Showing posts with label JEEP. Show all posts

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT600 New Design

The Hennessey-prepped Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT600 is once again in the center of attention of the Bulgarian design firm Vilner. Back in October 2010, the company had launched its first take on the Hennessey Grand Cherokee SRT600 that packs a modified V8 engine fitted with a "Vortech" turbo system for an output of 600-horses.
For its second go on the Jeep, Vilner completely revamped the interior with red and black Alcantara combined with black leather trimmed in red seams. The company says it also designed a new flat-bottom steering wheel with its shape customized to fit the owner's personal preferences.
As for the exterior, changes were limited to the new headlamps that incorporte LED daytime running lights.

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Chrysler Surpasses Ford as Canada’s Biggest Seller

Canada’s economy seems unaffected by most of the Western World’s woes, where markets are struggling and unemployment is booming. In fact,Canada’s economy is growing and as a result, unemployment is falling and people are getting jobs. Therefore, they have money to buy cars, or light trucks, pickups and SUVs.
“People who are getting jobs are opting for practical vehicles such as a crossover to get better mileage than a traditional SUV”, said Carlos Gomes, an economist at Scotia Capital. “You have the construction sector holding up very well, and that is positive for the pickup segment.”
This has worked very well for Chrysler, which in the first half of the year has overtaken Ford in light truck segment. That is because, with oil prices rising, new truck buyers are opting for more fuel-efficient models.
For instance, Chrysler’s Dodge Journey sales increased more than the SUVs of rivaling carmakers Ford and GM, the Escape and the Chevrolet Equinox respectively.
However, in total vehicles sales including cars, Ford still leads the market with a 17.4% share, having also beaten GM in 2010 for the first time in many decades. GM is second, with a 15.5% market share, but it can feel Chrysler breathing down its neck with 15.0% and only 4,000 vehicles difference in the first half of the year.

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New Chrysler 2012 SRT8 Models With Prices

The Chrysler Group’s newly formed Street and Racing Technology (SRT) brand has released pricing on its latest crop of models, which include the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8, the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 and the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

Prices together with an $825 destination fee start at $47,995 for the Chrysler 300 SRT8, $46,660 for the Dodge Charger SRT8, $44,077 for the Challenger SRT8 and $55,295 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

All four SRT8 models are powered by the Chrysler Group’s new 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with Fuel Saver Technology that cranks out 470 horsepower (351kW) and 470 lb-ft (637Nm) of peak torque (465 lb.-ft. / 630 Nm in the Grand Cherokee SRT8).

The key performance numbers for the four SRT8 models are as follow:

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8: 0-60 mph (96km/h) acceleration in the high 4-second range; quarter mile in high 12-second range; 0-100-0 mph (0-160km/h-0) in less than 16 seconds, top speed of 175 mph (281km/h) and stopping power from 60-0 mph in 120 feet.
2012 Dodge Charger SRT8: 0-60 mph acceleration in the high 4-second range; quarter mile in the high 12-second range; 0-100-0 mph in less than 16 seconds; top speed of 175 mph (281km/h) and stopping power from 60-0 mph in 120 feet.
2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392: 0-60 mph in the high 4-second range; runs the quarter mile in mid-12-second range with the automatic transmission (high 12-second range with the manual); goes from 0-100-0 mph in the low 15s, reaches a top speed of 182 mph (293 km/h) with the manual transmission (175 mph with the automatic) and stops from 60-0 mph in 117 feet.
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8: 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, 0-100-0 mph in the mid-16 second range, can cover the quarter mile in the mid-13 second range, has a top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h) , and brakes from 60-0 mph in 116 feet.

The Detroit automaker recently elevated the SRT in-house performance division to a separate company brand, which will design, engineer and build high-performance vehicles for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

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New Jeep JK-8 Kit Prices

Those of you that fancy turning your four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck will be happy to know that the firm’s much-talked about JK-8 Kit is available for order now through Mopar at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships, with pricing set at $5,499.

