2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit on 2040-cars

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2015 Jeep Cherokee finds a bit more fuel mileage thanks to stop/start and aero tweaks

Just a year after it burst onto the scene, Jeep has already made a pretty substantial addition to its V6-powered Cherokee, which has proven to be an extremely popular seller so far for the brand, adding a new stop-start system for the midsize, off-road-ready CUV.
The addition of stop-start included a few aerodynamic tweaks to the Cherokee's polarizing body, resulting in a wallet-pleasing increase in fuel economy. According to the EPA, the front-drive, V6-powered Jeep will now return 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, up from 19 city and 28 highway. Four-wheel-drive, V6-powered Cherokees, meanwhile, will now return 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, up from 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg.
With 271 horsepower, 239 pound-feet of torque and these newly enhanced figures, it's refreshing to see a larger, naturally aspirated engine that is still able to take the fight to today's crop of small-displacement, turbocharged four-cylinders.

Jeep Renegade's development a template for new Fiat Chrysler Auto

"We figured we'd take the best of both worlds." - Ralph Gilles.
The international makeup of the 2015 Jeep Renegade will serve as a template for cooperation within the newly formed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Senior Vice President of Product Design Ralph Gilles said.

Marchionne defends FCA recalls, says Wrangler won't be all-aluminum

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne recently received the 2015 Industry Leadership Award from the SAE Foundation. While speaking with the press after the event, the boss discussed his thoughts about some key issues regarding the company's future. One of the big regulatory issues facing FCA at the moment is the upcoming public hearing by the National Highway Traffic Safety into the automaker's handling of 20 recalls. Marchionne has no intention of testifying there, according to The Detroit News. The CEO also thinks that the government regulator is becoming much more aggressive in how it handles safety campaigns, but the Feds aren't necessarily doing a very good job of communicating that. "We need to work with the agency in a very cooperative and open way to make sure that we can meet their requirements for their new stance," he said, according to the newspaper. "We have no option but to comply with their requirements and we will. I have nothing to hide in this process. I just want clear rules." Marchionne also dropped the news that the company has changed its mind about making the next Jeep Wrangler totally from aluminum. "Because of the difference in cost, not just the new material but the actual assembly process, I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum," he said to The Detroit News. This seemingly opens the door for the model to remain in production in Toledo, OH, but only just a crack. Marchionne says that the new Wrangler would still use a large amount of aluminum, and there are "at least" two sites in contention for the assembly. The company doesn't have too long to make a decision because the model reportedly launches in 2017.