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Truck Week, Jeep Grand Commander, and RIP Ford sedans | Autoblog Podcast #538

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. We talk about driving the 2018 Ford F-150 and 2019 Ram 1500 Tradesman we have at the office this week. We discuss Ford discontinuing most of its cars, salute the Jeep Grand Commander, and reminisce about our favorite car toys. As usual, we'll also spend a listener's money on a car. Autoblog Podcast #538 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Ford kills off all cars but Mustang and Focus Active Jeep debuts three-row Grand Commander at Beijing Motor Show Trucks in the office: Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 Tradesman Our favorite car toys Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Podcasts Toys/Games Beijing Motor Show Ford Jeep RAM Car Buying Truck SUV Sedan ram 1500 tradesman

Dodge, Jeep and Ram could soon be owned by Chinese automakers

For the past several years, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has made it widely known that the automaker he helms is up for grabs. First, he sent an email to GM CEO Mary Barra, who immediately refused to even discuss a merger. Later, Marchionne set his sights on Volkswagen. That too was swiftly rebuffed. It seemed like no global automaker was remotely interested in a partnership. Now, Automotive News reports that several Chinese automakers have come calling, only FCA isn't ready to answer. At least not yet. The news broke this morning that a major Chinese automaker had made an offer to purchase FCA for slightly above market value. FCA refused, saying the offer wasn't quite generous enough. It's unclear which automaker made the offer, but Automotive News says there's more than one interested party. FCA representatives have recently traveled to China to meet with Great Wall Motors, while Chinese representatives were seen at FCA corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Chinese government has a lot of money invested in local automakers. It's putting pressure on these automakers to expand globally, including to the United States. As it stands, it's a matter of when a Chinese automaker will start selling cars here, not if. Purchasing an established automaker with a wide range of products and a huge dealer network would do wonders in giving the Chinese a foothold here. Sure, Geely owns Volvo, but a luxury automaker doesn't have nearly as much reach as a more mainstream company like FCA. This seems like the best case scenario for both a Chinese automaker looking to move into the U.S. and for FCA, at least from a business standpoint. The latter doesn't seem to have any other interested parties. It will be interesting to see how FCA would sell a deal like this to the public. We're not sure everyone will be happy with Dodge, Jeep and Ram falling under Chinese ownership. FCA didn't turn down the Chinese because they didn't like the idea. It turned down the offer because there wasn't enough money on the table. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Earnings/Financials Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM

10 Facts about the 2018 Jeep Wrangler

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler is here. It debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it's going on sale in January. After years of anticipation, it's finally reality. Here's our complete First Look, but to break it down further, here's things you'll find curious, cool, absolutely necessary, or just plain interesting. – The 2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) will be sold concurrently during 2018 as inventory is moved out. This means you might be able to get a decent deal on the outgoing model, the JK. It gets a little confusing since the JK and the JL will both be 2018 models, which suggests the JK sell-down might take awhile. Mike Manley, Jeep boss, defended the strategy during a briefing in Auburn Hills, and noted it's somewhat common across the industry. – The doors: They lift out and have handles so you don't drop them. There's also half-doors that will be offered in 2019. Doors weren't standard on Wranglers until the early 1980s. – There are multiple trims. The two-door comes in Sport, Sport S or Rubicon. The Unlimited is Sport, Sport S, Sahara or Rubicon. Expect more to come. – The EcoDiesel arrives in 2019. This could be interesting. Jeep says it's in response to consumer demand, and it could be a differentiator from the Ford Bronco or other utes looming on the horizon. The V6 is the same engine from the Ram and Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel models. In the Wrangler, it pumps out 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. – The Sky One-Touch power top is cool. With a touch of a button, the canopy of the roof scrolls back. Perfect for the urban or actual jungle. It's offered on Rubicon and Sahara four-door variants. – What they didn't do: The speculation surrounding the Wrangler's future hit a fever pitch in 2015, and most of rumors didn't pan out. It's still built in Toledo, Ohio and it's still body on frame. – Some of the rumors were (kinda) on point. Aluminum was used, fairly extensively. The doors, door hinges and front fenders are aluminum. The rear swing gate is magnesium. No one was speculating on that one. – The badges are cool, and Wrangler enthusiasts will love them. There's one on the swing gate that harks back to the Willys predecessors and offers cool stats, like the fording depth of 30 inches. There's also a silhouette on the shifter and the steering wheel is meant to conjure the image of the Y-shaped ones on military vehicles. You kind of need to squint for that one, but there's plenty of other Easter Eggs.