2014 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jeep Wrangler Polar Edition coming to America

Jeep originally took the wraps off its Polar Edition Wrangler at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and at the time, we figured this would be a Europe-only affair. (Perfectly fine, since we US customers haven't exactly been lacking special edition Wrangler models over the years.) But now, and as Jeep says, just in time for winter, the automaker has announced that the ice cold Wrangler will be hitting North American showrooms in November.
Based on the Wrangler Sahara model, the Polar Edition can be had in either two- or four-door body styles, with a unique Hydro Blue paint job as the featured color. (Buyers can also opt for less-special Billet Silver and Bright White hues.) Other exterior enhancements include a body-colored hardtop, 18-inch gloss black wheels, the Powerdome (power bulge) hood, and unique decals all around the body.
But the Polar Edition isn't just about some paint and stickers. Jeep has fitted this Wrangler with a Dana 30 front axle and Dan 44 rear axle, as well as the Trac-Lok anti-spin electronic rear differential. Like all US-spec Wranglers, the Polar Edition uses Jeep's 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, producing 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Both a six-speed manual and five-speed automatic transmission are available.

Chrysler 3.0L EcoDiesel V6: Autoblog Technology of the Year finalist

Offering a diesel engine in an American pickup is anything but new - Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all offer excellent and almost impossibly powerful oil-burning engines in their various fullsize trucks. What is new and novel about the 3.0L EcoDiesel, though, is its size, and the variety of vehicles that use it. It's the smallest engine, as far as displacement is concerned, currently offered in a large truck in the US, and, for 2014 and 2015, it is available in the Ram 1500 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Though it may be small, it's got muscle. While 240 horsepower isn't particularly impressive these days, the engine's 420 pound-feet of torque more than makes up for that. The torque rating is even greater force than even the big 5.7-liter Hemi can muster. Chrysler's well-regarded eight-speed automatic transmission makes the most of all that bull-headed pulling power in both the Ram and Grand Cherokee. Chrysler claims the Ram EcoDiesel 1500 can tow as much as 9,200 pounds when properly equipped, which makes it "90-percent of the Hemi with a night and day difference in fuel economy."
Make no mistake; it's that promise of a sizable fuel economy improvement that many long-haul truckers will be most interested in. In the Ram 1500 that we tested for our Tech of the Year competition, the diesel engine costs $2,850 more than the gas-fed V8, and Ram estimates that EcoDiesel buyers will pay off their investment when compared to the Hemi engine in less than three years, which is considerably less time than the 4.5 or so years the average buyer will keep his or her fullsize pickup. The more you drive, the more you'll save, and the math proves equally as effective in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Stellantis suspends vehicle production in Russia

MILAN - Stellantis on Tuesday said it was suspending production at its Russian plant due to logistical difficulties and sanctions imposed on Moscow. The world's fourth-largest automaker, which produced and sold the Peugeot, Citro¸n, Opel, Jeep, and Fiat brands in Russia, has just 1% of the country's car market. It runs a van-making plant in Kaluga, around 125 miles (201 kilometres) southeast of Moscow, co-owned with Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi, which halted production at the facility earlier this month. "Given the rapid daily increase in cross sanctions and logistical difficulties, Stellantis has suspended its manufacturing operations in Kaluga to ensure full compliance with all cross sanctions and to protect its employees," Stellantis said in a statement. The plant employs 2,700 people. The company will continue to pay salaries through a local downtime scheme and by using anticipated vacation periods, Stellantis told Reuters. It said it did not know how long the stoppage would last, adding that its priority was its staff and the return of peace. Stellantis had already suspended all exports and imports of vehicles with Russia, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, moving production to western Europe. It had also said it was freezing plans for more investments in the country. Van production in Kaluga had remained just for the local market. Scores of foreign companies have announced temporary shutdowns of stores and factories in Russia or said they were leaving the country for good since Russia began what it calls "a special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24. Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares in late March said the group would have to close the Kaluga plant shortly as it was running out of parts. Separately on Tuesday, General Motors Co said it was extending its suspension of business in Russia due to the conflict and international sanctions. The U.S. automaker, which initially suspended imports into Russia and commercial activity on Feb. 28, said it was laying off most of its 66 employees and providing them with separation packages. GM does not have plants in Russia and only sold about 3,000 vehicles annually there prior to the suspension. (Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Washington; Editing by Mark Potter and Mark Porter) Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing Fiat Jeep Citroen Opel Peugeot