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Stellantis wants to trim 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs, UAW says

WASHINGTON — Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV wants to cut approximately 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs and is offering voluntary exit packages, according to a United Auto Workers union letter made public Tuesday. The automaker is looking to reduce its hourly workforce offering incentive packages that include $50,000 payments for workers hired before 2007, UAW Local 1264 said in a letter dated Monday posted on its Facebook page. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment. A person briefed on the matter said the figure might be lower than the figure cited in the UAW letter. In late February, Stellantis indefinitely halted operations at an assembly plant in Illinois, citing rising costs of electric vehicle production. The action impacted about 1,350 workers at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that built the Jeep Cherokee SUV and resulted in indefinite layoffs. The automaker has warned it may not resume operations as it considers other options. The UAW letter said openings created by workers leaving would be filled by workers on indefinite layoff. Stellantis said in February that about 40,000 U.S. hourly workers were eligible for profit sharing. Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain said Stellantis' decision to idle the Illinois plant was "a flat-out violation" of the union's contract with the UAW and is unacceptable. The UAW will enter talks with the Detroit Three before labor contracts expire in mid-September. Earlier this month, General Motors said about 5,000 salaried workers accepted buyouts to leave the automaker. GM CEO Mary Barra said February job cuts of a few hundred jobs and the 5,000 buyouts "provided approximately $1 billion towards" a $2 billion cost cutting target. Ford Motor Co recently announced significant job cuts in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe and in August said it would cut a total of 3,000 salaried and contract jobs, mostly in North America and India. Hirings/Firings/Layoffs UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Stellantis

2015 Jeep Renegade leaks out ahead of Geneva debut

Meet the Renegade - Jeep's new baby crossover that's set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The folks at Jalopnik got their hands on a small batch of photos of the new little cutie, showing what appears to be a Trailhawk (read: trail-rated) version, as well as a more civilian-spec Renegade, complete with a new removable roof system, reportedly called My Sky.
Details are slim, though in addition to the exterior images, one photo of the interior has also been leaked, showing what appears to be a small, yet functional (and nicely appointed) cabin. Early reports suggested that the new small Jeep would be based on the Fiat 500L platform, though Jalopnik rightly points out that the Renegade looks an awful lot like the Panda 4x4. Regardless, there's still likely some 500L bones under there, and we'll know more once the official details are revealed in the very near future.
Head over to Jalopnik for more shots of the cute little Renegade, and stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

The 2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer looks like a Grand Cherokee on steroids

It's a special day for Jeep fans. Thanks to the same dealer meeting leak that gave us a look at the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, here is our first glimpse of the new Grand Wagoneer. When it arrives for 2019, this three-row crossover SUV will be the top model in Jeep's range. We knew the Grand Wagoneer would be expensive – Jeep CEO Mike Manley said not to rule out prices upwards of $130,000 for this Range Rover fighter – but now we know it looks like it wants to pick an actual fight with its competitors. What's visible of the front and rear styling is very reminiscent of the current Grand Cherokee, but it's muscled up a bit and gets a set of sinister seven-element headlights. The seven-light theme is carried to the rear as well, and we have a feeling the number is a not-so-subtle reference to the seven-slot grille that all Jeeps wear. That said, here the grille is a short, wide-mouth affair that is a bit of a departure from those of other models. And there's a lot of brightwork in these renderings, not just on the grille but for similar pieces that connect the exhaust tips in the rear and tow-hook surrounds up front. Either by design or engineering, the Grand Wagoneer also looks wider than the two-row Grand Cherokee. The Grand Wagoneer will be about the size of the Dodge Durango three-row crossover and will be based on the platform used by the next-generation Grand Cherokee. The GC and Durango currently share a platform based on one used by Mercedes for its large SUVs, and it is not yet known whether the new Jeeps will use an evolution of that platform or something new. Hemi V8 and diesel and gas V6 engines are the likely powertrain options, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a Hellcat-powered version of this mean-looking luxury SUV at some point. Or at least we can hope. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Dealer Leak Spy Shots Image Credit: KGP Photography Design/Style Spy Photos Jeep Crossover SUV