1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Sport Utility 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Jeep Cherokee appears in Chrysler's second Super Bowl spot

The second of three spots produced by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for this year's Super Bowl featured the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Aired during the game's half time show, the minute-long ad didn't strike as anything new or innovative from an automaker with a reputation for above average Super Bowl spots, but it did show the controversially styled Cherokee in the best light possible.
Called Restless, the commercial shows young, adventurous types doing the sorts of things that young, adventurous types do: surfing, skateboarding, cliff jumping, staring off into the sky with a pensive expression, etc. Scroll down to watch Restless for yourself and let us know in Comments if Jeep managed to hold your attention during half time.

Detroit gets ready to train up workers for coming FCA Jeep job boom

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles this week announced a $4.5 billion investment that would bring 6,500 new manufacturing jobs to Detroit and its suburbs and, nearly two years before the first new vehicles will even roll off the line, the city already is taking steps to ensure it can provide enough workers with the needed skills. Detroit's economy was once dominated by automotive manufacturing, but since the industry's gradual migration from the metro area it has suffered among the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. Not long ago, Detroit was struggling to provide basic services, culminating in bankruptcy in 2013. Providing job training then would have been a tall order. But in its recovery, the city has overhauled its training programs and slowly built a track record for preparing people for specific jobs. "We're not starting from scratch," Jeff Donofrio, the city's executive director of workforce development, said Wednesday, a day after the Italian-American automaker announced its plan . "We want to make sure we're prepared for all the ... jobs that will come to the city as a result of the investments." The city works with two high schools, a community college and a workforce development organization, in partnerships with the auto union and companies, to tailor training programs for positions in manufacturing, construction, information technology and health care. Detroit worked closely with global auto parts supplier Flex-N-Gate to ensure Detroiters were handed jobs when the company last year opened a plant in what officials described as the largest investment in the city in two decades. The city and company developed customized training with the nonprofit Focus: Hope, which prioritizes workforce development and education. "About 250 individuals went through that training and a vast majority were hired by Flex-N-Gate," Donofrio said. With tax breaks and land acquisitions still to be hammered out, Fiat Chrysler's specific workforce needs have yet to be revealed. But Donofrio insists that the city has a growing force of eligible workers: Detroit last year enrolled about 2,500 people in training leading to a credential for a specific job, up from about 700 two years earlier. Some prospective FCA jobs could be offered to laid-off Fiat Chrysler workers or those already working for the company on a temporary basis, and United Auto Workers officials say many of them are already in Detroit.

NYIAS: 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, ooh-rah!

I was very happy to see Jeep offer a stand-alone, off-road-oriented model to the Grand Cherokee for 2017, the Trailhawk. This is not the first time for a GC Trailhawk, as they offered a limited run a few years ago to see if there might be a market for such a model. Looks like there is, as there are Trailhawk models for the Cherokee and Renegade, and now the Grand Cherokee as well. Just to be clear here, Jeep has always offered off-road ready packages (tow hooks, one inch more ground clearance, skid plates) for the Grand Cherokee and Cherokee in the past. They were called "Up Country," or more recently, "Off Road" groups. That was all well and good but, at least where I was living, almost impossible to find. Rarely would you ever find one so-equipped on dealer lots. If you ever saw one on the street, most likely the owner special-ordered it. Having said that, now that I'm living by the beach, I am seeing a few Up Country-equipped older Jeeps; not many, but more than I've seen in the past. As to the new Cherokee and Renegade Trailhawks; I'm seeing a bunch of them. It took a little while for the public to discover this trim level, but now I see them everywhere. Must be the orange tow hooks? Speaking of orange tow hooks... I'm not a big fan of them. Tow hooks for sure, orange ones, not so much; same with the matte black hood decal, not a fan. If I were ever to get a Trailhawk, it would be either dark gray or black, as that effectively hides the hood decal. So Jeep has packaged the Trailhawk as a premium model within each respective model line. While I fully understand the thinking, I do wish Jeep would also offer an entry-level off-road model, one with all the Trailhawk off-road goodness, but minus all the visual and luxury fluff. A lot of off-roaders don't want to pay, or can't pay top dollar for stuff they don't want or need. As to a name, how about "Trail," that being Trailhawk minus the "hawk;" or perhaps "Pioneer?" That's an old name from Cherokees of yesteryear. Back then the Pioneer was positioned as a mid-low level model. I think either name would work well for a back-to-basics-off-road-focused Cherokee and/or Renegade. Content it like the current entry-level Sport or mid-level Latitude models, but include the Trailhawk's off-road prowess. The Grand Cherokee should probably pass on that suggestion, as it would run counter to that model's high-end image. Related Video: Image Credit: Jeep Jeep open road