1987 Jeep Comanche Standard Cab Pickup 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Jeep's new Chip Away commercial has us hunting Al Pacino's back catalog

Chrysler has done a pretty good job as of late turning its television commercials into pep talks or rallying cries, but for its first ad for the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, it turned to Al Pacino's inspirational speech from the movie Any Given Sunday. In the movie, Pacino's character talks about how football is a game of inches, but the commercial, titled Chip Away, focuses more on the attention to detail that Jeep has exhibited on its updated flagship SUV.
Centering around the newest Grand Cherokee model, the luxurious $47,995 Summit trim level, the commercial shows off some of the hand-stitched leathers and real metal and wood accents found inside the cabin. Check out the new 60-second spot by scrolling below.

Fiat Chrysler CEO: No plans to sell brands to Chinese

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has no intention of breaking up the company or selling individual brands to China or other parties, the company's chief executive said on Monday at the Detroit Auto Show, adding that the group was counting on its coveted Jeep brand to drive future profits. "We're not going to break up anything," Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said at a news conference at the Detroit Auto Show. "We have no intention of breaking it up and giving anything to the Chinese." Marchionne said the Jeep sport utility vehicle brand could help FCA double its net profit. FCA's portfolio also includes luxury Maseratis, sporty Alfa Romeos and tiny Fiats. FCA's share price has jumped more than 30 percent this year on a bullish outlook for the auto sector, Jeep growth expectations and speculation that Marchionne's final year at the helm could prompt strategic deals such as spinoffs, technology alliances and disposals. The popularity of the Jeep brand, which is targeting sales of 2 million vehicles this year, has prompted talk it could be spun off from the group, as happened with tractor maker CNH Industrial and supercar group Ferrari, or sold off. Rumors have resurfaced that Guangzhou Automobile Group might be interested in snapping up part of FCA. Marchionne said on Monday that while GAC has partnered to deliver Jeeps to the Chinese market and FCA is talking to the Chinese automaker about helping it enter the U.S. market, "none of these things are designed to impact on the independence of FCA." FCA has often been the subject of merger speculation, especially after its unsuccessful 2015 attempt to tie up with larger U.S. rival General Motors. Its share price jumped to record highs in August after reports of interest from China's Great Wall Motor Co and South Korea's Hyundai. Marchionne said while both Jeep and truck brand Ram are strong enough to exist on their own, "we need to talk about ... what will be left behind." Marchionne said he has recommended to the company's board that the automaker spin off Magneti Marelli, a maker of components for lighting, engines, electronics, suspension and exhausts, to shareholders by the end of 2018. Marchionne confirmed FCA's targets for 2017 and for 2018, including a plan to erase all debt and generate up to 5 billion euros ($6.14 billion) in net cash.

May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.