2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler's Q3 profit boosted by strong North American earnings

MILAN, Italy — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) reported a 17 percent jump in third-quarter adjusted operating profit on Tuesday, helped by a strong performance in its key North American market and improving operations in Europe and Latin America. The world's seventh-largest carmaker still makes the lion's share of its profits in North America, so improving, or at least maintaining, its margins there is a key focus. The carmaker reported an 8 percent adjusted operating profit margin in the region, up from 7.6 percent a year ago, despite a drop in sales and shipments. "FCA's profitability in North America remained strong in the quarter despite a weakening market there," a Milan-based analyst said. FCA's profitability compares with an 8.3 percent North America margin reached in the quarter by bigger U.S. rival GM , showing CEO Sergio Marchionne making progress towards his goal of closing the margin gap with GM and the company's other U.S. rival, Ford, by 2018. The company's confirmation of its full-year outlook also pushed shares higher, a trader added. The stock was up 2.8 percent by 1129 GMT, outperforming a 1 percent rise in the European auto index. FCA has been retooling some U.S. factories to boost output of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks while ending production of some unprofitable sedans to strengthen profitability as the U.S. car market comes off its peak. The company said a drop in North America shipments due to lower fleet sales and discontinued models was partially offset by higher deliveries of Ram trucks and two models from the Alfa Romeo stable: the Stelvio sport utility vehicle and Giulia sedan. Profitability also improved in Europe, helped by sales of the Stelvio and the new Jeep Compass, and Latin America, while margins at Maserati remained strong at 13.8 percent due to strong demand for its first SUV, the Levante. In a later conference call, investors are looking for hints on the new strategy to 2022 which the company promised to unveil early next year. Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said earlier this year that FCA would streamline its portfolio and that components businesses, including Magneti Marelli, would be separated from the group, possibly via a spin-off. While FCA confirmed its targets this year, doubts remain about its exposure to a weakening U.S. market, recall costs and potential fines over emissions after it was targeted by European and U.S.

NHTSA closes probes on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey

The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its investigations into 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey models. The separate probes found no issues that pose safety concerns. NHTSA began investigating certain Grand Cherokee SUVs over complaints that power steering hoses could detach during operation, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. Of the 24 reports of failure, none alleged smoke or fire in the engine bay, and Chrysler has since modified the power steering cooler assembly to reduce the likelihood of the failure.
Meanwhile, certain Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles garnered a government probe after receiving complaints that the models were equipped with faulty scissor jacks. The agency had received six reports of the jacks failing or causing injuries, including one incident that resulted in a fatality. But NHTSA says the jack failure rate is similar to those found in other vehicles. In those six cases, the government agency found the jacks were being used for something other than changing a tire, and investigators could not determine whether the emergency brake was set or the rear tires were properly chocked.

2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night puts on a dark face

We'd love to tell you that the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT you see above is powered by a hellish 707-horsepower supercharged V8 engine, but we can't. We hope that's coming soon, but in the meantime, we'll all just have to live in a world where an SUV with a 6.4-liter engine sends a mere 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. So it goes, right? It's not a Trackhawk, and it's not a Hellcat. This is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night. That basically means it's just like all other 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT models, except that any and all brightwork has been replaced with gloss black bits. To complete the dark and mysterious look, all of the car's badging, its front fascia and its unique set of 20-inch wheels are done up in a satin-black finish. The body can be ordered in Velvet Red, Billet Silver and Granite Crystal (dark grey). Inside, as you'd expect, all the chrome has been painted black, and the black leather seats have silver stitching. Sure, we want to see the Hellcat engine dropped inside the Grand Cherokee SRT just as much as you do, but it's hard to complain about a 4.8-second 0-60 time or a top speed of 160 miles per hour. Feel free to read more in the press release below. 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night The new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night features a stealth-like appearance with the roof, rear spoiler, front grille bezels, B and C pillars and side window surrounds all adorned in Gloss Black. The front applique is Satin Black, as is badging on the hood and rear liftgate. New lightweight, split five-spoke "5Ten" 20-inch wheels are also finished in Satin Black and are designed to showcase the Grand Cherokee SRT8's standard Brembo brakes. Interior appointments include Black Laguna leather with Silver accent stitching and Light Black Chrome bezels. Available colors for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night include Velvet Red, Billet Silver and Granite Crystal. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night features a standard 6.4-liter V-8 engine with Fuel Saver Technology that delivers 475 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque, an adaptive damping suspension and a Selec-Track Traction Control system. Available features include a dual-pane sunroof, a 19-speaker 825-watt Harman Kardon stereo system, trailer tow package, three-season tires, a full-size spare tire and a dual-screen rear entertainment system.