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Chrysler highlights Mopar lineup for SEMA

SEMA is all about aftermarket parts, and in Auburn Hills that all comes down to one name: Mopar. After having previewed its lineup for this year's Vegas tuner expo earlier this month, Chrysler has now revealed what may not quite be its full dossier of modified show cars, but a good portion of them.
All told Mopar is preparing 20 vehicles for display at SEMA this year. Among them you'll find the Ram Sun Chaser, a 1500 Quad Cab show truck kitted out in two-tone orange and black paint, a roof rack for surfboards, onboard shower and convertible tailgate. The white Fiat 500L is called the Adventurer and is modified for a more rugged look that could hint at the upcoming crossover version. The Jeep Cherokee Trail Carver upgrades on the Trailhawk package with everything from roof basket to rock rails. To counterbalance the off-roaders, there's also a modified Chrysler 300S with a deep black paint job, special grille, Varvatos-edition wheels and more.
All four concepts details so far have Katzkin interiors as well, and there's also an unspecified Dodge Durango with a storm-trooper look in the gallery above. But for more details on what Mopar has installed on the Ram, 500L, Cherokee and 300, you'll want to delve into the press release below.

Inexperienced Jeep driver buries his Wrangler at sea

There's an old maxim in off-roading that states, "Four-wheel drive doesn't keep you from getting stuck, it just gets you stuck in worse places." The truth of this statement was perfectly illustrated recently in a YouTube video of a Jeep Wrangler digging its own grave at the beach. On May 11, a YouTuber named Dan M uploaded a video he titled, "Drunk guy doesn't know how to off-road and ruins nice Jeep." The video, shot at dusk on a rocky looking beach, shows a blue Wrangler driving out into the surf without a care in the world. Dan, providing commentary along with an unseen female companion, was impressed with the Jeep driver's dash at first. "Wow, he must do that a lot because he ain't scared of getting stuck or anything," said Dan. As the Wrangler got deeper into the water, the Dan's friend expressed her doubts that the Jeep driver would make it out, especially when the Jeep got snagged on a little spit of sand sticking out into the water. Dan wasn't worried, however. "No, he'll manage to get out of there, he'll make it out of there. He'll back out and get out," he said. Dan's confidence in the Jeep driver was sadly misplaced, unfortunately. The driver managed to get the Jeep stuck on the sand bar then made the rookiest of rookie mistakes–he just gunned it. "Oh man, he's done! He's done!" yelled Dan as the Jeep driver proceeded to dig a huge hole in the sand that sunk the Wrangler up to its frame just as the tide started coming in. With that kind of dunking, especially in salt water, that Wrangler was probably a total loss, much like the Grand Cherokee that got washed downriver last week somewhere in Europe. Related Video: News Source: YouTube Weird Car News Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles wrangler beach

Massachusetts man charged $48,000 for a tow [w/video]

Tow truck operators are right up there with landlords and IRS auditors on the list of professionals you don't want to deal with. A man in Massachusetts has all the more reason to avoid a tow after he was hit with a $48,000 bill, Fox 25 reports. Joel Ramer and his girlfriend were off-roading in Walpole, MA last week when they wandered were they shouldn't have. They landed in a mud pit on private property. Ramer said it took Assured Collision towing company 12 hours to free his vehicle from the muck. But when he got the bill for the tow, he thought the accounting department must have been off by a decimal. "When I went to pick up the vehicle from Assured Collision, he'd informed me there was some damage done to the vehicle, but didn't get into details. He also informed me the bill was $48,000," Ramer told Fox. "I thought they made a mistake." The phrase 'some damage' was putting it lightly. Ramer says Assured Collision totaled his Jeep. "Frame is broken, leaf spring is broken, drive shaft is broken," Ramer said. The itemized bill showed Ramer exactly what he was paying for. Assured Collision charged him $16,000 for an on-scene supervisor. That's $1,250 an hour. The Statewide Towing Association told Fox 25 that the actual industry standard is $175-$325 an hour. The company also claimed that power lines put them at risk, calling it a "hazmat situation." That allowed them to tack on another $5,000 fee for dangerous condition liability insurance. Finally, there was an extra $10,000 fee for an off-road recovery incident response unit. Insurance won't help with the cost of the tow, so Ramer's broke Jeep is in Assured Collision's hands. On top of the enormous bill and busted Jeep, Ramer was arrested and cited for trespassing on land owned by a utility company and disturbing the peace. Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston