1981 Cj5 Jeep Soft Top, Ps, 3"lift, 4x4, 4spd, 4 Cyl, Rollbar, Alum Whls, on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Dongfeng and PSA extend Chinese joint venture

BEIJING/PARIS — China's Dongfeng and Peugeot maker PSA are extending their business cooperation, despite the Chinese company reducing its stake in PSA to help smooth the French carmaker's merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Dongfeng said on Thursday it had agreed with PSA to extend the duration of their joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA). Under the deal, the venture could get the rights to PSA's new brands in China and will benefit from new technologies and intellectual properties, the Chinese company said. PSA was not immediately available for comment. The announcement comes a day after the companies said Dongfeng would reduce its 12.2% stake in PSA by selling 30.7 million shares to the French company. Analysts said the move could smooth U.S. regulatory approval for PSA's roughly $50 billion (GBP38.97 billion) merger with Italian-American carmaker FCA. The sale of Dongfeng's shares in PSA, worth around 680 million euros ($757 million), will leave the Chinese group holding around 4.5% of the merged PSA-FCA, which is set to become the world's fourth-biggest carmaker by sales volumes. "As the cooperation between Dongfeng and PSA deepens, we expect the joint venture to continue making good progress in China," a Dongfeng representative said. On a conference call, Dongfeng said DPCA would have exclusive rights to PSA's Opel cars should the partners agree to bring the brand to China, and enjoy lower prices on car parts imported from PSA. Earlier this year, a document seen by Reuters showed Dongfeng and PSA plan to cut jobs at Wuhan-based DPCA and reduce its number of car plants to try to make the venture more profitable. Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot China FCA PSA Dongfeng

New 2018 Jeep Wrangler is definitely a Jeep Wrangler

Jeep is hiding details on the new Wrangler about as well as a colander holds water. The good people over at JL Wrangler Forums have managed to get ahold of some new images of the next-gen Wrangler. Surprise! It looks exactly how we expected it to look. These new images give us our best view yet, showing a number of details that we couldn't even glean from spy photos. Enthusiasts can put down their pitchforks. The Wrangler can still go topless. The two images - one of the front and one of the rear - show off what appears to be a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. The second photo is notable since it finally confirms that the doors and roof are fully removable, a feature that some feared would disappear with the new model. It looks like a fixed roll cage will help strengthen the Wrangler and protect occupants in the case of an accident. Hinges up front mean the windshield is still able to fold forward as well. The rest of the Wrangler, though all new, just updates the Jeep's timeless design. Up front, the grille is canted rearward at the top, the fog lights move to the ends of the bumper, the turn signals move to the front of the fender, and the hood latches are pushed forward a bit. The windshield appears to be a bit more upright and less curved than the current model. Around the side, we can see new vents behind the rear fenders. The door hinges looks smaller, and the mirrors have integrated side marker lights. There is a new line that cuts below the windows, flowing to the rear of the Wrangler. At the back, we can see that the tail lights now wrap around to the Wrangler's side, though they still look like the square lights we've always had. There is no sight of a rear-mounted spare, but plenty of spy shots have shown that it should carry over, new backup camera and all. It also looks like the new mounting points for the roll cage should provide a bit more cargo space. Look for more news, images, and renders as the Wrangler's development moves along. Related Video:

Ford will put solid axles under the Bronco as the off-roading gods intended

We've been wondering what sort of creature the Bronco would be since we first heard of the thing last October, when a union chairman spilled the beans on the SUV and the Ranger pickup. Ford confirmed a 2020 arrival date for the Bronco at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, but at that point pretty much all we were sure of was that the Ranger and Bronco would be returning. The open question would be how hungry Ford was to spoil the Jeep Wrangler's solo party as a compact(ish) off-roader with dual solid axles, since the easiest thing would be to carry over the suspension design of the presumably related international Ford Ranger and its Everest SUV version: independent front suspension with either a leaf- (Ranger) or coil-suspended (Everest) solid rear axle. Enter Dana, the long-time supplier of Jeep stick axles, to confirm that the 2020 Bronco is getting a pair of them. That means solid axles front and rear, just like under a Wrangler. So reports Automotive News, citing an investor presentation from Dana. All signs so far, such as the report that the Bronco would be engineered by the same team in Australia that created the Ranger pickup, indicated that the Bronco would share a platform with the Ranger and thus be body-on-frame. The solid axle confirmation essentially confirms that theory. Some off-road-capable vehicles have paired solid axles with unibody frames, like the Jeep Cherokee (XJ generation) and Grand Cherokee (ZJ and WJ generations), but they are outliers. Generally, if you've got solid axles at both ends, they're going in a vehicle with a ladder frame. It also lends credence to the notion that our Bronco won't simply be an imported Everest, which might be too understated to stand out from lesser crossovers anyways. This is good news if you have Blue Oval in your blood and pine for a modern SUV that'll show up the Jeep guys on the trail. Less directly, it could mean a wholesale assault on the formula that makes Jeeps successful in the first place: the massive aftermarket of off-roading equipment and dress-up bits that appeal to Jeep buyers almost as much as a Trail Rated badge. At a minimum, Bronco enthusiasts can breathe easy that the reborn SUV won't merely be a light-duty crossover with styling "inspired" by true off-roaders. There's still a lot left to learn about the Bronco. Keep up to date with our running summary of everything we know about the returning off-roader.