1979 Jeep Cj-7 on 2040-cars

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Dodge revamping lineup with AWD Challenger and lighter Charger

Dodge's current lineup is aging rapidly. The Charger, for example, is going on 5 years old but its platform dates back to 2006. FCA, according to Automotive News, is working on revitalizing Dodge's lineup with the first of some new models debuting later this year. The report reveals plans for the majority of FCA's brands, but the most interesting bit of information is an all-wheel-drive model for the Dodge Challenger, which is being referred to as the GT AWD. Mopar unveiled the Challenger GT AWD Concept at SEMA last year as a concept, but it looks like the idea stuck. The vehicle is set to make its debut this fall and will lead the way for a wide-body, Hellcat-powered version that will be released in 2017. That model will be called the Challenger ADR. The entire Challenger lineup will be redesigned in 2018, which includes switching over to the lighter Giorgio platform - the same one that underpins the Alfa Romeo Guilia Dodge will also redesign the Charger to accommodate the new Giorgio platform in 2018. A new two-door convertible could debut in 2021, resurrecting the Barracuda moniker. The aging Dodge Durango will get a light refresh in 2017 with the addition of an SRT model, which Automotive News reports will feature a 6.4-liter V8 engine. Other changes are in store for other FCA brands, including the debut of full-size crossover in 2018 for Chrysler, which will be followed by a midsize crossover in 2019. The Jeep Compass and Wrangler will get a redesign for 2017, with the Cherokee getting a light makeover, as well. The Wrangler-based pickup truck, which we recently spotted testing, is set for its debut in 2018, while the Wagoneer will come out a year later. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2015 Easter Jeep Safari Concepts First Drive

Imagine if once a year your grandmother made a chocolate cake. Not a chocolate cake, that chocolate cake. Blow-your-mind chocolate cake. But she won't ever let you have any – you can only have the spatula and whatever's left over in the mixing bowl. And you don't care. You look forward to that spatula and bowl every year because – "Gadzooks!" – that is some stupendous cake. For us, that cake is the Easter Jeep Safari. An annual pilgrimage to Moab, Utah for a taste of what Fiat-Chrysler's off-road brand has cooked up in its Design Dome. "No, you can't have any," the company tells us, "but you can taste it here, then dream about it until next Easter." In Detroit, Jeep gave us a close look at the seven concepts it built for this year's 49th annual event. Then it went a step further and took those show cars to Mill Canyon, UT, to crawl the red rocks in Jeep's natural habitat. After all, the company calls Moab, "Our home away from home." And it's not true that we never get more than a taste of Jeep's conceptual goodness – 2011's JK8 pickup conversion kit is a slice of Safari creation we can now take home, for instance, as are the hood decals that adorned two of the concepts we drove this year. Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, told us that the evolution of Jeep Performance Parts came from listening to journalists and customers in his first year on the job in 2010. So there's that. But still, we want more cake. Like a full-on production Wrangler Africa. These being one-of-a-kind prototypes traipsing through a canyon of nearly immovable objects, we didn't go fast, we didn't go far, we didn't push hard. But we did drive all the Easter Jeeps, and even just this small taste was outstanding. View 30 Photos Jeep Chief While we listened attentively to the detailed spiels on all this conceptual candy, one question ran through our minds: "How am I going to get in the Chief before everyone else?" And we could see the same thought every colleague's face, those scheming bastards. And why not? The Ocean Blue tribute to the venerable Cherokee of old grabbed everyone's attention since the first teaser images weeks before the event, in part because the vintage truck is up there with mermaids for rarity and lustworthiness. Anything that goes this far in obeisance to that classic Jeep is always going to score huge marks. The Chief is a four-door Wrangler underneath, but in many ways it feels nothing like a Wrangler.

eBay Find of the Day: Jeep Comanche Zombie Response Unit

We've seen some pretty fantastic apocalypse vehicles in our day. We've even owned one or two, but this particular Jeep Comanche tugs at our heart strings in all the right ways. Let's start with the basics: there's a stout 4.0-liter engine underhood hooked to a five-speed manual transmission, and while we wish this truck was four-wheel drive, the two-inch lift and oversize tires should help you overcome obstacles with enough momentum.
Details like handy shovels, Jerry cans and a brush guard inspired by the hardware on a CUCV help lend the truck a no-nonsense appeal, and the functional CB whip antenna means you can ask for backup when the undead hordes come your way. If you like what you see as much as we do, you can head over to eBay Motors to place a bid. The auction has inched up to $4,000 with just two days left on the clock.