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Jeep Wrangler won't get those cutout half doors after all

Let's just make one thing clear right off the bat: If you want to go off-roading and you want an open-air experience, a Jeep Wrangler is probably the right vehicle for you. Really, the Wrangler has always been about enjoying the outdoors with as little between its occupants and the great outdoors as legally possible. That's why the top comes off, the doors stay home, and the windshield folds flat. All that said, however, one cool bit of show-car desirability reportedly won't make into production. Those crazy cutout doors that caught so much attention at the Wrangler JL's debut at the L.A. Auto Show won't be available from Jeep. For now we're reporting this as a rumor, but the report from Jalopnik seems legit. We have a request for comment in to Jeep and will report with confirmation when we hear back. Apparently — and despite the fact that the doors appeared on otherwise production-spec Wrangler models shown to the media and public show goers — Jeep says the cutout half doors were "always a prototype." In the end, traditional half doors were deemed the best option for production. We don't really disagree with the notion that traditional half doors are a better idea than the "prototype" cutout doors, especially considering how much effort went into making the JL Wrangler's doors easier to remove than past versions. Plus, the aftermarket is rife with accessory doors and panels to choose from if the regular or optional half doors aren't to your liking. Still, we're sure some Wrangler JL intenders were looking forward to those unique donut-style metal doors, and so we must pass the disappointment in their direction. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Say goodbye to the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne outlined an update to the company's five-year business plan Wednesday, and among the changes, the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 sedans will soon be phased out. The company's presentation to investors states that the "market shift from cars to trucks and UVs [utility vehicles is] now seen as permanent shift in demand," and FCA wants to respond as quickly as possible. Killing the 200 and Dart will allow FCA to build more Jeep and Ram models at the Sterling Heights, MI, and Belvidere, IL, plants where the sedans were produced. We already knew FCA was planning to shift 200 and Dart production to Mexico, to free up the Sterling Heights facility for Ram 1500 production, and the Belivdere site for Jeep Cherokee output. The Cherokee will move from its current home in Toledo, OH, to allow for increased Wrangler production. It's no shock that FCA wants to shift its focus to crossovers and trucks. In December 2015, for example, combined sales of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 were 15,310. The Jeep Cherokee, which uses the same platform as the Dart and 200, outsold both models combined, with 24,049 sales. Both the Dart and 200 had troubles from the beginning. Marchionne recently blamed designers for the 200 not receiving a Consumer Reports 'recommended' rating, and the Dart was one of the lowest-scoring cars in a CR reliability study. Featured Gallery 2013 Dodge Dart: Review View 27 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Chrysler 200 View 43 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM FCA confirmed

EPA suspected Fiat Chrysler of using 'defeat device' in 2015

U.S. regulators told Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in November 2015 that they suspected some of the automaker's vehicles were equipped with secret software allowing them to violate emission control standards, according to emails disclosed on Friday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board accused Fiat Chrysler in January of using the software, known as a "defeat device," to illegally allow excess diesel emissions in 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks built between 2014 and 2016. Byron Bunker, director of the EPA's Transportation and Air Quality compliance division, said in a January 2016 email to Fiat Chrysler, obtained by Reuters under the Freedom of Information Act, that he was "very concerned about the unacceptably slow pace" of the automaker's efforts to explain high nitrogen oxide emissions from some of its vehicles. Nitrogen oxide is linked to smog formation and respiratory problems. Bunker's email said the EPA had told Fiat Chrysler officials at a November 2015 meeting that at least one auxiliary emissions control device on the car maker's vehicles appeared to violate the agency's regulations. Mike Dahl, head of vehicle safety and regulatory compliance for Fiat Chrysler's U.S. unit, responded in a separate email that the company was working diligently and understood the EPA's concerns. He added that if the EPA identified Fiat Chrysler vehicles as containing defeat devices it would result in "potentially significant regulatory and commercial consequences." The documents redacted the vehicles named, but two officials briefed on the matter said they referred to diesel models. The EPA's November 2015 meeting with Fiat Chrysler came two months after Volkswagen AG, mired in a major tailpipe emissions scandal, admitted to installing secret defeat device software in hundreds of thousands of U.S. diesel cars to make them appear cleaner than they were on the road.