2017 Jeep Wrangler Chief Edition on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jeep Compass, Patriot will stick around for 2017 model year

The Jeep Compass and Patriot may be getting a little long in the tooth, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles isn't ready to put them to pasture. At least not yet. According to Automotive News, FCA plans to continue producing both models until the end of this calendar year. That will also take them both into the 2017 model year as the manufacturer prepares to introduce their shared successor. Jeep will likely build a stockpile of Patriots and Compasses to bridge the gap until the new compact Jeep arrives. The move is just one of many FCA is making to trim unprofitable car models and increase crossover production. The Jeep Cherokee is set to move from its current home in Toledo, OH, to the plant in Belvidere, IL, where the Compass and Patriot are built; the same plant was also home to the recently discontinued Dodge Dart. With Cherokee production gone, the Toledo plant in turn is being retooled to increase Wrangler output by 50 percent, including temporary parallel production of both the new model and the existing one. Meanwhile the replacement for the Compatriots, as they're colloquially known together, is expected to debut this summer in Brazil. Production is slated to take place, both in Brazil and in Mexico, starting January 30, 2017, with production of the Compass and Patriot reportedly to continue in Belvidere until December 23 of this year. By that point, the Compass and Patriot will be a full decade old, having been introduced in 2006 as 2007 models. Along with the Dodge Journey, they're the last FCA products still based on the PM/MK platform shared with Mitsubishi. The Japanese automaker still produces several models on the version it calls GS, including the Outlander, Outlander Sport, and Lancer. Related Video:

Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay

A report in The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the obstacles to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee that go beyond its mootable yet "very contemporary" looks, almost all of them based on Fiat's financial position. Starting with that sheetmetal, in defense of it SRT president Ralph Gilles and Jeep design head Mark Allen said they wanted to "make sure the design still looks modern five years from now."
The WSJ piece doesn't cite longevity as a factor, instead saying that its features originated in a design for an Alfa Romeo, the transformation into a Jeep design meant allowing Chrysler get it to market more quickly and save "hundreds of millions of dollars" in engineering.
The need for Fiat to save money while it weathers the European situation has cut budgets for development, engineering and the pace of retooling the Toledo, Ohio plant to build the Cherokee. In a familiar case of snowballing at work, among the effects will be pushing back the Cherokee's volume sales date and delaying updates to some of Chrysler's other products.

Next Jeep Wrangler to keep solid axles

Jeep fans, you're not out of the woods yet, but the latest news is good: Automotive News reports that the next-generation Wrangler will stick with floating solid axles front and rear. Fiat-Chrysler wouldn't comment on the report, but the theory is that the combination of cost, capability, and ease of modification were deciding factors. We're sure the multibillion dollar aftermarket industry is also pleased. Remember, Jeep showed off the lifted Cherokee Dakar Concept at the Easter Jeep Safari last year, but the first ingredient in the recipe for jacking up its independent suspension was, "a whole new suspension." Above that there will be an aluminum body that's smaller than the current one, which Allpar says could be done with a narrower track and tighter gaps. It will sport a fixed windshield with increased rake to improve aero efficiency, and while there are rumors of a diesel-engined version that we'll finally get in the US, there's been no reliable info as of yet to back that up. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Jeep Truck Off-Road Vehicles