However, Jeep does note that the JK-8 kit, which comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, is for “skilled do-it-yourselfers”. For the less handy amongst us, the company said that the kit may be purchased and installed at a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram dealership.

Revealed for the first time to the public at this year’s Moab Jeep Safari, the JK-8 package borrows its styling cues from the 1980’s Jeep Scrambler CJ-8. The kit includes a steel bed, inner and outer bedsides, sport bar extensions, freedom panel assemblies, fiberglass hardtop and bulkhead.

Here’s how Mopar describes the two basic processes involved in the conversion and which concern disassembly and reassembly:

“In disassembly, each rear door is removed. Next, the rear-bumper assembly, hard top and Freedom Panels are removed, followed by the rear portion of the interior, which includes seats and carpeting. Exterior trim parts are removed and preserved; inner and outer body panels are removed by drilling out the spot welds, which allows the panels to fall away and avoids having to cut into the sheet metal. The rear sport bar is cut away and removed along with B-pillars.
Reassembly into a two-door pickup truck begins with installation of the B-pillars, cross member, floor-pan assembly (truck bed), and the inner and outer quarter panels (welding is involved in assembly). Next to be installed is the bulkhead reinforcement assembly and sport bar extensions, and finally the installation of the fiberglass bulkhead itself. The kit, with components delivered e-coated, is then prepped for paint. Windows are installed to the hard top, which is then installed on the vehicle. Exterior trim parts are then reinstalled.”

Mopar JK8 Body Weld Kit Complete (All parts are sold together in one complete kit)
Freedom Panels: Fiberglass panels over front seats.

Hardtop: Made from fiberglass, the hard top may be removed and features a sliding rear window.

Bulkhead: The bulkhead for the kit is made of fiberglass and separates the cab from the bed of the truck, and permanently attaches to the vehicle.

Bed: The spacious 44-inch by 50-inch bed features strong steel construction.

Inner/Outer Bed Panels: Bed panels are stamped sheet metal and provide durability and functionality.

Sport Bar Extensions: New sport bar extensions replace the rear portion of the sport bar that is removed for the conversion. These bars complement the structure of the vehicle.

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New Jeep Grand Cherokee Lands in the UK

Jeep claims that it has created the premium SUV market almost 20 years ago with the first generation of the Grand Cherokee (though Mercedes’ M-Class may actually have a better claim on the word “premium”, but whatever…). We’ve already seen the latest iteration of Jeep’s iconic 4x4, and we must admit that, on paper at least, it looks like a significant leap forward from its predecessors.

This is accomplished by being based on a new (Mercedes M-Class derived) platform which aims for much improved driving characteristics and cabin quality, while retaining the off-road capabilities that it has became famous for.

Now the Grand Cherokee is available in right-hand drive in the UK in two versions, Limited and Overland. Both are powered by a 237-bhp 3.0-litre CRD common-rail turbo diesel which offers improved fuel economy (Jeep claims up to 39/34 mpg (UK/US respectively), or 6,0 liters/100 km and a maximum range of 700 miles (1,125 km) – a sound choice given the oil prices in Europe and its buyers' dislike of fuel-guzzling SUVs.

Pricing for the new Grand Cherokee starts at £36,795 for the Limited edition, while the top-of-the-line Overland starts from £43,995. And then there’s, of course, the options list…

Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Equipment and pricing:

Limited (from £36,795)
Quadra-Trac II® 4WD system
3.0 CRD V6 237bhp
Thatcham Category 1 Alarm and Immobiliser
Selec-Terrain™ system
Bi-Xenon HID headlamps with headlamp washers and auto-levelling
Rain sensitive windscreen wipers
Air-conditioning with dual zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC)
Media Centre with 6.5'' touch screen display and 30GB hard drive with 6700 song capacity
Keyless Enter-N-Go™
18” Alloy wheels
Fog lamps
Illuminated entry
Hill Descent Control
Hill Start Assist
Bright exhaust tailpipes
Uconnect Bluetooth with voice command
iPod® connector with remote USB port
ParkSense® front and rear park assist system
ParkView® rear back-up camera
Leather trimmed seats
Heated front and rear seats
Power 8-way driver and passenger seat memory
Power tilt / telescopic steering column
Alpine surround sound system (9 speakers and subwoofer)
Tyre pressure monitoring display
Power folding multi-function door mirrors

