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Car dealership in East Texas destroyed by tornado

Few things are as fundamentally and unconditionally destructive as a tornado. These cataclysmic phenomena pass through towns, leaving nothing in their wake but ruin and despair. According to an NBC affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a car dealership in nearby Canton was hit by a tornado Saturday night. No employees were hurt. Four other people in the area weren't so lucky. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Canton's new showroom and service center were pounded by the storm, leaving dozens of cars in various states of ruin. Some merely lost windows, while others were flipped and left on their sides or roofs. Photos show piles of cars stacked up like Hot Wheels dumped on the ground. According to a statement from the National Weather Service, winds reached speeds of up to 140 mph. Two other tornadoes were reported in the region. The area has been declared a disaster zone and first responders from up to 100 miles away have swarmed in to help out those in need. According to Reuters, the storms Saturday killed 11 people nationwide. Related Video: News Source: NBC DFW, National Weather Service, Reuters via Automotive NewsImage Credit: Reuters Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM tornado

2019 Jeep Wrangler Moab order guide reveals plush, spendy trim

At the end of last year, members at the JLWrangler Forum first discovered a Moab sticker kit in the Fiat Chrysler parts catalog. A few weeks ago, the same forum found a Moab edition 2018 Wrangler near FCA HQ. The previous JK series Jeep Wrangler offered a Moab edition, based on the Sahara platform, but priced and positioned between the Sahara and Rubicon trims. JLWrangler Forum members have now found the order guide for the new Moab edition, showing the same build philosophy but a bigger price. Only available on the four-door Unlimited bodystyle with the 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic, the option is said to retail for $51,200 before a $1,495 destination fee. That's $52,695 out-the-door. That puts you at $8,200 over the price of a Rubicon with the eight-speed automatic, but the Moab has a different aim. As Jeep's website says, the Sahara targets those who want "a clean, polished look that's at home wherever you take it," whereas the Rubicon is for those who need to get an extreme kind of dirty. The Moab shoots the middle, going after Sahara buyers who want their additional premium equipment wrapped in real-deal rugged looks. To work that effect, outside there'll be the dual-vent Rubicon hood, LED lighting, a steel front bumper, black tow hooks front and back, a body-colored hardtop, and Mopar rock rails. The order guide lists hood decals, which would be a new item for the vented Rubicon unit. The Moab sits on 17-inch, low-gloss black Rubicon-style wheels instead of the standard 18-inch polished aluminum wheels with Tech Gray spokes, and 33-inch BFG Mud Terrain KM2 tires. That tire choice is novel, because Rubicon comes on 33-inch BGF ALL-Terrain KO2s. The Selec-Trac 4x4 system pairs with the Anti-Spin limited slip differential, both of them normally options on the Sahara. Inside there'll be the 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system piped through a nine-speaker Alpine audio system. Comfort treats include keyless entry and remote start, Mopar hardtop headliner, leather seats and leather interior group, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Jeep throws in blind-spot monitoring with cross-path detection and the ParkSense parking assist, and for a adventurous touch, there are Mopar all-weather floor mats. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer could top out at $130,000

Jeep's image presents a blue-collar, American brand that builds SUVs for Average Joe drivers, nevermind the thousands of $40,000 Wrangler Unlimited that sell every year. But a revived Grand Wagoneer could push Jeep prices into a whole new realm. Eventually. Speaking to AutoExpress, Jeep boss Mike Manley confirmed "the Grand Wagoneer concept is moving forward," and that its price could reach levels previously unheard of from the brand. "I don't think there's a maximum price ceiling per se for Jeep. If you look at the upper end of the segment in the US, for me, the Grand Wagoneer done well can compete all the way through this segment," Manley told AE. "I'll use US dollars, but pushing the car up to $130,000 to $140,000 may be possible, but we need to establish Grand Wagoneer in its own right first. That's why I wouldn't say there's price ceiling." That's about twice as much as Jeep's current most-expensive model, the $66,690 Grand Cherokee SRT. Hell, it's more than a Dodge Viper ACR, and is roughly on par with a base Maserati GranTurismo. But while getting wrapped up in the idea of a six-figure Jeep is easy, Manley's argument that his brand needs to establish the new model first is more important. It absolutely does not sound like Jeep will introduce the reborn Grand Wagoneer with a trim near $130,000. Instead, we bet the new flagship model will kick off between $50,000 and $60,000, right near the top of where the brand currently plays. That lets Jeep undercut entry level versions of the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLS, and GMC Yukon Denali without giving brand loyalists sticker shock. After establishing the Grand Wagoneer, to use Manley's parlance, Jeep can afford to push higher and challenge the base level Range Rover, which starts around $85,000. Only after that can we expect Manley's hypothesizing to come true. So yeah, while a $130,000 Jeep sounds like a possibility, we wouldn't expect it for at least a few model years after the Grand Wagoneer's big debut. Related Video: