Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

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Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

View the original article here

Jeep Grand Wagoneer Poised For 2014 Return: Report

Newsletter Stay up to date on car reviews, buying guides, articles and more The last full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer rolled off the assembly line in 1991, although the nameplate survived on the high-end, mid-size Jeep Grand Cherokee until 1993. Time really hasn’t diminished the demand for the full-size Grand Wagoneers, and clean, low-mileage used examples today can fetch prices topping $30,000.

Chrysler is well aware of this, so the automaker began discussing plans for the rebirth of the American icon earlier this year. Originally planned as a 2013 model, the realities of the global market have now pushed back the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s launch to 2014, according to documents published on Carscoop.

Here’s what we know so far: the new seven-seat Grand Wagoneer will share a platform with the recently announced Maserati Kubang. The Jeep will likely get Pentastar V-6 and HEMI V-8 engine choices, and will lean heavily towards the luxury side of the market. Think of it as a competitor to the Cadillac Escalade, not the Ford Expedition.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer will top Jeep’s range, which will begin with a new B-segment entry in 2014 to compete against compact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen Tiguan. Jeep will also have a single replacement for the Compass / Patriot in the C-segment, and will have a replacement for the Liberty in the D-segment.

Look for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee nameplates to continue largely unchanged (except for refreshes), as Jeep works to grow sales from 400,000 units in 2010 to a stated goal of 800,000 units in 2014.

View the original article here

Group calls ’93-’04 Jeep Grand Cherokee “most dangerous vehicle,” demands fuel tank recall

Fuel tanks mounted between the rear axle and the rear bumper on the first two generations of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee are cause for concern, says the Center for Automotive Safety.

“For the Center for Auto Safety, this is the most dangerous vehicle on the road today and we want it recalled,” said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the advocacy organization, in an interview with ABC News.

The safety watchdog group is putting pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Chrysler to recall about 2.2 million Jeeps, some of which are almost 20 years old, over fears that the tanks could rupture and leak fuel in a rear impact. Those Grand Cherokees had a composite fuel tank located just behind the rear bumper. Some Grand Cherokees were equipped with steel skid plates, but most had little shielding.

The first generation Grand Cherokee, which went on sale in 1992, and the second generation model, which went on sale in 1998, are both the targets of the Center for Auto Safety’s investigation.

When the Grand Cherokee was redesigned for its third generation in 2005, Chrysler moved the fuel tank ahead of the rear axle. The fourth generation 2011 model continues this placement for its tank.

“You can have the tank itself rupture, you can have the filler hoses pull off as they did in some of our crash tests, and it’s just a terrible design,” Ditlow said.

The Center for Auto Safety says it has turned over its own crash test results to the government, which is now investigating the Grand Cherokees.

Chrysler, meanwhile, says that the watchdog group’s testing was “three times as severe” as NHTSA’s government standard. Furthermore, Chrysler says that “rear impacts resulting in a fire are extremely rare… [and] occur no more often in 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles than in peer vehicles.”

References
1.’Safety advocates demand…’ view

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World Series champ Lenny Dykstra facing grand theft auto charges

Former slugger Lenny “Nails” Dykstra was arrested Monday on charges of running a car theft ring with two other cohorts. The trio managed to make off with three vehicles after giving false information to a Southern California dealership.

No stranger to legal trouble, Dykstra is now facing 25 charges related to the incident, including several counts of grand theft auto. Los Angeles County prosecutors say Dykstra, along with his accountant Robert Hymersand friend Christopher Gavanis, attempted to lease vehicles from two dealerships with phony information. Although the first two dealerships didn’t bite, the third one did.

“He has scammed everybody he knows,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Alex Karkanen said. “They faked pay stubs. They faked income information for the company. They made it all up on a laser printer at home. And when the dealers asked for a co-signer, they said their financial officer would sign.” That financial officer turned out to be one of Hymersand’s unsuspecting clients.

