Employess worked in darkness...
Employess worked in darkness for a cause.
•The '11 Grand's tagline is "The things we make, make us." Coincidentally, that was in our fortune cookie at yesterday's lunch. To show they're really sticking with that, the Chrysler HQ in Michigan was wrapped in the theme. More interesting than the tagline are wrap facts: The seven-slot grille ran 25 feet wide and 9 feet tall, the tow hook was 5 feet round, and the tires were 29 feet wide and 29 feet tall.
•Jeeps and Fiats living together, mass hysteria! Automotive News is reporting that Motor Village on the Champs-Elysees in Paris will house both brands for the first time at this flagship dealership since Fiat's takeover of Chrysler. This keeps with the plan of making Jeep the Chrysler brand to represent in Europe.
•Speaking of, new Jeeps built in Russia and China?
Another Jeep, another rec...
Another Jeep, another recall.
•'10 Jeep Liberty recall-it and '10 Wranglers built in April and May could have a funky-formed tube that could cause brake-fluid leak.
•The Jeep equivalent of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Rumors are swirling that the word "Hemi" will die a sudden death, but the engine will stay alive. It's more of that greening junk.
•Amer-icon idol? Edmunds.com has named the Wrangler winner of the Inside Line 2010 Readers' Most Wanted Award in the Instant Classic Under $30,000 category.
•Most viewed vehicles in May on autotrader.com: Wrangler in the No. 7 position. It ranked No. 6 the previous month. In May 2009, it was fifth.
•Roy Rogers-for you young'ns, he was a cowboy actor (yeah, he sang, too), best known for his horse (in our world). The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum collection and Christie's auction house held an auction of a bunch of memorabilia, including Nellybelle Jeep, a character from The Roy Rogers Show. It was a '46 CJ-2A that Roy owned. Christie's said Roy wanted to put the Jeep on TV because after the war, he noticed that kids loved Jeeps. Nellybelle was expected to fetch $20,000-$30,000; it sold for $116,500. Oh, and you'll probably want to also know that stuffed Trigger went for $266,500; the saddle, $386,500. The museum closed last year.
Jeep Rocks & Road Tour
The new seriously-it's-not-Camp-Jeep event from Jeep is the Rocks & Road Tour, which will feature obstacle courses, a playground, and '11 Grands for test driving. There will also be product displays, stuff for kids, and loads more. If you preregister at jeep.com/rocksandroadtour, it's free. It has already hit a few cities, including Columbus, Ohio, Indy, and Boston, but you can still partake at these locations (more dates may be added, so check the website):
•September 17-19: Oceana Air Show, Virginia Beach, VA
•September 30-Oct. 2: Bikes, Blues and BBQ's Festival, Fayetteville, AR
•October 8- 10: Metrolina Expo Center, Charlotte, NC
•October 29- 31: Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, Fort Worth, TX
Industry News
•Speaking of "don't say 'Hemi'": "Today's emotional debate over a poorly worded memo on our use of the Chevrolet brand is a good reminder of how passionately people feel about Chevrolet. It is a passion we share and one we do not take for granted. We love Chevy. In no way are we discouraging customers or fans from using the name." That's text from a second memo GM released after employees were initially discouraged from using the word "Chevy."
•While we're talking Chevys, the monster truck Bigfoot will for the first time in 35 years be one of those, moving from the Ford camp. The truck will have a '10 Silverado body, 540ci V8, and Powerglide trans.
•Chrysler will invest $300 million into its existing Kokomo, Indiana, transmission manufacturing plant in order to build a new eight-speed automatic.
•King Shocks has redesigned its website, kingshocks.com. Who cares? You will-videos, photos, tech, and, of course, products are some of what you'll find.
•Holy Cross Trail in Colorado was named one of the BFGoodrich Tires Outstanding Trails, joining Rausch Creek in Pennsylvania, Drummond Island in Michigan, Johnson Valley in Cali, and Yacolt Burn in Washington as the class of 2010. BFG and United Four Wheel Drive Associations picked Holy Cross, thanks in part to its average rating of 8 out of 10 in the challenge department. You can see more about the trails at nationofgo.com/outstandingtrails.