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China-market Jeep Grand Commander coming to U.S. as a Chrysler?

There's nothing like winding down the year with news to spin heads, eh? Allpar cites "sources" as suggesting the Chinese-market Jeep Grand Commander will come to the U.S. as a Chrysler. This Speculation with a capital "S" has several rationales. The late Sergio Marchionne said Chrysler will focus on utility and not sell cars, making it fit for a new three-row crossover. The road-focused Grand Commander couldn't live up to U.S. perceptions of Jeep values, which is why the lateral brand move. A new model would give the Pentastar a second nameplate alongside the Pacifica, since the 300 sedan dies come 2020. And a big Chrysler school runner would allow the near-immortal Dodge Journey to end its life with something approaching dignity. The Grand Commander, a stretched version of our Cherokee with three rows, uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 231 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The 192-inch long SUV is ten inches longer than the Cherokee, and 2.2 inches longer than the Grand Cherokee. Carmakers bring a host of not-for-U.S. metal over here, so this doesn't signal production intent, but sharp eyes caught the Grand Commander on Michigan streets in March. The white high-rider carried its Chinese badging, and was bereft of camo other than tape over the door handles. Allpar says a domestic version wouldn't be built in China, but either in the Belvidere, Ill. plant that builds the Cherokee, or in facilities in Windsor, Canada or Toluca, Mexico. Should these events come to pass, Chrysler would soon have four models: Pacifica, a production version of Portal concept, a crossover based on the Pacifica, and the rebranded Jeep. Ready for more? Allpar also says there are "rumors of a Chrysler-badged crossover version of [the Dodge] Charger." FCA leaving Chrysler and Dodge out of the FCA five-year roadmap earlier this year leaves a vacuum ripe for, shall we say, Chinese whispers. We're not saying all of this won't happen, but put these prognostications in one place and it starts to read like a wrinkle in time, it's all so fabulous. Remember, the last we heard about the Dodge Journey, it was going to become an Alfa Romeo-based performance crossover headed to dealerships next year. The best we can suggest for now is to stay tuned. Related Video:

2018 Jeep Wrangler revealed: First photos released before L.A. Auto Show debut

All the guessing and speculation on the look of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler can finally end. Jeep has released a trio of photos showing off the new off-roader in both two- and four-door configurations. Sadly, this is all we get to see at the moment, as the company won't be releasing any more photos or info until the truck's official debut at the Los Angeles auto show Nov. 29. But Wrangler fans can rest easy about a number of key features. For one thing, there isn't a single aspect of open air motoring left out of the new truck. As one of the images clearly shows, the doors come off, the top comes off, and the windshield still folds down. Other interesting notes include that the gas filler is hidden behind a door now. The hood still has the traditional external clips. Interestingly, the roll bar doesn't reach as close to the edge of the body as it has in past Wranglers. It will be interesting to learn the reason for this. It could have something to do with safety, or perhaps it helps accommodate thicker, quieter hardtops and/or a more elegantly lowered soft top. There are no engine, transmission, or other specifications yet. Those will all come at the aforementioned reveal in LA. However, we expect it to be initially offered with a V6 with either manual or automatic transmissions, followed by a turbocharged four-cylinder with just an automatic. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Jeep Wrangler Image Credit: Jeep LA Auto Show Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles

Jeep Wrangler pickup expected to hit dealer showrooms April 2019

Automotive News, after speaking with Fiat- Chrysler dealers after the one of the carmaker's meetings last week, found out the coming Jeep Wrangler pickup should hit dealers in April 2019. The dealers said that was the only new bit of information in the hour-long confab. We know Wrangler pickup production begins in the fourth quarter of this year, but we don't know when we'll get our first look at the bedded Jeep. With fully-camoed prototypes still roaming the streets less eight weeks ago, a public introduction could wait until this year's LA Auto Show, one year after the standard Wrangler broke cover and in the same place. Nor do we know exactly what we'll be seeing yet, and that goes for the name, too; Jeep has kept an admirably tight lid on leaks. Based on all of the spy shots so far, we're looking at a four-door Unlimited with a short bed. Previous speculation about a two-door Wrangler pickup appears to have gotten no further than speculation, at least for now. It's easy to assume that the Jeep utility vehicle will come with the same three engine choices as the rest of the lineup - the 268-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, the 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 442 pound-feet of torque. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he expects to see 100,000 Wrangler pickups sold each year, which is about 56 percent of the Wrangler's current U.S. and European volume, so it makes sense to put everything on the menu. Jeep made the Comanche pickup until 1992, but that was based on the Cherokee; the last Wrangler pickup was the 1986 CJ-8 Scrambler. Come April 2019, the cargo-centric Wrangler will enter a growing segment already humming with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier, and awaiting the much anticipated Ford Ranger and brand new Frontier. The Wrangler would be the only member of the club to offer a convertible top, though. People are still keeping an eye on Ram, too. It wasn't so long ago that Marchionne said "Ram needs to be in that space." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Scrambler Spy Shots View 21 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub req'd via Carscoops Auto News Jeep Truck SUV Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup jeep scrambler