The alleged car bandits made off with a Ford Flex, Mustang and Lincoln MKS. The cars are now back in the possession of the dealer, but Dykstra maintains his innocence.

“Of course I’m not guilty,” Dykstra told the Daily News of New York on Monday. “The car got stolen alright – stolen by them. I don’t have it anymore.”

Adding insult to injury, police also found cocaine, Ecstasy and somatropin, a form of human growth hormone, when raiding Dykstra’s house.

Dykstra, already facing charges related to bankruptcy fraud, could spend up to 12 years in prison if convicted on his latest charges.

References
1.’Lenny Dykstra charged…’ view
2.’Lenny Dykstra hit…’ view

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Grand opening: VW’s U.S. plant to begin production next week

Friday, May 20th, 2011 @ 10:18 a.m.

It’s been a long time in the making but Volkswagen will finally open its Chattanooga, Tennessee production plant next Tuesday. The Tennessee factory will play a crucial role in VW’s plan to sell 1 million vehicles annually in the U.S. by 2018.

Because of its importance, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has taken an active interest in the plant, which will initially make a U.S.-specific version of the Passat sedan. Winterkorn has been involved with pretty much every aspect of the plant, from employee training to the final say on interior trim pieces.

“I have to look at the parts from above, just the way customers will in the car,” Winterkorn said as he examined the chrome trim destined for the Passat’s interior.

The $1 billion plant represents VW’s first U.S. factory since it closed the doors to its Westmoreland, Pennsylvania plant in 1988. The plant will produce up to 150,000 Passats per year, but could be expanded to produce other VW models. An SUV “beefier” than the Touareg has been rumored for the plant, and it’s possible VW could produce some Audi models there. However, no official plans are yet in place.

The Tennessee-built Passats are expected to arrive on VW lots this fall.

References
1.’VW rediscovers…’ view

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Arrival: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

From the July, 2011 issue of Motor Trend / Photography by Jessica Germiller The 2011 Grand Cherokee is easily the most important vehicle Jeep has launched in the past few years in terms of finances and image. It had to not only be capable enough off-road to silence the purists who were likely to balk at its lack of solid axles, but also refined and luxurious enough to appeal to the broad range of demanding customers in its cutthroat midsize SUV segment. Given the shortage of angry Internet posts about its TrailRated badge and 68-percent year-on-year sales increase in 2010, Jeep seems to have hit the mark. While we've had some experience with the latest and greatest Jeep-we gave it the trial-by-fire treatment against a Land Rover LR4 and a Toyota 4Runner (October 2010) and tortured it at Sport/Utility of the Year (December 2011) -- we wanted to spend some more time with one, so we hit up Auburn Hills and convinced Jeep to part with one for a year. We all know the Hemi V-8 is good, so we asked Jeep to send us a version equipped with the shiny new Pentastar V-6 (ruling out the V-8-only range-topping Overland model). Jeep promptly obliged and handed over the keys to a nicely equipped silver-on-black Limited 4x4.

This flavor of Grand Cherokee starts at $39,995, but ours came with a few extras. Making things more comfortable for us is the $1495 Luxury Group II package, which provides a heated steering wheel, the ever-convenient power tailgate, power-adjustable steering column, and cooled front seats that will surely prove useful when the thermometer hits triple digits. Jeep also figured we'd be taking it off-road, so the equipment list includes skidplates, off-road tires, and a full-size spare via the $650 Off-Road Adventure I package. With destination, the total price is $42,040. One detail we couldn't option out was a replacement for the standard five-speed automatic. We've docked the Jeep points in the past for its shortage of cogs, and that's sure to be a common point of conversation during its stay. We'll find out in the coming months if the Jeep's overall appeal and balanced combination of luxury and capability will be enough to overlook this shortcoming and turn the whole staff into fans. For now, we're just getting acquainted. Again.

Front engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV 3.6L/290-hp/260-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6

Motor Trend Rating:

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