Jeep auto news

REPORT: Chrysler christens Brandon Faurote as new chief designer

When Sergio Marchionne revamped Fiat, he installed new designers at each company division and charged them with creating products that would define each brand and move metal. Marchionne has apparently done the same with Chrysler, putting Brandon Faurote in charge of Chrysler, Joseph Dehner in at Dodge, and Mark Allen in at Jeep.

Faurote has been with the Pentastar since he was 22, and has worked on offerings like the 1999 Jeep Cherokee and the 2001 Chrysler and Dodge minivans. Since 2003, his title has been Chief Designer - Advanced Product Design, and he's given us concept cars like the 2005 Chrysler Firepower (pictured). He's also given us the Chrysler Imperial, so we pray his eye for the brand leads more toward artillery than royalty.

Joseph Dehner leads the Dodge charge and has the Crossfire and 2001 Chrysler Sebring in his quiver... but also the exterior design of the 2007 Sebring. Mark Allen has the the 2006 Jeep Wrangler and 2009 Dodge Ram 150 to take credit for, as well as super cool Jeep concepts like the Jeep JT and Jeep J8 Sarge. Here's to hoping Fiat encourages - and pays for - them to give us their best. Hat tip to 13enS!

Gallery: Chrysler Firepower Concept

Autoblog Comparo: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vs. Hummer H3T

Last year, we compared the dirtside manners of the Hummer H2 and Toyota Land Cruiser. Both trucks did everything we asked of them, but at the end of the excursion we were left with another question begging to be answered: could the Hummer H3T stand up to the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon? These cruiserweights live on a fatter part of the buying curve, and any time a Jeep is summoned to the ring, the other vehicle is inevitably the challenger. Even though the H3T is still relatively new to the world, it came time to find out if it was ready to stand up and fight for its place. Follow the jump to see how it held up.

Gallery: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vs. Hummer H3T

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Autoblog Comparo: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vs. Hummer H3T

Future Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Fiat product plans revealed?

According to automotive consulting firm IHS Global Insight, the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineups are going to look drastically different over the next few years under Fiat control. No surprises there, but the report goes on the forecast which current Chrysler vehicles will be dropped and which ones will be transferred to new platforms. We've already heard that the next Alfa Romeo 169 sedan will be built atop Chrysler's LX platform in Ontario, Canada and that the Fiat 500 will be built ASAP in Toluca, Mexico, but that's only the beginning.

If IHS is right, joining the 500 in Toluca will be the Jeep Panda, which, as you may have guessed, will be a version of the Fiat Panda wearing Jeep's trademark seven-slot grille. Furthermore, Alfa Romeo may get two new SUVs that would be built in Jeep factories in Jefferson, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio - one midsize 'ute called the GTX that's based on the WL platform that underpins the Jeep Grand Cherokee and a smaller one built on Fiat's C-EVO platform, which will also underpin the next Jeep Liberty. That leaves the unloved Jeep Compass and its somewhat more likable brother, the Patriot, to die slow and inglorious death.

Fiat's C-EVO platform will also spawn the next-gen Dodge Journey, Chrysler Sebring (and presumably the Dodge Avenger if it survives past its current form), and Dodge Caliber. Moving downward in size a notch will (finally) be the Dodge Hornet, which will forgo Bad Chrysler's old deal with Nissan in order to share its Fiat 199 platform with the Alfa Romeo MiTo, both of which will be assembled in Belvidere, Illinois sometime in 2011. Thanks for the tip, Dad!

Gallery: Alfa Romeo Kamal concept

Dealership has five days to sell entire inventory

The soon to be terminated 789 Chrysler dealerships have all of five days to sell thousands of Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models, or else the damned dealers may have to eat their remaining inventory. When the termination letters went out on May 14, the pink-slipped dealers had 44,000 new cars and trucks on their lots, and there are still plenty of vehicles left to sell. Times are tough for the 789 closing Chrysler dealerships, but for customers looking to get into a new Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep, this may be the best time ever to get off the sidelines and buy.

Virginia dealer Pohanka Chrysler-Dodge is having an "everything must go" sale to rid itself of its remaining models, and the deals are reportedly off the charts. The dealer's sales team already moved 80 models since the notices went out, leaving a substantial 40 vehicles to be sold off in less than five days. One woman, who was interviewed by CNN, received 40% off of the price of a well-appointed Dodge Nitro. The midsized SUV carried a $29,170 price tag, but she paid only $17,510. With only five days left to sell its remaining vehicles, dealer Ray O'Bryhim says he may have to discount vehicles even further to avoid losing big with unused inventory.

