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2018 Jeep Wrangler Moab splits the Sahara and Rubicon gap

We knew it was coming, and it's pretty much what we were expecting. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler Moab Edition is now official, is available solely as a four-door Unlimited Model with the 3.6-liter V6 engine, and splits the gap between the luxury-biased Sahara and the off-road-ready Rubicon. It's easily identifiable by the big Moab lettering on the hood, but there's a lot more to this limited edition model besides its graphics. The Moab borrows its hood and steel bumpers, complete with removable end caps, from the Rubicon. The 17-inch wheels are painted in a low-gloss black that matches the headlight surrounds, grill inserts, and tow hooks, and are shod in 32-inch mud-terrain tires. LED lighting clusters are standard front and rear. Rock rails from the Rubicon are standard, but the Sahara's side steps are a no-cost option for owners who don't plan to do any hardcore rock crawling. Jeep's new Selec-Trac full-time four-wheel-drive two-speed transfer case is also standard equipment, which means all Wrangler Moab models will have an eight-speed automatic transmission. A limited-slip rear differential is also standard. The Safety Group, which includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection and a rear backup camera, is included along with an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system. A leather interior package comes standard on the Moab and includes contrast stitching on the seats and dash. Granite Crystal, Billet Silver, Punk'n Metallic (orange), Mojito! (green), Black, Bright White, Sting Gray, Ocean Blue Metallic and Firecracker Red are all available on the Moab, which leaves the recently introduced Hellayella (bright yellow) as the only stock color that's not offered on the Moab. A body-color hard top comes standard on the Moab, and the Dual Top Group and power-operated Sky top are optional. Jeep didn't release pricing when it announced the 2018 Wrangler Moab, but an ordering guide showing a starting price of $52,695 out the door has already made the internet rounds. That makes the Moab Edition Jeep's priciest Wrangler package... so far. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Feds accuse Fiat Chrysler, UAW of conspiring to break labor laws

DETROIT — Top officials of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the United Auto Workers union conspired to violate U.S. labor laws, federal prosecutors alleged in a court document, saying a former executive at the automaker knew bribes paid to union leaders were designed to "grease the skids" in labor negotiations. U.S. Justice Department officials for the first time called the company and the union "co-conspirators" in a document related to a guilty plea agreed by former Fiat Chrysler director of employee relations Michael Brown. The document was filed with the U.S. District Court in Detroit on May 25. Its contents were reported by the Detroit News on Wednesday. Brown pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a felony. The plea agreement stated that he knew Fiat Chrysler executives authorized $1.5 million in improper payments and travel, liquor, cigars and other goods for UAW officials who served on the union's negotiating committee. Prosecutors say FCA executives paid UAW representatives to influence union business. including collective bargaining on contracts ratified in 2011 and 2015. The government contends money was run through the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center, via false charitable donations and training center credit cards. Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne has said in the past that the misconduct "had nothing whatsoever to do with the collective bargaining process" and the "egregious acts were neither known to nor sanctioned" by the company. Fiat Chrysler had no further comment Monday. Outgoing UAW President Dennis Williams told union leaders at a conference in Detroit on Monday "our leadership team had no knowledge of the misconduct — which involved former union members and former auto executives — until it was brought to our attention by the government." Brown pleaded guilty on May 25, according to court documents, and will be sentenced on Sept. 20. Five other people have pleaded guilty in the government's ongoing investigation into the UAW and Fiat Chrysler, including the wife of a late UAW official, two other former UAW employees, former Fiat Chrysler vice president Alphons Iacobelli and another former Fiat Chrysler employee. Reporting By David Shepardson and Nick CareyRelated Video: Government/Legal UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM FCA

Final Toledo Jeep decision may have nothing to do with city's efforts

Toledo, OH is doing all that it can to keep production of the Jeep Wrangler in its boundaries, but the biggest issue facing the plant may be insurmountable, no matter how desperately the city wants to keep the Wrangler local. The Wrangler is built in a rather interesting manner at the Toledo Supplier Park: Fiat Chrysler only handles the very final assembly of each vehicle, while two other companies, Kuka, a German firm, and Hyundai-Mobis, a member of the sprawling Hyundai empire, produce the body and chassis, respectively. The vehicles are then transferred over to the FCA part of the park, where they're painted and completed. This was, as The Detroit News explains, a convenient arrangement back in 2006 when the supplier park opened. Chrysler, which was still owned by Daimler at the time, arranged for Kuka and Mobis to handle production, saving it a huge sum of money. Both suppliers own their own machinery and buildings and employ their own workers. Now that FCA is a relatively healthy entity, though, there's not a lot of need to be sharing profits with two other companies. "What [FCA boss Sergio Marchionne] would like is to have the advantages of high-capacity utilization, owning that capacity and taking advantage of that for himself versus having a supplier doing some of the things his competitors do internally," David Cole, chairman emeritus at the Ann Arbor, MI-based Center for Automotive Research, told The News. "It really adds another level of complexity to the situation." While Sergio Marchionne is a man that generally gets what he wants, it seems unlikely that either Mobis or Kuka would give up their role quietly. According to Jon Zapf, Mobis North America's chairperson for UAW Local 12, the company "definitely wants to maintain their part of this production process." According to The News, Jeep is likely to announce the location of next-generation Wrangler production in June. Expect to hear much more on this one in the coming months.