2015 Chevrolet Malibu Ls on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs Big Three-Row Crossovers | Spec comparison

The three-row 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is here, entering an ever-growing segment of big crossovers that Jeep has ignored since the Commander of the late 2000s. Of course, the Dodge Durango has basically been a three-row version of the current Grand Cherokee with Dodge styling and a different interior, so it's not like The Corporate Entity Formerly Known as Chrysler has been without a contender in the segment. Jeep is a stronger brand than Dodge, however, and the three-row midsize segment is stronger than those with two rows (there's a vast sales difference between the Chevrolet Traverse and Blazer, as well as the Honda Pilot and Passport). In other words, the Grand Cherokee L could be a very big deal. It is also, quite literally, a very big deal. As you're about to see, it is now the largest three-row crossover, besting the length, wheelbase and height of even the gargantuan Traverse. There's more to the story than that, however, so we put together the below comparison chart to show you how the new Grand Cherokee L lines up on paper versus the biggest three-row crossovers. That includes the 2021 Ford Explorer, 2021 Kia Telluride, 2021 Hyundai Palisade and 2022 Chevrolet Traverse. This group also represents some of the strongest entries in the segment as well as those we feel are most likely to be considered alongside the big Jeep. To that end, we also included the 2021 Lincoln Aviator in the chart since its base price is actually less than what we anticipate the luxurious, range-topping Grand Cherokee L Overland and Summit trim levels to start.  Engines and drivetrains Note the differences in curb weight here. The Grand Cherokee L has the highest base curb weight of the group apart from the high-lux Aviator, yet its 3.6-liter V6 has the least amount of power and torque. Therefore, it'll be surprising if it's not the slowest in the group. There's of course the Hemi V8 available on the top Overland and Summit trim levels, but again, a hefty curb weight works against it. At 5,330 pounds, the lightest V8-powered JGCL weighs 600 pounds more than V6-power Explorer Platinum and ST models. On the other hand, nothing can touch the Hemi Jeep's towing capacity, and only the 400-hp Aviator betters the Jeep's base V6. Its 6,200-pound towing capacity greatly outdoes the 5,000-pound limits of not only the Telluride, Palisade and Traverse, but most others in the segment as well.

GM may kill 6 car models as it works with UAW to tackle sales slump

The president of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday the union is talking with General Motors about the potential threat to plants and jobs from slumping U.S. car sales. GM's response will be more trucks and SUVs, and sources say at least six slow-selling car models may be killed off. "We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have" at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio, and whether they might be replaced with newer, more popular vehicles such as crossovers, Dennis Williams told reporters. "We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it," Williams added. GM has cut shifts at several U.S. plants this year as inventories of unsold cars have ballooned. Industry analysts said more jobs could be at risk as the automaker wrestles with permanently shrinking production of small and midsized sedans. GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model, Reuters has learned from people familiar with the plans. Other GM cars at risk include the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, sources said. Some analysts have singled out GM's Hamtramck plant in Detroit as one of the most vulnerable because of plummeting car sales. The plant, which opened in 1985, builds four slow-selling models: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. In the first half, it built fewer than 35,000 cars, down 32 percent from the same period in 2016, according to suppliers familiar with GM's U.S. production schedule. The typical GM assembly plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year.COMING ATTRACTIONS: TRUCKS AND SUVS GM must "create some innovative new products" to replace slow-selling sedans "or start closing plants," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. The auto maker already has begun to shift future production plans from cars to trucks, according to Morgan Stanley auto analyst John Murphy. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the new vehicle models that GM will introduce over the next four years will be passenger cars, with the rest divided among trucks, SUVs and crossovers. GM plans to add production of the new Cadillac XT4 crossover next year to its Malibu sedan plant in Fairfax, Kansas.

GM announces net 220 job increase as Trump visits Michigan

GM announced today that about 900 jobs would be added (or, importantly, retained) ahead of President Trump's arrival in Michigan, where he is expected to discuss his plan to roll back fuel economy standards. The timing of the announcement is almost certainly not coincidental, as appending it to a Trump visit gives it a higher profile and dovetails with the President's jobs agenda. It's less likely the decision itself was made for those reasons, but the free PR boost is a nice bonus. As for those 900 jobs themselves, they aren't all new jobs. The only net gain is approximately 220 jobs at the Romulus Powertrain Plant, which produces the 10-speed automatic transmission that's proliferating through the company's lineup. The 180 jobs at Flint Assembly and 500 jobs at Lansing Delta Township are retained jobs – that is to say, spots the company found for workers who would otherwise have been laid off. By the way, the Flint jobs will help with production of heavy-duty pickups, and the Lansing jobs are to produce the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Finding jobs for manufacturing workers in the auto sector, whether new or retained, is admirable. No matter how GM couches it, the company has created or retained a total of 7,000 jobs this year, and its total reinvestment in US production is around $1 billion. But these decisions are business ones, not political ones – timing the announcements to make them seem inspired by economic policy, or the political situation, is simply smart PR. Related Video: Image Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images Celebrities Government/Legal Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GMC