1993 Jeep Cherokee, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Jeep teases pair of Moab concepts early

With the 47th annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari coming up at the end of this month, Jeep is preparing to roll out six new off-road-ready concept vehicles. The first two being teased are the Jeep Grand Cherokee "Trailhawk II" concept and the Jeep Wrangler "Slim," and while we have no information on either, we at least get an idea of what they'll look like.
We can't tell why this Wrangler is called Slim, but it has a nice black-and-red paint scheme with a serious off-roading front bumper and five-spoke beadlock wheels. There's even less we can figure out about the Grand Cherokee's Trailhawk II concept except that it appears to be painted up in the same Crusher Orange paint job as the recently introduced SRT Viper TA. We'll likely more of these as well as peeks at the other Moab concepts as we get closet to this year's Moab Easter Jeep Safari, which will be held March 23 through 31.

Toledo mayor, Jeep champion Michael Collins dies from heart attack

The city of Toledo is mourning the loss of its mayor and the campaign to keep production of the Jeep Wrangler in the Ohio city has lost a champion after Michael Collins suffered a heart attack behind the wheel recently. Born, raised and educated in Toledo, Collins was a Marine Corps veteran and a city councilor. He was elected mayor in 2013 and assumed office on January 2, 2014, a little over a year ago. He was driving an SUV provided by the city in a snow storm on February 1 of this year when he suffered a heart attack and crashed into a utility pole. He remained in critical condition for days until he was taken off artificial life-support. During his relatively short term in office, Collins became an outspoken and energetic advocate of keeping the Jeep plant in Toledo, where it has been assembled for decades. The next-generation Wrangler is set to switch to aluminum construction, which could lead to moving its production to another location, but Collins (alongside Governor John Kasich and others) had worked hard to convince FCA US to keep it in town. Whether his efforts will prove successful remains to be seen, but our hearts go out to his friends, family and constituents. Michael is survived by his wife Sandy, three daughters and eight grandchildren. He was 70 years old.

GMC boss wants a Jeep Wrangler rival

Challengers come and challengers go, but the Jeep Wrangler continues to push forward even after vehicles like the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the entire Hummer brand have been shut down. Now GMC reportedly wants to take a stab at the quintessential Jeep, as well.
The news comes directly from Buick-GMC vice president Duncan Aldred, speaking with our compatriots over at Edmunds. Although Aldred said there are no plans currently on the table to expand GMC's lineup beyond the current range, "there is plenty of room everywhere in the hierarchy."
That could include a rival to the Wrangler, as well as a flagship luxury SUV positioned above the current Yukon Denali (pictured above). Just when (or for that matter, if) such models might come into fruition remains a big question mark, but it's certainly interesting to see what GM's dedicated truck brand has on the drawing board.