2020 Jeep Wrangler on 2040-cars

Auto blog

FCA's UAW workers to get $8,010 profit-sharing payout

UAW workers at FCA will soon be receiving $8,010 checks, which represent profit-sharing based on the company's 2020 performance. Although FCA's profit margins in 2020 were slimmer than the year prior, the union-employee payouts are slightly larger, due to a change in the formula that was negotiated in 2019 and has now gone into effect. Employees are now paid $900 for every 1% of profit margin FCA achieves in its North American operations. For 2020, the company enjoyed an 8.9% profit margin, and although that was down slightly from 9.1% in 2019, the checks are larger than last year's $7,280 payout. Still, FCA employees didn't fare quite as well as their counterparts at GM, who stand to receive profit-sharing checks of up to $9,000. GM workers did even better last year, netting $10,000. UAW workers at Ford had less to celebrate. They'll receive $3,525, based on the company's 2020 performance. That's a steep drop from last year's $6,600. FCA earned $6.472 billion in North America in 2020. The company is expecting an improved financial performance in 2021, as it's expected to avoid another coronavirus-related shutdown. It's also expected to benefit from the launch of the three-row Grand Cherokee L, as well as the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, all of which are high-margin products. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2014 Jeep Cherokee: Fall colors tour [w/video]

The Trailhawk's rugged good looks were right at home against the backdrop of changing seasons. Regardless of where you choose to call home, you've probably seen, or at least heard, about the Pure Michigan ads, showing off all the splendor that the Mitten State has to offer. You can make fun of them all you want (several spoofs already exist), but as a native, I fully stand behind the idea that Michigan is a truly gorgeous place. The western coast along Lake Michigan and the northern half of the Lower Peninsula are seriously pretty, and vastly different from the southeastern area that houses big cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, and so on. Beyond that, the Upper Peninsula is the closest you'll get to seeing vast spoils of untouched wilderness, and trust me – it's truly pretty. I've seen the world, but I still feel all warm and fuzzy every time I venture north to experience all the vistas that my own state has to offer. In the autumn months, the changing leaves in Michigan put on quite a display. Sure, this happens all over the world, but we truly embrace autumn in the Wolverine State, and practically every Detroit-based Autoblog staffer has gone on at least one fall colors tour to the northern Lower Peninsula to take it all in. That's exactly what associate multimedia producer Chris McGraw and I did just over a month ago, behind the wheel of our long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The Trailhawk's rugged good looks were right at home against the backdrop of changing seasons, and we opted to capture the whole experience on video for this latest long-term update. The Tunnel of Trees is a picturesque stretch of Michigan's M-119 highway that starts just northeast of Petoskey. As you can see in the video above, the Tunnel of Trees is a picturesque stretch of Michigan's M-119 highway that starts just northeast of Petoskey and follows Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay. This winding road through the woods goes on for nearly 30 miles, largely unobstructed by neighborhoods, fueling stations, shops, or roadside fodder, and spits you out at the famous Legs Inn in Harbor Springs. (Top-notch Polish food, if you're hungry.) From there, you can either continue north toward Mackinac City and the Mackinac Bridge that connects Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas, or you can turn around and take in all the goodness again.

Jeep and Ram could be spun off from FCA, says Marchionne

Jeep is surely the biggest single feather left in the cap of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles portfolio. Under Sergio Marchionne's leadership, Jeep went from fewer than 500,000 annual sales in 2008 to 1.4 million in 2016, and is on track for 2 million by 2018. Add in the brand's legacy, status as one of the most recognizable nameplates in the world, and rabid fan base, and Jeep has extraordinary monetary value to its parent company. Investors and analysts have certainly noticed Jeep's inherent value. According to The Detroit Free Press, Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas asked FCA chief Sergio Marchionne if he would ever consider spinning Jeep and Ram, FCA's dedicated truck brand, into a separate corporate entity, and he responded with a simple "Yes." Jonas estimated Jeep's worth in January of this year at $22 billion. Ram was valued at $11.2 billion. Marchionne has a history of spinning off brands while keeping them part of FCA's corporate umbrella. The most noteworthy example of this value maximization was with Ferrari, which now trades on the New York Stock Exchange and rakes in $3.4 billion in annual revenue and close to $435 million in net income, reports the Free Press. Marchionne still serves as chairman and CEO of Ferrari, and Fiat heir John Elkann owns 22 percent of the Italian marque's shares. Even if the offloading of Jeep and Ram into a separate entity would amount to little more than a profit-driven ownership change on paper, it would be huge news to the brands' loyal fanbases. In any case, such a move would likely take years to actually happen and probably wouldn't mean much at all to the products that Jeep and Ram produce. In other words, Jeep fans can keep the pitchforks in the shed ... for now. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.