Jeep Reveals Full Details on Easter Safari Concepts

A V8-powered Jeep Wrangler, courtesy of Mopar, may soon arrive. 

Only a few days ago did Jeep reveal a few concept art images of their upcoming concepts built specifically for this year's Easter Jeep Safari. The event will be taking place in Moab, Utah from March 31st till April 8th. Obviously Jeep turned to Mopar for some assistance.The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept basically takes the standard model and adds a set of new 18-inch off-road tires that feature an additional side-wall protection to enhance durability.
Other features include 5-spoke painted Mineral Gray Wheels and modified Mopar rock rails that are engineered to protect the lower body from rocky terrain. However, the Wrangler Apache (painted here in black) is the real treat for enthusiasts. It's powered by the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 that produces 470hp and 470lb-ft of torque.Set to arrive this summer, this Mopar Wrangler V8 will initially be offered with the five-speed automatic transmission, but Jeep says a six-speed manual option will arrive later. Other new off-road features are Mopar Pro 60 front and rear axles, a 4.5-inch Stage 3 long arm kit and off-road bead-lock wheels.

Stepping back in time a bit now, Jeep's Mighty FC Concept is a modern recreation of the Jeep Forward Control, which was built from 1956 to 1965. Jeep started with a 2012 Wrangler Rubicon and repositioned the cabin over and ahead of the front axle. They then lightened the wheelbase, and added a custom built drop-side cargo box. The cargo area has a full-width, drop-side tray-style bed that's more than eight feet in length.The Jeep J-12 Concept is essentially an extended version of the already launched JK-8 pickup conversion kit for the Wrangler. However, Mopar has improved it with the addition of a new three-inch suspension lift kit and Teraflex sway bars.
Traction shouldn't be a problem either, as the concept rides on a set of 36-inch tires mounted on 16-inch steel wheels.Lastly, the Wrangler Traildozer Concept was built specifically for Moab's toughest trails. Starting off with a yellow 2012 Wrangler Rubicon, they then added a 470hp 6.4-liter HEMI V8 mated to a Getrag six-speed manual. In order to handle the 37-inch tires mounted on Mopar Classic five-spoke wheels, an AEV Dualsport 3.5-inch suspension lift was installed. For severe off-road body protection, Mopar premium front and rear bumpers and rear corner guards were installed.

Jeep Reveals Full Details on Easter Safari Concepts

Jeep Conceives a Menacing Grand Cherokee Concept for “Name that Jeep”

Jeep is bringing their new Grand Cherokee concept to the Houston Auto Show and they want you to name it.

Jeep has just released a new concept model based on their Grand Cherokee. The unnamed Grand Cherokee Concept is set to debut at the Houston Auto Show in Texas and is part of the company's "Name My Ride Contest," giving Jeep fanatics the ability of determining the winning name on an online vote.The new concept, based on the four-wheel-drive configured Laredo X package with a very blacked-out appearance. It sits on a set of glossy black 20-inch lightweight aluminum wheels.
"Highlighted by a unique platinum-chrome front-end appearance and distinctive black-gloss 20-inch wheels and exterior treatments, our new Grand Cherokee concept provides a completely new look - one that is edgy and aggressive, and certainly different than any Grand Cherokee on the road today," said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC in a press release.The unnamed Grand Cherokee Concept made its debut today at the Houston Auto Show and will arrive tomorrow to the Washington Auto Show.

Jeep Leads Chrysler Resurgence

A 44 percent increase in sales for the iconic brand helped Chrysler Group to outperform its American rivals in the sales tables and leapfrog past Honda. 

Chrysler and Jeep, the parent company and its most famous brand, were the stars of the American car market for 2011. Chrysler Group sales astoundingly grew to 1.37 million cars and light tracks, an increase of 26.2 percent from the previous year.Jeep sales were also very impressive, having surged by 44 percent to 419,349 units. The day after this was announced, Fiat Group stated they had increased their stake in Chrysler Group by an additional 5 percent to a total of 58.5 percent.

