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2014 Easter Jeep Safari kicks off with six concepts

The 2014 Easter Jeep Safari is set to begin this weekend in Moab, Utah, and while it's sure to be a blast for Jeep enthusiasts from all corners of the world, we're looking forward to the wild, off-road ready concepts that Jeep will be bringing to the red rocks. As you can see in our handy headline, there are six such vehicles in total, each of which sports a variety of tweaks and custom bits.
Unlike in years past, where Jeep graced us with some outrageous concepts like the Mighty FC or J-12, this year's vehicles are a bit more restrained and a bit more buildable by enthusiasts. That's not by accident, officials tell us. They wanted to put this year's focus on attainable vehicles and accessories from Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts that existing owners can use to augment their own vehicles. So let's get to it.
We'll start with the Wranglers first. There are three concepts of the jeepiest of Jeep coming to Moab - the Level Red, Maximum Performance and Mojo. The Level Red and the Mojo (seen above) are similar from a suspension and engine standpoint. Both boast a two-inch Jeep Performance Parts lift kit, which officials tell us is coming to market in the next few months. There are a pair of Dana 44 crate axles on both the front and rear, while a Jeep Performance Parts Rock-Trac transfer case has been fitted. The 3.6-liter V6 engines on both Jeeps can breathe a bit easier thanks to a new cold-air intake and exhaust system.

Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay

A report in The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the obstacles to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee that go beyond its mootable yet "very contemporary" looks, almost all of them based on Fiat's financial position. Starting with that sheetmetal, in defense of it SRT president Ralph Gilles and Jeep design head Mark Allen said they wanted to "make sure the design still looks modern five years from now."
The WSJ piece doesn't cite longevity as a factor, instead saying that its features originated in a design for an Alfa Romeo, the transformation into a Jeep design meant allowing Chrysler get it to market more quickly and save "hundreds of millions of dollars" in engineering.
The need for Fiat to save money while it weathers the European situation has cut budgets for development, engineering and the pace of retooling the Toledo, Ohio plant to build the Cherokee. In a familiar case of snowballing at work, among the effects will be pushing back the Cherokee's volume sales date and delaying updates to some of Chrysler's other products.

2016 Jeep Wrangler to ditch solid axles to save weight?

Hey, Jeep fans. If you think the idea of a funky-looking, car-based Cherokee revival is offensive, have a listen to what might be in store for the next-gen Jeep Wrangler. Automotive News is reporting that as Jeep develops the 2016 Wrangler, weight reduction is a crucial target, and the Wrangler's rugged solid axles could be sacrificed in the name of better fuel economy.
We've already heard the next Wrangler will go on a serious diet using aluminum body panels and an air suspension system, so the idea of a four-wheel independent suspension setup for this OG SUV isn't all that surprising. Besides, it's not like an independent suspension would limit the Wrangler's off-road abilities - just check out the Hummer H1. In fact, it might be the aftermarket parts companies - not Wrangler enthusiasts - who would be most disappointed by such a drastic suspension change, as the article states that the Wrangler's solid axles and coil-link suspension make it the most popular SUV for customization.
There are probably still a couple years before we'll start hearing any concrete details about the 2016 Wrangler, at which time it will be interesting to see how stricter fuel economy and crash safety regulations have been balanced with traditional Wrangler cues like its removable doors and roof and folding windshield. Let us know in the comments below if a Wrangler sans solid axles is any less of a Wrangler.