2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Sport Utility 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Total auto recalls already on record pace in 2014

If you've noticed that there have been more recalls than usual this year, you may be on to something. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US market is on pace to break a record for recalls. In 2013, 22 million cars were recalled. We're only a third of the way through 2014, though, and we've already halved that figure, with 11 million units recalled. That's wild.
Considering the past few months, it shouldn't be a surprise that General Motors is leading the charge, with six million of the 11 million units recalled coming from one of the General's four brands. Between truck recalls, CUV recalls and the ignition switch recall, 2014 hasn't been a great year for GM.
Other recall leaders include Nissan (one million Sentra and Altima sedans), Honda (900,000 Odyssey minivans), Toyota (over one million units in a few recalls), Volkswagen (150,000 Passat sedans), Chrysler (644,000 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs) and most recently, Ford (434,000 units, the bulk of which were early Ford Escape CUVs). So while it's been a bad year for GM so far, its competitors aren't doing too well, either.

Jeep Grand Cherokee redesign delayed

The launch of the next-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee is being now being pushed back until late 2018 or even into 2019, Jeep CEO Mike Manley indicated Friday, according to Automotive News citing a Reuters report. Under the original five-year plan, the SUV was supposed to be replaced in the third quarter of 2017. That would have made for a big year for Jeep with a refreshed Renegade and new Wrangler also slated for 2017. A delayed Grand Cherokee could send ripples through Jeep's product plans. The three-row Grand Wagoneer is meant to give the brand a vehicle to take on the Land Rover Range Rover, but it's supposed to use the same platform as the Grand Cherokee. This change is rumored to push that important model's launch further back. There's less uncertainty when it comes to the next-gen Wrangler. Manley said that the model was "broadly on track," according to Automotive News. The five-year plan aimed for a launch in the second quarter of 2017. Controversy, however, has swirled over possible plans to move the Wrangler from its longtime Toledo, OH, factory. One problem Jeep doesn't have to worry about right now is sales. According to Automotive News, Manley said volume was up 20 percent globally and could reach 1.2 million by the end of the year. He also indicated the brand was "on pace" to reach its 1.9-million-vehicle goal for 2018. The Grand Cherokee delay comes in the wake of rumors that FCA US is shuffling around its previous five-year vehicle launch plan to postpone several models. Related Video:

Politician's funeral procession features pole dancers

A Taiwanese politician's racy funeral procession literally stopped traffic as it paraded dozens of scantily clad pole dancers through city streets last week. According to the Deccan Chronicle, beloved local politician Tung Hsiang passed away in December after decades of public service in the southern Taiwanese city of Chiayi. He had a reputation as a fun loving, gregarious socialite and his family wanted to send him off in a suitably flamboyant and memorable way. To honor that end, his family assembled a funeral procession of bands, performers, floats, and more than 200 vehicles that stretched for several kilometers as it snaked through the city. Featured among the procession vehicles were fifty customized, brightly-colored jeeps, each one carrying a bathing suit-clad showgirl dancing around a roof-mounted stripper pole. The exact opposite of a quiet, somber affair, the raucous parade clogged up streets, stopped traffic, and attracted crowds of onlookers and hangers-on. Tung Mao-hsiung, Hsiang's brother, told CTS reporters that his ailing brother had requested a big send-off just days before he died. "He told us he wanted this through a dream two days before the funeral," he said. While Hsiang's delightfully tacky funeral train pushed the boundaries of taste, and definitely contrasts with traditional ideas of funeral decorum, it's not that strange an event in Taiwan. The Deccan Chronicle states that Taiwanese send-offs have a tendency to be risque. Showgirls like the ones hired for Hsiang's procession are commonplace, and often go beyond just dancing and right to stripping at religious festivals and funerals on the island. The Chronicle suggests that this is due to the fact that Taiwanese folk religion is a unique mix of spiritualism and earthiness. Recent Video: News Source: The Deccan Chronicle Auto News Humor Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles funeral