2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited X 4 Door Carfax Certified 1-owner Service Records on 2040-cars

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Chinese Jeep production confirmed with Fiat, Guangzhou agreement

Fiat has just finalized a deal originally set up in January between it and China's Guangzhou Automotive Group to bring Jeep production to China. It remains unclear which models will be built, although we're wagering that it'll be the 2014 Cherokee. What we do know, now, is where production will take place.
According to Automotive News, Guangzhou originally wanted production to take place in its home assembly plant in its namesake city. Fiat has battled to send production to a joint venture facility established between Guangzhou and Fiat in the town of Changsha. The joint facility won out, and now the factory, originally built in 2010 with a 140,000-unit capacity, will see Jeeps rolling out of it.
Currently, the GAC-Fiat factory produces the Fiat Viaggio, a jointly developed product that is closely related to America's Dodge Dart. And while it remains unclear as to which model will join the Viaggio on the assembly line, that model is understood to ride on Fiat's Compact platform. The only Jeep to share those underpinnings is the new Cherokee, so there's not much connecting of dots needed to see why this scenario would make sense.

FCA seeking new trial in Jeep fire case, calls $150M judgement 'grossly excessive'

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is fighting back after a Decatur County, GA jury ordered the company to pay $150 million to the family of a four-year-old boy that was killed after a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed and caught fire. The company is requesting the judge reduce the award, and should Walden's family not agree to the lower sum, that a new trial be held. The Detroit Free Press reports that FCA would be forced to pay $120 million over the death of young Remington Walden, with an extra $30 million being paid to the boy's family. Neither figure sits well with the automaker, though, which called the fine "grossly excessive," and claimed it was in violation of Georgia state law. The judgment stems from FCA's long-running problem with the fuel tanks of certain Jeep models built in the 1990s and 2000s. According to the newspaper, FCA argues that the jury was biased after the Waldens' attorneys played on the their passions and pushed for a big award, saying the wrongful death award was 11 times more than any appeals court has ever upheld. FCA said attorneys for the plaintiffs told the jury to base the settlement on Sergio Marchionne's total compensation, $68 million. FCA also claims in its motion that the young boy's suffering was brief. "A $30-million pain-and-suffering award for what plaintiffs acknowledge was at most one minute of suffering is irrational," the motion, which was obtained by The Detroit Free Press, read. "Where such plainly improper arguments are immediately followed by irrational and stunningly excessive damage awards, there can be no doubt that the jury acted from passion and prejudice." Jim Butler, the attorney for the Waldens, has called the motion "nonsense," although he said the family will accept whatever figure the judge sets.

Hank the Autodog takes a ride in the long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee

Autoblog readers, meet Hank, my 40-pound, six-year-old Shar Pei and Staffordshire Terrier mix, a combination also known as a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls and car enthusiasts have a lot in common. They're a little intimidating to your average man on the street, but at the end of the day all they want to do is feel the breeze in their ears. Dogs who love car rides are the ultimate enthusiasts, and Hank especially is a canine connoisseur of cars. There is nothing Hank likes more than to hop in and go for a ride. With an owner like me, he has developed refined tastes when it comes to cars. As our long-term Jeep Cherokee is about to leave the Autoblog Garage, and since the weather is warming back up, it's the perfect time to give our Autodog one last spin in his favorite Jeep. We wanted to see what a car ride looks like from a dog's perspective. Luckily, we have a cache of GoPros and plenty of cars on hand to give Hank one last chance to go for a window-down ride. After many pets, treats, and drives around town, we put together this video montage of Hank's best day ever.