2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Sport Utility 4-door 3.6l 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.

Jeep three-row Chinese SUV will be called Grand Commander

China is still very much a Jeep country, and the boxy XJ generation Cherokee lived and prospered there far longer than it did in the United States — until 2014. There have also been China-built Grand Cherokees, but the biggest Chinese Jeep has been previewed in the form of the Yuntu concept seen at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. Now, leaked shots of the Yuntu's production version have emerged a couple weeks after the SUV was spotted testing still in camouflage, and it appears to wear the nameplate Grand Commander. While a name like Grand Wagoneer would have been a stronger memento of Jeeps gone by, at least it's not called Grand Compass or Grand Nitro. The official reveal of the Grand Commander is expected to be held at the Beijing Auto Show in April, where more information will be available. Car News China says the big, nearly 16-foot-long SUV is a seven-seater, and the engine is the same 2-liter turbo unit also seen in the freshly updated Wrangler. There will be two power levels, 234 hp and 265 hp. The Grand Commander will most likely remain China-only, where it will be priced at $38,000. That sees it competing with Volkswagen's large Teramont SUV, which starts at nearly $45,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Marchionne wants to nearly double Jeep sales by 2018

Jeep just keeps breaking its own sales records. A couple of weeks ago, the off-road brand announced its worldwide sales exceeded one million units for the first time, marking its third consecutive global record and the fifth straight year of sales increases here in the US. But FCA isn't about to stop there. TheDetroitBureau.com reports that chief executive Sergio Marchionne, speaking to the media at the Detroit Auto Show, has announced a new sales target for the Jeep division: By 2018, he wants to see Jeep sell 1.9 million units in a single year, nearly doubling its all-time record. The expansion will surely encompass new products, with the all-new Renegade just warming up, a next-generation Wrangler on the way and a reborn Grand Wagoneer in the pipeline, as well. But the focus of FCA's preparations to reach the new target is on production capacity. While it's not clear whether the Toledo, OH plant where half of all the Jeeps sold around the world are currently built will continue to host the next Wrangler, FCA is expanding production overseas. The Renegade is already being built alongside the Fiat 500X in Italy, where another 1,000 workers are being re-hired and where another factory is set to start producing Jeeps, as well. A Renegade-based variant for the South American market will soon be built in Brazil, and by the end of this year, Jeep aims to start local production in China.