Diesel coming? Diesel com...
Diesel coming? Diesel coming.
• Put this on your calendar: Grand Cherokee. Diesel. 2013.
• Now, about that Jeep hybrid. No rush, thanks.
• And about that crossover Liberty thingy. No rush, thanks.
With a name like Liberty,...
With a name like Liberty, you best be mostly American.
• But thanks do go to ABC News (
abcnews.go.com) for the cool interactive doohickey that allows you to plug in a make and model and learn how much of the vehicle is made in the U.S. of A. The two-door Wrangler comes in at 78 percent, while the four-door is 79 percent. Commander is 76 percent American-made, the Compass 75 percent, the Grand 71 percent, the Liberty 78 percent, and the Patriot 75 percent. Guess now you don’t need to go plug in a make and model.
• Mopar says it has more than 250 parts to help you customize your Wrangler. We’re going to take them up on that dare, and so for the next 250 days (not including weekends, holidays, Tuesdays, or months ending in front of another month starting), we’ll be working on a new Jeep, Project MoJPar.
Quote Without Story
“Hey, you too can own something that looks just like a Grand Cherokee, but for less money. Of course, it’s not as capable, but who cares? It looks just like a Grand Cherokee…”
—Said when we showed this photo of the Compass to someone.
Industry News
• General Tire nabbed some award with a name we couldn’t care less about for a commercial called Ballistic with some derbying off-road truck. But while on GT’s YouTube channel, we found all sorts of cool stuff to watch. Go lose an hour of your life: youtube.com/teamgeneraltire
• Valvoline has developed Let’s Do M.O.R.E. That last part stands for motor oil recycling education, and it’s to raise consumer awareness about recycling and how recycled oil affects the environment (in the good way). Valvoline is even donating a buck to Keep America Beautiful for each person who agrees to recycle used oil and use recycled oil. Head to
nextgen.valvoline.com and you’ll find more info about the M.O.R.E. campaign.
• Guess who turned 100 years old? That’s right, born in 1911 was the Eaton Corp.
• Coming in the fall of 2012 is the “Ram Outdoorsman” series on NBC Sports Network. It will be about hunting and angling destinations, from Alaska to Texas. Stop yawning. If you’re wondering about a correlation between the Ram Outdoorsman pickup and this series, you’ve correlated correctly.
• Yokohama is the official tire of the New England Patriots. You know, because of all the driving in football.
• Chrysler is the official car sponsor of the NFL in the UK. You know, because of all the driving in football. Or is that soccer?
• Tread Lightly! is behind a campaign called Ride on Designated Routes, and its goal is to unite the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, Utah Division of State Parks, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration in order to educate outdoors peeps about vehicle usage on public lands. More info can be found at treadlightly.org.
Trail’s clear. Step on it...
Trail’s clear. Step on it.
• Spotters, you’ve been outsourced: Ford is boasting a new feature on the ’12 F-150 SVT Raptor: an off-road camera. The camera is mounted in the grille and has its own washer (we mention because we know we’ll get letters asking about that).
No idea which one is Ralp...
No idea which one is Ralph.
• Wondering what ever happened to The Karate Kid’s Ralph Macchio? No, we mean after “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s now dancing with State Farm—the two are joining forces to make parents get involved with teaching their teens to drive and to wax on, we presume.
• Heard of Carhenge in Nebraska? You know, like Stonehenge, but with cars? The art exhibit, if you will, can be yours for just $300,000.
• Prepare yourself for a plethora of quotes: The Booty Lounge Detroit, a “party bus” that was double-dipping as a “mobile entertainment club” and “strip club” for Lions fans, has been booted (booty-ed?) out of the city, according to the Associated Press.
• Thanks to Science Daily for reading through the study published in the Journal of Psychology & Marketing called Aggressive Driving: A Consumption Experience and created by a Temple Uni Fox School of Business professor so we wouldn’t have to. It looked at how personality, attitude, and values equate to aggressive driving and found that most likely, people who think of their vehicle as an extension of their self-identity drive aggressively, as do people with compulsive tendencies and who suffer from increased materialism.
Remember when power windows...
Remember when power windows were enough to satisfy you people?
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Leasetrader.com noted that its “lease-escape rate” has increased 37.6 percent since 2009, which it attributes to people wanting out of vehicles with ancient technology, such as tires that make you figure out yourself whether they are low.