Limited - Options
Rear DVD with single sunroof
CommandView panoramic sunroof
Performance pack (20" wheels with 265/60 R20 performance tyres, performance brakes and sports suspension)
Navigation & Luxury pack (Uconnect navigation system, heated steering wheel and power liftgate)
Deep-tint sunscreen glass
Overland (from £43,995)
Compared to the Limited, the Overland version adds the following:
20” alloy wheels
Performance brakes with sports suspension
Cargo net
Door courtesy lamps
Premium Nappa leather trimmed seats with contrast stitching
Ventilated front seats
Leather covered dashboard
Dark wood interior trim inserts
Deep-tint sunscreen glass
Power liftgate
Heated steering wheel
Quadra-Lift™ air suspension
CommandView panoramic sunroof
Overland interior detailing
Uconnect navigation system
Blind-spot and rear cross path detection
Adaptive cruise control
Forward collision warning

Optional equipment pricing:
Rear DVD with single sunroof (Limited) £1,700 RRP
Rear DVD with single sunroof retrofit (Overland) £700 RRP
CommandView panoramic sunroof (Limited)£1,200 RRP
Performance pack (Limited) £2,000 RRP
Navigation & Luxury pack (Limited) £1,500 RRP
Deep-tint sunscreen glass (Limited) £350 RRP

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Chrysler Seeks Fiat Synergies to Start Cars Production In China

China is the world’s largest car market: last year alone, more than 18 million vehicles were sold there, of which 13.76 million were passenger cars. Furthermore, analysts McKinsey & Company predict that it will grow tenfold between 2005 and 2030.

Do you want to know Chrysler’s share in this massive car market? A measly 31,000 in 2010 and a projection for just 40,000 in 2011. Therefore, it is only natural that the American carmaker is looking for ways to increase its share in this rapidly expanding market.

Problem is, you just don’t walk into China and start building cars: “To find a partner, negotiate, get government approval, build a plant – that’s a long time” Mike Manley, head of Chrysler’s international operations told Reuters news.

But, according to Manley, Chrysler already has a way to get rid of all that fuss and make things happen quickly: “Fiat are already through that”.

Fiat Spa, who manages Chrysler and is sharing technologies and models, has since 2009 established a joint venture with GAC, the country’s sixth biggest carmaker, to build cars in China.

"If there's an opportunity for us in the same way as we've done with Fiat in terms of technology or using their distribution, our speed to market is going to be so much quicker," Manley said, adding that if Chrysler, or rather Jeep, wants to succeed in the competitive small SUV market, it would have to build them in China.

Jeep is already planning to launch the Compass and Grand Cherokee models in China, while Chrysler is examining the possibility of importing the 200 and 300 sedans from the United States.

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Jeep Survivor Concept Study

A cross between the Warthog from Halo and the pseudo-militaristic Mercedes-Benz M-Classes from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, is the best description I can come up with for Max Ostap's Jeep:Survivor [sic] concept study for the Art Center College of Design.
An off-road vehicle for the man who considers nature an enemy to be vanquished more than anything else, the Survivor draws its inspiration from the Jeep Bantam of WWII.
It’s difficult to deride this aggressive yet strangely attractive concept. It has a purposeful, muscular stance and its integrated front bull bar, roof mounted spare, factory fitted spotlights and a pickup-like rear tray (for your animals carcasses, presumably) are all clever touches.
It reminds me most of the Jeep Renegade Concept of 2008; a personal favourite of mine.
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