And to the surprise of many industry watchers, three of Chrysler's brands were among the top ten of the best performing brands in 2011: Ram in 6th place with a growth of 21 percent and Dodge in 10th place, growing by 17.6 percent.Chrysler Group, whose sales in December jumped 37 percent (Chrysler brand sales grew by 83 percent due to the success of the 200 and 300 models), easily outperformed its Detroit rivals, Ford and General Motors. In a year in which sales in the American market grew by 10.2 percent to 12.75 million vehicles, GM sales grew by 13.2 percent to 2.5 million vehicles and Ford sales grew by 10.8 percent to 2.11 million.

Both automakers beat the industry average, but only by small margins. Chrysler leapfrogged past Honda into fourth place, whose 2011 sales dropped by 6.8 percent, to a total of 1.15 million units. However, they still trailed Toyota who finished off with a 6.7 percent increase to 1.64 vehicles.

Just as important, 2011 will be remembered as the year in which Hyundai and Kia continued to grow in the US.Surprisingly, Kia easily outperformed its senior sibling with a sales growth of 36.3 percent to 485,500 vehicles, compared to Hyundai's growth of 20 percent to 646,000 units.

Volkswagen, who pushed themselves hard in the US with a new factory and the new Jetta and Passat sedans, saw Jetta sales jump by 54 percent for the year. However, their general car sales increased by a more modest 26.3 percent, for a total of 324,400 vehicles.The fight for the most sold premium brand ended with a victory for BMW. They outsold Daimler with 303,500 MINIs, BMW cars and SUVs compared to Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart's combined 272,100 units. BMW sales grew by 14.2 percent while Daimler sales by 17.7 percent. Lexus, who lead that category for the last few years, ended only in third place.

For exotic sports car brands, Ferrari sales declined in December by 8.6 percent to 138 cars but grew for the year by 10 percent to 1,701 units. However, its stable mate, Maserati increased its sales by 20 percent to 2,322 cars.2011 was definitely a year to remember for the auto industry, especially Chrysler. In a world economy that's still in a fragile state, auto sales, particularly in the US, were one of the very few bright spots.

Jeep Grand Cherokee EV Coming to Detroit

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is about to become electrified. 

In a stark contrast from the 800hp Hennessey Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 that was revealed just a few days ago, a new report is claiming that Jeep will be unveiling an all-EV version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Detroit Auto Show next month.The reason that Jeep was able to get this project put together relatively quickly stems from the fact that the Grand Cherokee shares a platform with the Mercedes-Benz ML.

The latter of which has already been "electrified" by AMP Electric Vehicles, so making the necessary changes wasn't all that difficult. And according to a report from the New York Times, an official from AMP claims that the Grand Cherokee EV will cost around $60,000. It will be equipped with an electric powertrain that'll be retrofitted by AMP to offer realistic off-road capabilities. The biggest downside, however, is range. If reports prove accurate, even with a 37-kW battery pack, the EV Grand Cherokee will only have a 100 mile range under regular driving conditions. This electric conversion is also said to work on four-wheel-drive models.While it's interesting to see something like the Jeep Grand Cherokee become electrified, we can't help but think that even with its off-roading abilities, getting stranded in the middle of nowhere because you ran out of electric juice simply defeats the whole purpose of being "trail rated."Photos are of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Hennessey Previews 800hp Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

With serious power and a price to match, Hennessey Performance has come up with a monster Jeep. 

Just in time for the festive season, Hennessey has released a rendering of their take on the SRT8 with the tag line: "Who needs reindeer when you have an 800hp twin turbo sleigh?" Quite.The factory 6.4-liter HEMI V8 has had its displacement increased to 7.0-liters and a hefty twin turbo system fitted. 465hp and 465lb-ft of torque gets cranked up to 805hp and 823lb-ft of torque in the Hennessey SRT8 and the result is a Porsche Turbo-beating 0-60mph time of 3.1 seconds, down from 4.8.

Hennessey says its HPE800 Twin Turbo can also do the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 130mph. Santa's gonna love that.In addition to performance upgrades, the Jeep gets an upgraded transmission system and torque converter upgrade, 15.1 inch Brembo brakes, a lowered sport suspension, lighter alloys, carbon-fiber front splitter and a custom leather interior with Alcantara steering wheel.Limited to 24 vehicles and priced at $235,000 this is HPE's most lethal Jeep SRT8 and one that can handle all weather conditions at serious speed.