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NHTSA closes investigation into Jeep Liberty fires

The investigation that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened into the Jeep Liberty in October 2013 has been closed. NHTSA received two (!) complaints about fires starting in the driver's door, thought to be caused by the master power window switch. The initial estimate was that 80,000 Libertys could be roped into a possible recall, but according to a report in the Detroit News the agency examined records for 425,000 Chrysler products that used the same window switch, including the Dodge Nitro and Chrysler Town & Country minivan.
After canvassing 265 warranty claims related to the master switches, NHTSA concluded that the rate of fires compared to the "large population of vehicles" was rather low, and that there was no trend pattern behind the few issues it did find. Perhaps with that, and the closure of the trailer hitch investigation, the Liberty can finally rest in peace.

Jeep bringing Renegade Hard Steel with adorable matching trailer to Geneva

Trailers are hardly an uncommon site. They can, after all, be an effective way of adding cargo capacity when you need to haul more than you can fit in your car and truck. But there's something that just gets us about trailers made to match the vehicle behind which they're being towed. Like this one, attached to this unique Jeep Renegade. Set to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show mere days from now, the Renegade Hard Steel concept is a joint effort between various elements of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, including Jeep, Mopar and the FCA Style Centre. It's based on the Trailhawk off-road model, but is distinguished by its unique metallic finish, offset by matte black trim and a full raft of available and custom Mopar accessories. Though Jeep has yet to show us what it looks like inside, it's said to have a specially coated leather finish. And of course there's that trailer. Designed to mimic the Renegade's rear-end styling, the appendage will be used on the floor of the Geneva Palexpo to showcase the vehicle's Uconnect Live infotainment system through an oversized pop-up touchscreen display that mirrors the new 5- or 6.5-inch display that'll soon be available on the littlest of Jeeps, offering streaming content including music, news, social media and traffic conditions. We have no indication that a similar trailer could be going into production (minus, of course, the infotainment stuff), but it's worth noting that Jeep has indeed done something similar before. Feel free to read more in the press release, below. Related Video: 27 February 2015 Renegade Hard Steel Jeep Showcar The Renegade Hard Steel Jeep showcar, which blends style, off-road vocation, and technology, will be making its debut and the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show. Created by the Jeep brand, in collaboration with the Mopar brand and backed by the FCA Style Centre, the showcar "explores" the potential of a model that provides countless customization options, while also providing an outlook for potential future Mopar accessories dedicated to the new Renegade. Based on the Trailhawk - the off-road version of the range - the prototype is not a simple customisation in aftermarket but a design project that, with due respect to the peculiarities of original models, has led us to the creation of a unique and fascinating article.

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.