Classic 1974 Cj5 Jeep Includes 1/4 Ton 1969 Trailer, Only 65,000 Orig Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Jeep Cherokee facing production delay

Jeep's bold-faced new direction spearheaded by the 2014 Cherokee is facing some teething issues. According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, production start-up of the controversial new utility vehicle at its Toledo North facility is running about a month behind schedule "due to a wide range of issues." That's according to Mark Chernoby, senior vice president of engineering at Chrysler.
Chernoby maintains that the issues being encountered aren't unusual for the launch of a new vehicle - particularly one with a new powertrain - and he downplayed the delay, telling Jeep dealers that they "will have ample inventory of the midsize SUV by fall." Among the kinks being worked out? Calibrating the Cherokee's cutting-edge ZF nine-speed automatic transmission and refining assembly line tasks to make the process more efficient.
Chrysler expects to start building retail-ready versions of the Cherokee around mid-June, with official sales slated to start in September.

Jeep Wrangler Dragon Edition coming to North America

If 2012 was the year of the dragon in China, perhaps the US can claim 2014. After showing the Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, and apparently receiving "tremendously positive feedback" from Jeep enthusiasts across the globe, the automaker has decided to introduce a production version that will hit US showrooms this fall with a price of $36,095.
"The dragon symbolizes strength and power and is an aspirational character normally associated with royalty and good fortune," says Jeep, and that apparently equates to a blacked-out Wrangler Unlimited with bronze satin gloss highlights inside and out, along with big dragon decals that start on the hood and run down the fenders. There are 18-inch matte black wheels with a bronze outer edges, and a dragon-emblazoned spare tire cover completes the look.
We suggest you peruse the high-res image gallery above to see all the black and bronze detailing yourself, and make special note of the interior. In related news, all 2014 Jeep Wrangler models get an optional Trail Kit and clear park lamps to replace the previous amber units. New colors include Amp'd, Anvil, Copperhead, Flame Red, Granite Crystal and Hydro Blue (Freedom edition only), which join carryover colors Billet Silver, Bright White, Black and Dune.

Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay

A report in The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the obstacles to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee that go beyond its mootable yet "very contemporary" looks, almost all of them based on Fiat's financial position. Starting with that sheetmetal, in defense of it SRT president Ralph Gilles and Jeep design head Mark Allen said they wanted to "make sure the design still looks modern five years from now."
The WSJ piece doesn't cite longevity as a factor, instead saying that its features originated in a design for an Alfa Romeo, the transformation into a Jeep design meant allowing Chrysler get it to market more quickly and save "hundreds of millions of dollars" in engineering.
The need for Fiat to save money while it weathers the European situation has cut budgets for development, engineering and the pace of retooling the Toledo, Ohio plant to build the Cherokee. In a familiar case of snowballing at work, among the effects will be pushing back the Cherokee's volume sales date and delaying updates to some of Chrysler's other products.