Jeep Wrangler Yj 1988 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is pretty much good to go

We've been stalking the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk for months, and now we're getting our best look yet at the devilishly powerful sport utility vehicle. From a distance, the JGC looks almost stately in black. Look closer and you see the SRT badges and the big brakes. Look past the wrappings and you see large air intakes in the lower fascia. All of this reinforces the Trackhawk's performance pedigree, which will be anchored with the 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi Hellcat V8. It's rated at 707 horsepower in the Charger and Challenger Hellcats. The Jeep will use four-wheel drive. These up-close images show off the Trackhawk's simple design. Like the Dodge Hellcats, Jeep appears to be letting the power and capability stand on their own. Previously, we've only seen the Trackhawk from a distance or in blurry video. The Trackhawk's arrival comes as Fiat Chrysler expands Jeep's global presence. The company is increasingly looking to its venerable off-road brand for sales volume, image building, and profits as it re-aligns its car business and looks for potential partners. The Trackhawk looks nearly production ready, and we expect it to go on sale in 2017. Also, don't confuse it with the Trailhawk, which is a trim level you can buy on the 2017 Grand Cherokee. Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Spy Shots View 15 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Design/Style Spy Photos Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles Performance

FCA plants skipping summer shutdown to keep up with demand

Hopefully, some FCA US factory employees don't have big plans for the usual summer shutdown, because the automaker is keeping several plants running this year. Demand is so high that the company wants to keep models rolling off the assembly lines. Four FCA US assembly plants, all the engine factories, and some locations that build transmissions are staying open throughout the summer, according to the Detroit Free Press. Usually, these sites would see a two-week shutdown for the company to retool and perform repairs. This year, factories are staying open for FCA to support its strong sales. The lines that remaining humming through the summer show an inclination toward the automaker's popular SUV's and crossovers. They include the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Michigan that builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango; Saltillo Van Assembly in Mexico that constructs the Ram ProMaster; Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio that produces the Cherokee and Wrangler; and Toluca Assembly in Mexico that makes the Dodge Journey and Fiat 500. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM FCA dodge journey fca us ram promaster Jefferson North Assembly Plant

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.