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Mazda2 nets Japan Car of the Year, Cherokee first US model to ever crack top 10

The 2015 Mazda2 is quite high up on our must-drive list. Yes, the teeny, tiny successor to the 100-horsepower five-door is worth getting excited over, largely because the previous generation was one of the absolute best smiles-per-dollar values on the market.
While we eagerly await for our opportunity to take to the 2's helm, our expectations of the new car have just been heightened thanks to its win in Japan's Car of the Year competition. Called "Demio" in the land of the rising sun, Japanese journalists handed out Mazda's second COTY award since the CX-5 took the title in 2012.
In more surprising news, the new Jeep Cherokee has made the list of 10 Best Cars in Japan. The Jeep's triumph marks the first time an American car has cracked the top ten, finishing eighth. It's not, however, the first Fiat Chrysler vehicle to snag the title, following in the footsteps of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Fiat Panda. Still, the fact that an American brand can make such impressive inroads into the traditionally tough-to-crack Japanese market is a seriously big deal.

Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years

Earlier this month, a very significant Jeep was celebrated at the Toledo North Assembly plant. No, it wasn't the upcoming reincarnation of the Jeep Cherokee, but instead it was a 1943 Willys MB that visited the Toledo grounds where it had been built exactly 70 years ago to the day.
Of course, the actual building where the MBs rolled off the assembly line before heading to Europe for World War II no longer exists, but that didn't stop Italian owner Vittorio Argento from having the vehicle shipped to the US to make its trek back to its birth place. According to Chrysler, Argento's MB is still 95-percent original and it drove 1,000 miles from New Jersey to Toledo.
The whole adventure was chronicled on a blog aptly named A Jeep Comes Home. Scroll down for a brief video from Chrysler and for some photos of the Toledo visit and be sure to read more at Argento's blog.

Jeep Wrangler to remain in Toledo, get a pickup version

Production of the Jeep Wrangler is staying in Toledo, OH, and it might be getting a pickup in the near future, according to Automotive News. Meanwhile, Cherokee production is leaving Ohio. The announcement was reportedly made to plant management earlier today. "We found a solution that accommodates a variety of other interests to us because of the way in which we can move some product around," CEO Sergio Marchionne said to Automotive News. A Jeep spokesman declined to comment to Autoblog. Right now the official details about FCA's production plans are still hazy. However, an official announcement is expected when the automaker has a deal with the UAW, which could be by Sept. 14. According to insiders speaking to AN, the Wrangler pickup would join the lineup in 2017 or 2018. While losing the Cherokee doesn't help the Toledo factory, the new pickup should take up some of the slack. It also keeps Wrangler production going in Ohio until the next-generation model launches in 2018. The Cherokee is expected to move to the Sterling Heights Assembly plant in Michigan or Belvidere Assembly in Illinois because they build vehicles on the same platform, AN reports. The future of Wrangler production has been a hot topic at the Toledo plant for the entire year. There was initial speculation that model might leave the factory if it moved to an aluminum body. However, the latest reports offered some hope of the Jeep remaining there. Last week, Autoblog's sources at FCA also said that the Wrangler pickup was coming but couldn't confirm a timeframe. Related Video: