. 2-5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.