Is there a diesel badge yet...
Is there a diesel badge yet in the Scouts?
New badge coming to Jeeps: EcoDiesel 3.0L. Watch for it on the Grand Cherokee first. Imagine it on the Ram 1500 next.
Coming soon: A special-edition Wrangler Moab model. The ’13 Moab will have Trak-Lok standard, and if you get the man tran and 3.73 rear axle ratio, you’re looking at a crawl of 45:1. Stuff of interest: New Goodyear rubber coupled with 17-inch Rubicon alloy wheels in gloss black, a Mopar power dome hood, and black front and rear off-road bumpers. Not of interest: some of the other stuff.
Trailhawk concept in conceptual...
Trailhawk concept in conceptual action, conceptually.
Also coming soon: Jeep Trailhawk. Yeah, you probably fell for that “coming soon” back in 2007 when there was a concept vehicle with that name. Then you probably fell for it again when the ’12 concept was revealed. Has anyone ever told you that you fall a lot? But we can assure you this time Jeep means it: the ’13 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is real and is the production version of that most recent not-production Trailhawk. Both V-6 and V-8 engines will be on tap, as will an electronic limited-slip and Quadra-Drive II for the V-8, plus there’s Quadra-Lift air suspension, Selec-Terrain with Hill Descent Control, 18-inch Goodyear Silent Armor rubber with Kevlar reinforcement, and underbody protection. Black-surround headlamps, a special gray grille surround, and a rear lightbar are among its recognizables. A giant hood decal is supposed to reduce sun glare, so don’t be a hater, except of former sun glare.
Quote Without Story
“Chrysler Group has concluded that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are neither defective nor do their fuel systems pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear impact collisions. We would expect that a similar analysis of subject vehicles recently added to this investigation would support a similar conclusion.”
—Chrysler statement stemming from the NHTSA investigation into ’93-’04 Grands, ’93-’01 Cherokees, and ’02-’07 Libertys over impacts resulting in fire
Industry News
Carlisle Events will be adding the Carlisle Sports and Outdoor Nationals to its lineup in 2013. It will happen each year on the first full weekend following Labor Day. There will be monster truck rides, ATV tests, a hunter’s safety course, archery, swap meet, turkey calling, and…well, we really can’t top speaking in turkey. Look for the first event to be held September 6-8 in, as we mentioned, 2013. If you’re super-optimistic about your future, mark September 5-7 for 2014’s shindig. Head to
carlisleevents.com for more info.
The year was 1966, and U.S. Metal Container was the only gas-can maker in the U.S.A. Olive drab jerry cans used in military? That was them. When those cans went red and became available to civilians across the country? Still them. Plastic gas cans in 1987? Them. In 1992, the name changed to Blitz U.S.A. as an ode to the early days of the Blitz can. All a happy story. That is, until November, 2011, when the company filed for bankruptcy. Now, it’s in the process of closing its doors and selling its assets. Why? The costs associated with litigation became too much; according to the company, “We have been operating under extremely litigious environment and have been working toward a solution for quite some time. The defense costs related to increased litigation associated with fuel containment products is the primary factor that leads to our current situation.” Translation: People doing genius things like starting a fire in the wood-burning stove in their kitchen by using gas from a Blitz can, then suing and winning.
AAMCO (aamco.com) has started a “50 Cars in 50 States” program, which as a nod to the company’s 50th anniversary this year will be about repairing the vehicle of one combat veteran in every state. AAMCO has partnered with Military Order of the Purple Heart (purpleheart.org).
Mickey Thompson has a new company Facebook page: facebook.com/mickeythompsontires. There’s a busload of photos, videos, product info, news, and everything else that’s possible to upload these days.