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Chrysler has been known for organizing public participation events at various locations across the U.S. and Canada. Now it's set to launch another, dubbed the Jeep Rocks & Road Tour, which will hit 11 different venues across the United States from July 16 through October 31st this year.
The tour is designed "to provide our current and potential customers with an adventurous experience that is exclusive to the Jeep brand," according to Jeep CEO Mike Manley.
At each location, the tour will incorporate on and off-road driving tests, with participants getting time behind the wheel of 2011 Jeep models, including the Wrangler, Patriot and new Grand Cherokee. Trained instructors will be on hand for the off-road sections, which will including multiple types of road surfaces, rocky trails and log crossings. In addition to sampling the latest Jeep offerings, owners of existing models will also get a chance to drive their own vehicles at these events in the 'Jeep Owner's playground.' The tour kicks off at the Syracuse, New York Nationals (one of the largest car shows in the North East) on July 16th, with stops in Columbus, Ohio; Rockford, Illinois; Indianapolis; Boston; Omaha, Nebraska; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Virgina Beach; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Charlotte, North Carolina and Fort Worth, Texas. The Jeep Rocks & Road tour is free to those that pre-register for the event, so long as they bring their receipt with them on the day.
It's a sad day for diesel truck lovers. Jeep has confirmed that it will not offer a diesel engine in the new 2011 Grand Cherokee.
Utility vehicles and small compact cars are about the only places in the U.S. market where diesel vehicles have had any success and yet Jeep has cut the Mercedes-sourced 3.0-liter V6 that it offered on the previous-gen Grand Cherokee. "The business case has to make sense," said Grand Cherokee chief engineer Phil Jansen at a recent press event, commenting that the urea aftertreatment system required to make the engine pass emissions must comply with emissions standards in all 50 states. More difficult than making the system meet emission standards, however, is getting customers to pay for it, with the cost of such an aftertreatment system certain to drive diesel Grand Cherokee pricing to a point where it would no longer be considered by buyers.
Buyers for the diesel option were already scarce, making up just 8 percent of all Grand Cherokee models last year.
As to whether Jeep would consider bringing the diesel back, Jansen said it would be something they would look at once diesel luxury SUV sales made up 15 to 20 percent of the market. In other words… not any time soon.
The folks at Jeep might not admit it yet, but they don't have to any more. That's right, an all-new SRT8 Jeep Grand Cherokee is on its way.
Recent spy photos show a version of the 2011 Grand Cherokee sporting a covered font fascia that is noticeably lower than the standard one. Plus, the big SUV has wider fenders, larger wheels and a lowered ride height.
As for what's under the hood, the new SRT8 model it tipped to get Chrysler's larger 6.4-liter Hemi V8, making 480-hp and 460 ft-lbs of torque – just like in the upcoming Challenger SRT8. Also set to be included is a new 8-speed automatic transmission.
Combined with much-improved luxury interiors, perhaps Jeep will make good on its promise to give the BMW X5 M a run for its money.
Chrysler has encountered more than a few obstacles over the past two years, but the automaker's biggest challenge remains its own survival. In order to survive—and thrive—the company is going to need to prove that its products can be class-competitive. If the products on hand can't lure buyers into showrooms, then the Chrysler/Fiat alliance is doomed.
Thanks to the bankruptcy and a federal government bailout, plus the aforementioned alliance with Fiat, Chrysler has a clean slate with which to start from. However, the very public nature of the company's fall into and climb out of bankruptcy means that all eyes are watching as it brings new product to market.
Imagine then, the pressure on Chrysler's Jeep division. It has the distinction of launching the company's first post-bankruptcy product: The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While it's important to note that a redesigned Grand Cherokee was in development long before Chrysler entered bankruptcy—the 2011 Grand Cherokee was first previewed at the 2009 New York Auto Show, a month or so before Chrysler began bankruptcy proceedings—there's no denying that both the automotive industry and the general public have been waiting to see what kind of job Jeep has done with the big SUV.
The pressure on Jeep isn't just from those who want a return on the investment from the American taxpayers. Other interested parties include Chrysler's dealer network, which is desperate for a new, strong mainstream product not named "Ram," the ever-curious and ever-insatiable automotive press and, of course, the mid-size SUV buyer.
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