2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara Sport Utility 4-door 3.6l on 2040-cars

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Jeep Cherokee sales rival Wrangler after two months

In our First Drive article on the 2014 Jeep Cherokee we said, "our informal and thoroughly unscientific opinion is they're going to sell tons of them. Why? Because it is very good." So far, it appears the public concurs. Of course, it's very early - the new compact utility has logged just one month of confirmed sales, but Larry Vellequette at Automotive News says dealers have told him that the second month of sales will be even better, a message that mirrors what we've heard from company execs.
In its first, severely truncated month on sale, the Cherokee sold 579 units. With all of November to play with, though, dealers moved 10,169 of them - compared to 11,753 Wranglers and 14,798 Grand Cherokees. That helped propel Jeep to a 30-percent year-on-year improvement for the month, Chrysler Group to a 16-percent improvement and the group's 44th consecutive month of sales growth, exceeding analyst expectations in posting its best November numbers since 2007.
If it can just keep replicating the its first month of sales, the finalist in North American Truck of the Year voting will smoke the trade done by the outgoing Liberty, which didn't break 7,900 units in a month in the last four years of its life (and normally didn't get close to even that). In March this year, Chrysler said it wants to build 250,000 Cherokees in its Toledo assembly plant for global sales. It's early yet, but with second-month sales quoted as being as "strong as death," the bookies might be resetting the odds.

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.

Best Convertibles for 2022

The past decade has not been kind to the drop-top enthusiast. No matter which dealer you walk into, convertible models have been biting the dust left and right. Nissan Z? Audi TT? Buick Cascada? Volkswagen Eos? All gone. Remember the humble Chrysler Sebring/200? Well, you do now. Fortunately, though, the news isn't all bad. There are still plenty of options out there for those who absolutely must have a convertible. Whether you need something to haul behind your retirement cruiser, a performance car that can go toe-to-toe with the best in the world or just something that allows you to sling the roof back after a long day of on-location business meetings before catching the flight back to your everyday hustle and bustle, there's at least one cabriolet out there to suit your needs. Here are our picks and starting prices for the top convertibles in several categories for 2022.  For the frugal open-top lover: 2022 Mini Convertible ($34,650) Let's face it; gas ain't cheap. But open-top motoring doesn't need to be a wallet killer. The Mini is cheap (at least by 2022 standards) and an absolute joy to drive, so there's really no downside here ... except for the roof. Get it?    For the hardtop lover: 2022 Mazda MX-5 RF ($37,260) / 2022 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible ($69,695) The number of hardtop convertibles has seriously dwindled due to weight concerns and the fact that fabric roofs have gotten so quiet, but there are still some options for those who prefer a more coupe-like look with the roof up. Our picks here are the delightfully Targa-like MX-5 Miata RF and literally any Corvette Stingray — even the hardtop has a removable roof!    For long road trips: 2022 Ford Mustang Convertible ($34,100) The first image that comes to mind for many who are told to visualize an American convertible is the classic Ford Mustang. It's not the only drop-top pony car out there, but thanks to the Camaro's tiny trunk, it's much harder to see the USA in a Chevrolet when a drop-top enters the equation. The Mustang has much more cargo space and a much larger opening, which is likely the difference between keeping your bags under lock and key or leaving them exposed in the back seat.    For towing behind an RV: 2022 Jeep Wrangler ($31,590) While many small runabouts make sense for towing behind a motor home (or nestled up inside a fancier one), the Wrangler has a serious advantage when it comes to RVing: it can easily be flat-towed.