Since Chrysler is in bankruptcy proceedings, it isn't obligated to buy back any leftover inventory, and the dealers aren't legally able to sell new Chrysler products without a franchise license, which they'll lose after their contracts expire in five days. Chrysler points out that since it hasn't produced vehicles since May 1, many dealers are hungry for inventory, and they've been buying vehicles from the soon to be closing retail stores.

Gallery: Closing Chrysler dealer sale

REPORT: Chrysler to send existing customers $1,000 certificate to stoke sales

During a dealer web-cast, Chrysler announced plans to send certificates worth $1,000 towards the purchase of a new vehicle to existing customers in an attempt to boost the automaker's sales during Chapter 11 reorganization. The certificates will be joined by a letter from Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli (if you get one, we want a copy), and will supposedly reach some nine million current Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep owners. We don't know when they'll start hitting mailboxes, but according to the Wall Street Journal, the deal will be good through the end of June.

Group says Chrysler resale value slips 6% in week following bankruptcy filing

Tipping after Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy, the automaker's Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep branded vehicles are facing rapidly dwindling resale values according to a research group. In a report by the Automotive Leasing Guide, secondary values are down an average of 6% across the board for most three-year-old Chrysler vehicles.

As an example, before the bankruptcy filing, a three-year old Jeep was worth 38.4% of its original sales price. After the announcement, Jeep values dropped to 32.4%. Dodge values went from 37.3% to 31.2% post filing, while Chrysler values, the lowest of the three initially (and nothing to really brag about anyway), dropped from 34.8% to a dismal 28.8%. In case you were wondering, three-year old Toyotas sell for about 45.5% of their original price.

The 2011 Jeep Phoenix... why not?

With Chrysler's proposed alliance with Fiat all but a done deal, people have begun turning their attention towards the Italian automaker's vehicle line up and creating a wish list of which ones they'd like to see for sale over here in the U.S. Thing is, those people should keep in mind that any Fiat making the long trek overseas may not be badged a Fiat when it arrives. Before any Fiat sets foot on these shores, it may be transformed into a Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep model. And so we present you this, the 2011 Jeep Phoenix, a wish for what might be when Chrysler starts getting new vehicles from Fiat. The owner of this idea claims the Fiat Panda Cross 4x4 is an eminently suitable canvas on which to create a small, fuel efficient yet very capable Jeep. While never having driven the Panda ourselves, we've been hearing Europeans rave about it for some time. And for some reason, the Phoenix strikes us as less antithetical to the Jeep ethos than the Compass does. Check out the gallery below for more renderings and let us know if you think the Panda could cut it as a Jeep.

Gallery: 2011 Jeep Phoenix

Chrysler launches May incentives worth up to $6,000

Chrysler doesn't have time for assurance programs and payment protection plans. So unlike General Motors and Ford, the Auburn Hills-based automaker has launched a new incentive program for May that gives consumers back what they want most: money, and lots of it. Beginning today, Chrysler is offering $4,000 Consumer Cash on all 2009 model year Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. But that's not all, if you own a current vehicle from one of those three brands, you get an additional $1,000 off on most 2008 and 2009 models (Chrysler doesn't say which ones in its press release after the jump, though). But wait, there's more. Finance your vehicle through one of 1,500 credit unions participating in the "Invest in America" program and you get another $1,000 off. Break out the abacus and you'll see that a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicle could come with a coupon worth up to $6,000 off. Chrysler says consumers have made it clear that the net purchase price of a vehicle is the most important factor in determining whether or not they're going to buy, so these new incentives that last through June 1st are designed to address that factor in a big, big way.

Continue reading Chrysler launches May incentives worth up to $6,000

Future Classic: Jeep XJ Cherokee

It's easy to deride American Motors Corporation as mediocre to the point of failure. Legions of fans will argue vehemently that the last independent was a nimble innovator that consistently outflanked the competition with creative, clever products. In fact, the final vestiges of the company have just been worn away by the sands of the current decade, even though Chrysler hungrily swallowed up AMC for its Jeep property in 1987.

Jeep's value is undeniable. Just as it was the crown jewel in AMC's portfolio, it's likely the most valuable asset Chrysler has right now, too. There's been further depth to the Jeep line virtually since the beginning, with offerings like the Willys Jeep Wagon, Jeepster, Cherokee/Wagoneer, and J-series pickups expanding options for buyers. While those vehicles all trended toward larger, more deluxe offerings, one Jeep vehicle helped start a movement that's still with us.

Gallery: Jeep Cherokee Future Classic

Continue reading Future Classic: Jeep XJ Cherokee

Jeep recalling more than 47,000 Liberty, Commander, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler models