2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Sport Utility 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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2014 Jeep Cherokee facing production delay

Jeep's bold-faced new direction spearheaded by the 2014 Cherokee is facing some teething issues. According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, production start-up of the controversial new utility vehicle at its Toledo North facility is running about a month behind schedule "due to a wide range of issues." That's according to Mark Chernoby, senior vice president of engineering at Chrysler.
Chernoby maintains that the issues being encountered aren't unusual for the launch of a new vehicle - particularly one with a new powertrain - and he downplayed the delay, telling Jeep dealers that they "will have ample inventory of the midsize SUV by fall." Among the kinks being worked out? Calibrating the Cherokee's cutting-edge ZF nine-speed automatic transmission and refining assembly line tasks to make the process more efficient.
Chrysler expects to start building retail-ready versions of the Cherokee around mid-June, with official sales slated to start in September.

Experience Jeep's 75th Anniversary at Easter Jeep Safari | AutoblogVR

It may not have been known as a Jeep just yet, but it was all the way back in 1941 that the very first Willys MB quarter-ton 4x4 rolled down the assembly line in Toledo, Ohio. That General Purpose American military machine would go on to become one of the most recognizable vehicles in the world. And the name Jeep, which was adopted for the off-roader by soldiers in World War II, has been famous ever since. In the 75 years since that first military Jeep was born, the brand has built a sterling reputation for off-road prowess. Jeep's range-topping vehicle, the Grand Cherokee, bears almost no resemblance to its military forebears. But that doesn't mean it's not ready to leave the pavement and get dirty. See what we mean in our latest Autoblog VR episode. That wasn't the only Jeep vehicle we took for a spin while celebrating the brand's 75th anniversary at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. Jeep fans have been salivating over the prospect of a pickup truck for years, and the company has finally confirmed that it's coming as a 2018 model. It will be built at Jeep's spiritual home in Toledo, Ohio, the same city that spawned the company's military roots. Even though Jeep's Crew Chief Concept isn't the actual pickup that will go into production, it's still an awesome ride, and we were happy our virtual-reality camera gear could capture it in its natural habitat. Each week, new episodes will launch on the AutoblogVR App. We'll preview them here on Autoblog, but for the full immersive experience, head over to the app, which you can download for free from the App store and Google Play. Be sure to try it with a cardboard viewer, too! Jeep Driving Truck SUV Off-Road Vehicles Videos VR Original Video virtual reality 360video

Stellantis tells UK: Change Brexit deal or watch car plants close

LONDON - British car plants will close with the loss of thousands of jobs unless the Brexit deal is swiftly renegotiated, Stellantis has told the UK parliament, the latest in a series of warnings from the industry since the country left the European Union. The world's No. 3 carmaker by sales and owner of 14 brands including Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat said that under the current deal it would face tariffs when exporting electric vans to Europe from next year, when tougher post-Brexit rules come into force. "If the cost of EV (electric vehicle) manufacturing in the UK becomes uncompetitive and unsustainable, operations will close," Stellantis said in a submission to a House of Commons committee examining the prospects for Britain's EV industry. Stellantis urged the government to reach an agreement with the European Union about extending the current rules on the sourcing of parts until 2027 instead of the planned 2024 change. In response, a government spokesperson said the business secretary had raised the issue with the EU. "Watch this space, because we are very focused on making sure that the UK gets EV and manufacturing capacity," Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday at a British Chambers of Commerce event. The potentially existential problem facing Britain's car industry is closely tied to the shift to EVs. Under the trade deal agreed when Britain left the bloc, 45% of the value of an EV being sold in the European Union must come from Britain or the EU from 2024 to avoid tariffs. The problem is that a battery pack can account for up to half a new EV's cost. Batteries are also heavy and expensive to move long distances. Experts have been warning since Britain left the EU at the end of 2020 that the country would need a number of EV battery gigafactories or potentially lose a hefty chunk of its car industry. Only Japan's Nissan has a small EV battery plant in Sunderland, with a second one on the way. Cost of failure Britishvolt, a startup which received UK government support for an ambitious 3.8 billion pound ($4.80 billion) battery plant at a site in northern England, filed for administration in January after struggling to raise funds. The company was then bought by Australia's Recharge Industries, which has yet to unveil plans for the site.