2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rwd 4dr Limited on 2040-cars

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The Jeep Yuntu is a plug-in hybrid SUV just for China

The Shanghai Auto Show has been host to a heaping helping of hybrids this year, and we have yet one more to share with you. Jeep created this Yuntu SUV Concept, and it features a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Interestingly, Jeep has very little to say about it, and didn't even provide hypothetical performance figure, apparently because it's just a concept. About the only thing Jeep did tell us was that the Yuntu was designed with a focus on Chinese consumers' tastes, also citing that the SUV segment is the fastest growing in the country. While the design may have been targeted at Chinese buyers, we think the Yuntu would find fans in the US, too. It mixes cues from both the Compass and the Renegade. The roof treatment, with a thick, upright, body-colored D-pillar and black roof come right from the Renegade, as does the generally boxy aesthetic. From the Compass comes the slim seven-slot grille and horizontal headlights. The inside has no parallels to the current Jeep line. It's a light, airy place with plenty of pale woods. The dashboard is effectively all screens, and the few buttons and switches present have a unique copper finish. It's far more futuristic and modern than any Jeep on sale right now. As for what this Yuntu means for the Jeep brand, there are a few possibilities. It could simply be a styling exercise that indicates where Jeep is headed in the future. These future design cues could be applied either to China-specific versions of current vehicles, or they could also appear on vehicles in other markets such as the US. It's also entirely possible that this concept is a preview of a new SUV designed just for the Chinese market. Jeep could do this fairly easily and affordably by putting a toned-down version of the Yuntu's design on the Cherokee platform, which is already built by FCA's Chinese partner, GAC. This wouldn't be the first time a car company created an SUV just for the Chinese market, either. Mazda did it with the CX-4, so Jeep certainly could, too. Related Video:

Jeep Wrangler Scrambler pickup truck spy shots reveal top and lighting details

Several spy shots have come out that give us further insight into the new Jeep Wrangler Scrambler pickup truck. Among them are some photos of a prototype being driven near FCA test facilities. They show that the Wrangler will have LED headlights available similar to those on the SUV model, as well as the new Renegade revealed for Europe. They also show the taillights of the pickup, though they appear to be units from a previous-generation JK Wrangler. They're probably placeholders for the new model's lights. View 22 Photos These photos also include images of the truck's interior. The dashboard is a mash-up of old pieces, including a JK Wrangler dash, and a Chrysler-badged steering wheel. But the important part of these photos is that they show parts of a normal Wrangler SUV roll cage, and latches holding down roof panels. These are evidence that the production model will have a removable roof. Further evidence comes from photos taken by someone from the Jeep aftermarket part company Artec Industries was checking out the factory in Toledo, Ohio. The images were brought to our attention by Jeep Scrambler Forum, and they show an unfinished Wrangler pickup body sitting in the doorway to the painting facility. The photo is below, and it confirms a number of details. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This body has the same style of roll cage as those found on the SUV versions of the Wrangler. Specifically, it looks like a combination of the upright rear cage of the two-door, with the length of the Wrangler Unlimited's cage. In addition to confirming the removable top, the windshield also appears to fold down, too. Beyond the confirmation of the top and windshield features, the rest of the cab looks almost identical to any other 2019 Wrangler Unlimited. The fenders and hood are the same, down to the fender vents, as are the doors. The cab shows that there was clearly room for full-size doors, which would have been welcome from an access perspective, but that would naturally cost more than already developed parts, It also means that any aftermarket doors or door accessories created for the Unlimited will work with the Scrambler. We can also see that there's a small diagonal indent in the cab where part of the rear fender will fit. It also matches up with the line of the rear door.

Vile Gossip | Adventures in tire testing

Jean Jennings has been writing about cars for more than 30 years, after stints as a taxicab driver and as a mechanic in the Chrysler Proving Grounds Impact Lab. She was a staff writer at Car and Driver magazine, the first executive editor and former president and editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine , the founder of the blog Jean Knows Cars and former automotive correspondent for Good Morning America . She has lifetime awards from both the Motor Press Guild and the New England Motor Press Association. This is her first column for Autoblog — look for more Vile Gossip in the future. I began writing at Car and Driver magazine back in its golden age in the 1970s, before I'd actually read it. I knew very little about cars. The only magazine I read religiously was Four Wheeler because I owned big trucks and liked to go off-roading with my Chrysler Proving Grounds friends. My vast 10 years of driving experience up to that point (high-speed dirt-road idiot, taxicab driver, Chrysler Proving Grounds test driver) had less bearing on my being hired at Car and Driver than the fact that the editor just wanted to rile up the all-male staff. He didn't need me for that. They were already in full dudgeon when I arrived. They'd just spent a chunk of time testing a stack of tires for their big tire-test issue, and the editor-in-chief was toe-to-toe with the technical editor over the rankings of the top 10 tires. It was loud, and it was angry. I had no idea that car magazines tested tires. Cab driving had led me to believe that airing up a tire and changing a flat was all you needed to know. I changed so many flats on that cab, I eventually wound up in front of a live audience on the " Oprah Winfrey Show" demonstrating my brilliance with a jack and a tire iron. My point, of course, is that tires are more controversial, and also more essential, than you'd think. My other point is that it's good to get worked up about the subject, but not quite so good to let yourself be seen, as I did, on my hands and knees with my ass up in the air on national TV. This is how I prefer to test a tire: First, pick a top brand. Then accept their invitation to try and beat the crap out of their tire. I chose Yokohama, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The big news for them was the GEOLANDER M/T G003!