2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Happy 50th birthday, Jeep Wagoneer

The Wagoneer got the SUV on the radar of buyers looking for something capable, comfortable and rugged.
The Jeep Wagoneer was introduced 50 years ago, and it's that vehicle we have to thank for the herds of excellent crossovers and SUVs that make up our current automotive landscape. On a personal level, I have always loved the full-size Jeeps and their crisp Brooks Stevens styling, which aged well over their long tenure on the market. The SJs, as they're known among enthusiasts, were the Wagoneer and its two-door counterpart, the original Cherokee. The Wagoneers had become true luxury vehicles by the end of their run, which stretched form late 1962 as a '63 model all the way to 1991, when they were offered exclusively under the Grand Wagoneer nameplate.

NHTSA boss Strickland weighs in on Jeep recall fracas

Adding yet another chapter to the ongoing Jeep recall story, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) head David Strickland has gone on record to defend the government's request that Chrysler recall 2.7 million out-of-production Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty vehicles after the agency investigated fiery rear-end collisions that have reportedly killed at least 51 people over the years. In statements made to The Detroit News, Strickland said, "We felt very strongly that the process that we undertook and the findings that we made and ... we made the decision to issue a recall request. We do not take that very lightly." The top US auto safety regulator stopped short of telling owners to park their cars until the automaker takes action. "They can make their own risk assessment and their own choices," he said.
Chrysler does not intend to recall the models, insisting the "vehicles met and exceeded all applicable requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including FMVSS 301, pertaining to fuel-system integrity" when they were manufactured and sold. "The company does not agree with NHTSA's conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation. The subject vehicles are safe and are not defective," Chrysler announced last week in a statement. "We believe NHTSA's initial conclusions are based on an incomplete analysis of the underlying data, and we are committed to continue working with the agency to resolve this disagreement."
Legally, Chrysler has until June 18 to formally respond to NHTSA's request. If the automaker does not take action, NHTSA is expected to issue a formal finding and seek a recall.

Jeep reportedly releasing Peugeot-based, Fiat-built baby 'ute in 2022

Jeep is now under the same Stellantis-branded roof as Peugeot, among other European carmakers. It will take full advantage of its new ownership to quickly develop and launch an entry-level car, according to a new report. Anonymous sources told industry trade journal Automotive News that the yet-unnamed model will be positioned directly below the Renegade. Rumors of a baby Jeep have popped up time and again in the past few years, and most claimed it would share its underpinnings with the Fiat Panda 4x4, an immensely capable city car that's a regular sight in the Alps. Those plans have allegedly changed; the soft-roader is now being designed around the Common Modular Platform (CMP) that underpins the Peugeot 208 and the Citroen C4, among other models. Using the CMP platform unlocks several benefits. It's much newer than the architecture found under the Panda, it's highly modular, and it was developed with gasoline, diesel, hybrid, and electric powertrains in mind. It sounds like the first Peugeot-based Jeep will come standard with front-wheel-drive, and it will offer an optional four-wheel-drive powertrain consisting of a longitudinally-mounted engine that will spin the front wheels and an electric motor that will put the rear wheels into motion. Odds are the motor will be capable of powering the crossover on its own, too. Most of the powertrain components will come from Peugeot. CMP wasn't designed for hardcore off-roading, so we're expecting more of a shrunken Renegade for the boulevard than a downsized Wrangler for the trail. Fiat will build Jeep's smallest model in Tychy, Poland, in a factory that currently churns out the Fiat 500 and the Lancia Ypsilon. Production is tentatively scheduled to start in 2022, and it's too early to tell if we'll see the crossover in America. Its pocket-sized dimensions might keep it away from our shores. It will certainly increase Jeep sales on the European market, where models that sell relatively well in the United States regularly post dismal sales figures. For example, the Grand Cherokee is a seen as a leviathan of a family hauler and the Wrangler is heavily taxed. Peugeot's CMP platform will allegedly underpin the production version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale concept, too. Pegged below the Stelvio, the crossover was originally developed on the Renegade's bones — some sources claim that's still the case, and Alfa Romeo hasn't shed light on the matter. Reportedly, Fiat will later get a CMP-based car.