2000 Postal Jeep Cherokee Sport Right Hand Drive on 2040-cars

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Next-generation Jeep Wrangler arriving at the end of 2017, diesel for 2019 model year

The folks at JL Wrangler Forums have come across some very juicy information regarding the next-generation Wrangler, thanks to an anonymous source who got the details from a dealer meeting. Among the information provided by the source is the timeline for the new Jeep's release. It will be fully revealed at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, and it will hit dealers this December. At launch, the next-gen Wrangler will be available with both a 3.6-liter V6 with either a manual or automatic, and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that can only be had with an automatic. We expect this engine to be turbocharged and pack as much as 300 horsepower. It also seems Chrysler is still making good on its promise of a diesel Wrangler for this generation. Photos taken by a JL Wrangler Forums user show what looks like a diesel exhaust fluid tank underneath one of the prototypes seen above. There could be a bit of a wait on that powertrain, though. According to the JL Wrangler Forums source, it won't be arriving until near the end of the 2019 model year, so potentially at the end of the 2018 calendar year, and possibly early 2019. The other big news is that the anonymous source confirmed that there will in fact be a hardtop with a power sliding opening. The feature was rumored years ago, and we may have had our first look at it thanks to earlier spy shots also taken by a JL Wrangler Forums member. The photos showed a mysterious set of switches on the windshield header that may have been controls for the power top. This feature won't be available at launch according to the anonymous source, and will instead debut near the end of the 2018 model year, so likely early- to mid-calendar year 2018. Some other minor changes to colors and equipment were revealed also, and can be seen at the forum website, here. Related Video:

Auto Mergers and Acquisitions: Suicide or salvation?

We love the Moses figure. A savior riding in from stage right with the ideas, the smarts, and the scrappiness to put things right. Alan Mullaly. Carroll Shelby. Lee Iacocca. Andrew Carnegie. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Bart Simpson. Sergio Marchionne does not likely view himself with Moses-like optics, but the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recently gave a remarkable, perhaps prophetic interview with Automotive News about his interest and the inevitability of merging with a potential automotive partner like General Motors. Marchionne has been overtly public about his notion that GM must merge with FCA. For a bit of context, GM sold 9.9 million vehicles in 2014, posting $2.8 billion in net income, while FCA sold 4.75 million units and earned $2.4 billion in net income, painting a very rosy FCA earnings-to-sales picture. But that's not the entire picture. Most people in the auto industry still remember the trainwreck that was the DaimlerChrysler "merger" written in what turned out to be sand in 1998. It proved to be a master class in how not to fuse two companies, two cultures, two continents, and two management teams. Oh, it worked for the two individuals at both helms pre-merger. They got silly rich. And the industry itself was in a misty romance at the time with mergers and acquisitions. BMW bought Rolls-Royce. Volkswagen Group bought Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini, putting all three brands into their rightful place in both products and positioning. No marriages there, so no false pretense. Finally, Nissan and Renault got married in 1999. A successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust. But a successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust, the principle part being honesty. Daimler and Chrysler lied to each other. The heads of each unit, the product planners, and finance all presented their then-current and long-range forecasts to each other with less-than-forthright accuracy. Daimler was the far greater equal and no one from the Chrysler side enjoyed that. The cultures were entirely different, too, and little was done to bridge that gap. Which brings me back to the present overtures by Marchionne to GM. "There are varying degrees of hugs," Marchionne stated in the Automotive News piece. "I can hug you nicely, I can hug you tightly, I can hug you like a bear, I can really hug you." Seriously?

2019 Chevy Blazer vs Honda Passport, other midsize crossovers: How they compare

The two-row midsize crossover market is a sizable one that just keeps growing. The two newest additions being the 2019 Chevy Blazer and the 2019 Honda Passport, additions we just recently drove. As such, it seemed like a good time to see how their numbers compare with the veterans of the segment: Ford Edge, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Murano. In this comparison to see where it lands in the numbers game, we'll take a look at everything including power, torque, towing, ground clearance, passenger room, cargo space, fuel economy and pricing. Cue the chart. Powertrain The Passport only has one engine option, Honda's trusty 3.5-liter V6. You can find this engine in both the Pilot and Ridgeline, and we like it in all its applications. But if you're looking for something more affordable or more frugal, you're out of luck. The Passport is one of just two that offer just one engine option. Most of the others have two choices, and Jeep even offers three. Compared with similar engine options, the Passport is pretty middling. The Ford Edge ST's turbo V6 makes the most power and torque at 335 ponies and 380 pound-feet. Next up is the Blazer, the only other to break 300 horsepower, and then the 295-horsepower Grand Cherokee. The Passport does beat the V6 Murano and the turbocharged Santa Fe, though. 2019 Chevrolet Blazer View 37 Photos For vehicles with smaller engines, the Edge wins again with its 250-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder. The Chevy Blazer is next, but at 193 horsepower, it's barely ahead of the 185-horsepower Santa Fe. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has a couple of powertrain aces, though. It's the only vehicle available with a V8, and it makes an impressive 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. There's even a turbodiesel model with 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, the most twist of the group. The Grand Cherokee is also the choice if you want to tow much. The V6 models will pull 6,200 pounds, and the V8 and diesel can handle 7,200 pounds. Add 200 more pounds to the diesel if it only has rear drive. 2019 Honda Passport View 19 Photos When it comes to fuel economy, the front-drive four-cylinder Edge and Santa Fe are tied for the best, with the all-wheel-drive Edge getting one more mpg on the all-wheel-drive Santa Fe on the highway. The Murano comes up next.