• Jeep is exploring hybrid technology—just in case you wondered about explorations from years gone by.
• Could be some special models/editions of the ’12 Wrangler.
• Watch for the Jeep brand to increase how many units it hopes to sell in Europe. Maybe helping matters? That downsize Fiat-gler is headed there by early 2014.
• President Obama swung by the Toledo plant where the ’11 Wrangler is built to give Chrysler employees a shout-out for hanging in there during a rough automotive climate. The Big O mingled and toured the trim line to watch a front end, instrument panel, and center console go into a Jeep.
• Ever wanted to testdrive a particular Jeep? Ever wanted to head to a mall? If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, you’re in luck. Now through October, the entire Jeep lineup will appear at select shopping malls, and participants will get a $15 mall gift card. Check your local dive for whether the Jeep tour is heading there; the ride-and-drive is hitting places such as Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
• New calculations by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed that drivers of today’s SUVs are least likely to die in a crash. Technically, minivans rate slightly better. The Grand Cherokee ranked among the vehicles with the lowest rates of driver deaths, or “fewer than 22 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years for ’05-’08 models during calendar years 2006-2009.” The Wrangler also made the cut, with either two or four doors.
• There’s a new Jeep website for you UK peeps: jeep.co.uk is heavy on the 70th anniversary and all you might want to know about current Jeeps.
• Speaking of the 70th, as much as we don’t like having to think of Jeep’s big milestone via a 70-year-old dude running in Dolphin shorts and emerging from the ocean like a Halle Berry Bond girl in a Speedo, there’s still something sorta cool about the Chrysler Australia ad campaign showcasing said dude, Tommy Hafey, who even at his age still runs and emerges from the ocean. You probably can’t do either at your current whippersnapper age. Chrysler Australia says the Jeep was the first four-by to be driven on Australian terrain in the early ’40s. Unclear whether Tommy was behind the wheel.
• Meanwhile, the Wrangler’s ad campaign will feature Lenny Kravitz, or as Mom asked, “Who?” On the bright side, he said he’s been driving the same Wrangler for 16 years.
• Jp hipness alert: Don’t forget to check out our tubey channel at youtube.com/jpmagazine, as well as the Jp iPhone/iPod Touch app at iTunes.
Industry News
• Quaker State Cash Back Bonus Program—we know, we had you at “cash back.” The short scoop is, you get moola back (cash value of your vehicle) if you’re using certain Quaker State motor oils when the odo hits 300,000 miles. Learn more at
quakerstate.com.
• What, cash back wasn’t enough for you? How about free shocks? From now until August 31, you have an opportunity to enter Bilstein’s ShockMyRide contest. The big loot is a customized Bilstein 9100 Series suspension package and a trip to Vegas, plus two passes to the SEMA Show (and various comp’d stuff). First prize is a set of four 5160 Series Remote Reservoir shocks. Go to shockmyride.com.
• eBay Motors for iPhone has arrived. You can create a custom garage by scanning your Jeep’s VIN and the app will store the info to make for easier parts searches. You can browse/shop for vehicles, utilize the classifieds, get free vehicle histories, and more. It also supports regular eBay.
• Wide Open has partnered with Legendary Excursions, giving you an opportunity to drive off-road vehicles built by Wide Open and raced in the Baja 500 and 1000 in Orlando, Florida, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Don’t worry, the Wide Open driving opps in Baja Mexico and Salt Lake City will continue to exist. Wide Open will also offer an off-road racing school experience that preps you for the Baja 1000. Check it out at wideopenbaja.com.
• For zero money at the iTunes App Store is MSD Ignition Wiring Diagrams and Tech Notes. The app will allow you to view diagrams and the tech guide through your cell phone, which is a helluva lot easier to rest in your engine compartment while wiring than that Altair 8800 you’re still using.
• You know the AC-225 stick welder from Lincoln Electric? It’s now 50 years old.
• EBC Brakes will have a new Northampton UK world headquarters, a facility four times the size of the current locale.
• Get a $30 mail-in rebate from Dupli-Color when you buy the Bed Armor Do-It-Yourself truck bedliner kit and Bed Armor Aerosol; or you can get a $25 rebate for just the bedliner kit, now through September 30. Deets: duplicolor.com.
Quote Without Story
“I am a big proponent of this and I’d love to see it happen. We are investigating options, but again, are not that far along in our product planning.”
—Mark Allen, the bigwig at Jeep Brand Design, on whether we’ll ever get the Cherokee back in North America