2013 Jeep Wrangler Sahara on 2040-cars

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NHTSA closes book on Jeep 'trailer hitch' recall after all

After much debating and hand-wringing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now says it has "no reservations" with Chrysler's plan to recall certain Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee models over concerns that their fuel tanks, which are located behind the rear axle, could rupture or leak in the event of a rear impact. The longstanding argument between the two entities saw Chrysler openly defy the Feds after a request to recall 2.7 million units back in June.
Chrysler's "voluntary campaign" will instead see it recall 1.56-million 1993-2004 model year Grand Cherokee SUVs, along with 2002-2007 Liberty models. Affected vehicles will get a trailer hitch installed free of charge, which Chrysler says will provide an additional degree of protection for the fuel tanks in the event of a crash. Jeeps with Mopar-branded hitches or hitches that were installed at the factory aren't affected by this recall.
Chrysler's argument throughout this battle has been that the Jeeps in question are no more susceptible to fires than comparable vehicles from the same time period, a position that NHTSA has seemingly arrived at as well. "Those vehicles performed at a rate similar to their peers. That is the keystone analysis as to whether something poses an unreasonable risk to safety," said outgoing NHTSA boss David Strickland during an interview with the The Associated Press.

Auto Mergers and Acquisitions: Suicide or salvation?

We love the Moses figure. A savior riding in from stage right with the ideas, the smarts, and the scrappiness to put things right. Alan Mullaly. Carroll Shelby. Lee Iacocca. Andrew Carnegie. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Bart Simpson. Sergio Marchionne does not likely view himself with Moses-like optics, but the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recently gave a remarkable, perhaps prophetic interview with Automotive News about his interest and the inevitability of merging with a potential automotive partner like General Motors. Marchionne has been overtly public about his notion that GM must merge with FCA. For a bit of context, GM sold 9.9 million vehicles in 2014, posting $2.8 billion in net income, while FCA sold 4.75 million units and earned $2.4 billion in net income, painting a very rosy FCA earnings-to-sales picture. But that's not the entire picture. Most people in the auto industry still remember the trainwreck that was the DaimlerChrysler "merger" written in what turned out to be sand in 1998. It proved to be a master class in how not to fuse two companies, two cultures, two continents, and two management teams. Oh, it worked for the two individuals at both helms pre-merger. They got silly rich. And the industry itself was in a misty romance at the time with mergers and acquisitions. BMW bought Rolls-Royce. Volkswagen Group bought Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini, putting all three brands into their rightful place in both products and positioning. No marriages there, so no false pretense. Finally, Nissan and Renault got married in 1999. A successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust. But a successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust, the principle part being honesty. Daimler and Chrysler lied to each other. The heads of each unit, the product planners, and finance all presented their then-current and long-range forecasts to each other with less-than-forthright accuracy. Daimler was the far greater equal and no one from the Chrysler side enjoyed that. The cultures were entirely different, too, and little was done to bridge that gap. Which brings me back to the present overtures by Marchionne to GM. "There are varying degrees of hugs," Marchionne stated in the Automotive News piece. "I can hug you nicely, I can hug you tightly, I can hug you like a bear, I can really hug you." Seriously?

Dream Cruising in three Jeep concept cars

Those of you that have attended the yearly Woodward Dream Cruise, know that the rolling car show is many things to many people. A chance to pull the Corvette out of the garage; a time to ogle rare models you've never yet seen in the metal; a weekend for drinking a cold one with friends and simply taking in the festivities. But for our roving editor Brandon Turkus, this year was a chance to cruise in some concept Jeeps that most people will never see, let alone drive. As Turkus aptly points out from the start, Woodward isn't exactly Moab. But wheeling the off-roaders is nevertheless an eye-opening experience; they may not be upcoming products, but these Jeeps tease out a lot we'd like to see from the brand in the future. You can find these mini Short Cut reviews above, and below, but here's a recap of what Turkus got to drive. Jeep Wrangler Staff Car Concept This one's a proper salute to the Jeep military service vehicles of yore. It's an open-air concept based on the four-door Wrangler, with tons of heritage design cues. It looks old, but we promise, it's totally new. It's got basic steel wheels, a stretched canvas roof, bench seats, a painted steel floor, a built-in cooler that accommodates up to 85 cans, and is painted in an iconic Sandstorm color. When the going gets tough, the Staff Car can handle it with aplomb, thanks to the Jeep Performance Parts two-inch lift kit, Fox shocks, Dana 44 axles, and the Wrangler's 3.6-liter V6. Jeep Chief Concept This Wrangler-based concept is an excellent tribute to the classic, fullsize Jeep Cherokee from the 1970s. It's painted in a vintage Ocean Blue color, with a white, "French Bread" roof. There's also a custom razor grille (something made famous on the original Wagoneer), removable sides, chrome bumpers, and classic-looking, 17-inch wheels. Inside, there's surfer-inspired pink, blue, and white cloth mixed with leather trim, with more fun details like a Rosewood front passenger grab handle and tiki-look shift handle. Of course, this thing looks to be truly capable off-road, too, with a two-inch lift kit, Fox shocks, Dana 44 axles at the front and rear, and a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 underhood. Jeep Wrangler Africa A take on the Wrangler Unlimited, painted in Desert Tan, and powered by a 2.8-liter diesel engine. It looks killer, with 17-inch, body-colored steel wheels wrapped in 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires. There's a two-inch lift kit, Dana 44 axles, and Fox shocks.