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FCA to idle Belvidere Jeep plant again for a week in February

Bloomberg reports that Fiat Chrysler will shut down the Belvidere, Ill., plant that assembles the Jeep Cherokee for a week this month, starting February 17. FCA has been tweaking the plant's headcount and production schedule for a while now, usually downward. The automaker laid off 1,371 workers last February and fired 32 more in May, the same month it eliminated the third production shift. In August, the automaker shut down the plant for one week, then did so again for two weeks last month. As in August and January, FCA explained this month's idling by saying it needs to get production in alignment with demand. Cherokee sales declined 20% in the U.S. last year, helping to account for Jeep's overall 5% domestic drop in 2019. On top of the shutdown, FCA is offering buyouts to certain plant workers among the 3,600 hourly and 300 salaried personnel. The choices are either taking a "separation package" that comes with a $60,000 lump sum payment, or accepting voluntary termination that pays a lump sum based on seniority. Employees that choose a buyout can't return to Chrysler, becoming no longer "eligible for recall, rehire or reemployment." Belvidere personnel have until March 11 to make their decisions. Bloomberg says the aim is to reduce the number of workers with more seniority and higher pay grades; a company spokesperson said the move would "create opportunities for those employees still on layoff," who were lesser-paid. Around 900 of those laid-off workers remain on standby for reassignment to another plant. Analysts predict a soft year for car sales, so FCA might not be the only automaker pruning the rolls. Early estimates have come in below 17 million, and if that comes true, 2020 will be the slowest year since 2014, when 16,531,070 units left lots. The new contract between FCA and the UAW made provisions for Belvidere, which has tempered talk of a total shutdown.The automaker will invest $55 million for "fresh models/features off of the current (KL) platform" that underpins the Cherokee as well as the Chinese-market Jeep Grand Commander (it was previously used for the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200). Outside of that, some observers think the carmaker could be planning a three-row Chrysler crossover based on the KL platform, akin to the Grand Commander, for the United States. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler wants mountains, not a stage

We've said it before and we'll say it again - while we usually grow tired of the endless barrage of special edition vehicles, that isn't the case with the Jeep Wrangler. Every unique model we encounter seems cooler than the one before it, and this Willys Wheeler Edition is no exception.
The Willys Wheeler package is sort of a throwback to early Jeep CJ models, and wears "Willys" stickers on the hood. There's also a gloss black grille, rock rails to protect the side sills, and unique 17-inch black wheels wrapped in meaty BF Goodrich KM Mud Terrain tires. For proper off-road prowess, this special edition uses a Dana 44 rear axle with a limited-slip differential and a 3.73 final drive ratio.
Look for the Willys edition to hit dealerships early next year, starting at $25,795 for the two-door version and $29,595 for the four-door. Feel free to read all about it in the press release below.

Jeep Wrangler pickup expected to hit dealer showrooms April 2019

Automotive News, after speaking with Fiat- Chrysler dealers after the one of the carmaker's meetings last week, found out the coming Jeep Wrangler pickup should hit dealers in April 2019. The dealers said that was the only new bit of information in the hour-long confab. We know Wrangler pickup production begins in the fourth quarter of this year, but we don't know when we'll get our first look at the bedded Jeep. With fully-camoed prototypes still roaming the streets less eight weeks ago, a public introduction could wait until this year's LA Auto Show, one year after the standard Wrangler broke cover and in the same place. Nor do we know exactly what we'll be seeing yet, and that goes for the name, too; Jeep has kept an admirably tight lid on leaks. Based on all of the spy shots so far, we're looking at a four-door Unlimited with a short bed. Previous speculation about a two-door Wrangler pickup appears to have gotten no further than speculation, at least for now. It's easy to assume that the Jeep utility vehicle will come with the same three engine choices as the rest of the lineup - the 268-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, the 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 442 pound-feet of torque. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he expects to see 100,000 Wrangler pickups sold each year, which is about 56 percent of the Wrangler's current U.S. and European volume, so it makes sense to put everything on the menu. Jeep made the Comanche pickup until 1992, but that was based on the Cherokee; the last Wrangler pickup was the 1986 CJ-8 Scrambler. Come April 2019, the cargo-centric Wrangler will enter a growing segment already humming with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier, and awaiting the much anticipated Ford Ranger and brand new Frontier. The Wrangler would be the only member of the club to offer a convertible top, though. People are still keeping an eye on Ram, too. It wasn't so long ago that Marchionne said "Ram needs to be in that space." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Scrambler Spy Shots View 21 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub req'd via Carscoops Auto News Jeep Truck SUV Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup jeep scrambler