2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara on 2040-cars

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Stellantis will give its brands 10 years to prove they deserve to live

Formed by the merger of PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, Stellantis has 14 brands under its roof, a number that makes it one of the largest groups in the industry. Rumors claimed not every brand would survive, with Chrysler often earmarked to get axed, but the firm said it will give them all a chance to shine. "We're giving each (brand) a chance, giving each a time window of 10 years and giving funding for 10 years to do a core model strategy. The CEOs need to be clear in brand promise, customers, targets, and brand communications," announced Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares during the Financial Times' Future of the Car event. His comments confirm Chrysler fans and dealers don't need to worry about the future — at least not yet. And, against all odds, Lancia enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief, too. Former FCA head Sergio Marchionne warned of the brand's demise on several occasions. Alfa Romeo is safe for now, too, as is Vauxhall, which are basically just Opels sold in the United Kingdom with a different badge. The engagement made by Tavares also means Stellantis won't divest any of its brands to raise capital until at least 2031. It's now up to each executive team to make a case for the brand they run, an unusual survival-of-the-fittest strategy in an era when cutting costs is more common than spending cash. Diving into the vast Stellantis parts bin should help even the most troubled brands turn their fortunes around on a relatively tight budget. It seems likely that survive Chrysler will need to look beyond the 300 and the Pacifica/Voyager, the only models in its range, and completely reinvent its image, which is currently nebulous at best. Lancia, once the champion of luxury, performance, and innovation, faces the same challenge. It's not starting quite from scratch, it's relatively popular in its home country of Italy, but it will need to think globally and expand outside of the city car segment to survive. Featured Gallery 2020 Chrysler 300 View 24 Photos Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee TrackHawk shows off its hellish supercharged V8

We've seen the spy shots of this thing, the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee TrackHawk, before. But only from the outside. The external changes are plenty telling, but there was always the slight chance we were looking only at an extra-hot SRT version, not a full-blown (pun intended) TrackHawk with a Hellcat motor. Until the hood goes up, there's no telling what we're really looking at. Well, seeing is believing. We have been looking at TrackHawks all along. And Mike Manley, Jeep's CEO, wasn't selling the world a bill of goods when he said to expect the thing "by the end of 2017". As you can clearly see in the slightly noisy engine shot, that's a supercharger parked on top of FCA's 6.2-liter V8, just like in the Charger and Challenger Hell-twins. Chances are it'll make the same power as it does in those two – 707 hp, in case you're just waking up from cryo-stasis and aren't aware of the most famous power output figure on the planet. There are some differences between this Grand Cherokee and ones we've previously pegged as TrackHawks. The fog lights in the lower grille vents are gone, and the rear fascia gets a bit more aggressive. Perhaps these will be the external details that separate the TrailHawk from the lowly non-supercharged SRT versions. We've also been hearing about quad exhaust tips, but haven't seen them on a prototype yet. If Jeep wants to get this thing out on the road by the end of the year, we're likely to see it coming to an auto show soon. Keep your eyes peeled. Related Video:

Jeep Gladiator high-speed off-roader reportedly in development

Before the 2020 Jeep Gladiator was revealed, it seemed like there was a never-ending flow of tidbits leaking out about the truck. Now it's out, and while the flow has slowed, there are still interesting reports floating about. The latest comes from Jeep Gladiator Forum, which cites an anonymous inside source as saying there's a high-performance version of the pickup coming designed for fast off-roading similar to a Ford F-150 Raptor or Chevy Colorado ZR2. We reached out to Jeep regarding the possible truck, and a representative said the company had no comment. That's certainly exciting news if it turns out to be correct, but there are reasons not to get your hopes up just yet. The forum reports that the truck is in the early stages of development, and it's still being decided whether there's enough of a market for it. From our perspective, such a model is neither a dead end nor a shoo-in. Certainly there are people willing to buy fast off-roaders, as the aforementioned Raptor and ZR2 have shown. Also, Jeep has proven that people are willing to spend a lot on Wranglers, both from the factory and on aftermarket parts, so an even more expensive model wouldn't necessarily put people off. So those are two important points in favor of a fast Gladiator. Points against a fast Gladiator start with the existing Gladiator Rubicon. While it isn't necessarily designed for bashing dunes, it does come with a huge amount of trail-ready equipment already. It has differential locks and anti-roll bar disconnects, big tires and burly shocks. On slower trails, it may already be as capable as the Colorado ZR2, which would be the closest competitor to the hypothetical high-po Gladiator. And since the Gladiator Rubicon will be available with comparable engines to the ZR2, would something more potent be necessary? It would seem that to further differentiate, the Gladiator might need more power. That's certainly possible by way of a V8 transplant, but that would mean a lot of money spent on getting the engine to fit, making it reliable, getting it emissions compliant, and ensuring the drivetrain is strong enough. All those costs would make it harder to get approved. We may sound a bit pessimistic, but don't get us wrong, we would be excited to see a high-speed Gladiator, or any other Jeep for that matter. But we also want to be realistic, and there are certainly some significant hurdles to bringing such a truck to market. Related Video: