Jeep News and Jeep Rumors
Dispatch
Tori TellemWriter
1.
Jeep News & Rumors
•The final Jeep Wrangler JK has gone off line. Off the assembly line, that is. The ’18 was built at Toledo Supplier Park, and April 27, 2018, was the date of doom.
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•Jeep-branded playlists are now available on Apple Music. You get 6 months free of the service when you buy a new Jeep with CarPlay support. Said FCA, which has gone and done the same thing for Ram, “Each brand has its own genre, reflecting its personality and that of its customers.” So, here’s what Jeep thinks of your personality: “Off-Road Jams: Heart-pounding songs for your extreme off-road excursions, #JeepHairDon’tCare: Groovy tunes to get you ready for the week, Throwback Road Trip: Classic songs that fuel good memories for miles, Top’s Off Hip-Hop: Current hip-hop hits to amp up your drive.” Where’s the Country and Western?
•If you have an ’04-’07 Jeep Liberty, you might own one of the 325,000-plus that’s going to be recalled for a suspension issue related to it being possible for water to get into the rear lower control arms.
•When it came to the 24th annual Mudfest hosted by the Northwest Automotive Press Association, the ’18 Jeep Wrangler took home the title of Northwest Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year, as well as the Compact/Midsize Utility Vehicle and Extreme Capability categories.
•The numbers are in: The EPA is bestowing fuel-economy figures on the ’18 Wrangler equipped with the 2.0L four-banger hooked to the eight-speed auto trans as follows: 25 highway, 23 city. The Unlimited sees 24 and 22, respectively.
•Jeep seems to be all about the new Wrangler and also surfing. More hang-ten news: Jeep became the exclusive automotive partner of the Founders’ Cup of Surfing.
2.
Industry News
•Bridgestone’s Retail Operations arm has created a new campaign that stars employees of its Firestone Complete Auto Care locales. If you step into a location, try and find the celeb technicians and make them sign your Jeep door or something.
•Bumpersuperstore.com has a new owner: Daystar Products. Obviously: bumpersuperstore.com has aftermarket bumpers—but also running boards, lightbars, winches, and more.
•Extremeterrain.com built a “dream Jeep” for a Make-A-Wish Foundation recipient. The ’02 Wrangler Sport was a frame-off restoration and is now loaded with aftermarket off-road goods.
3.
Auto Graphs
•“One Voice is made up of OHV grassroots organizations, local clubs, businesses, trade or manufacturers providing a unique cross-section of 4WD clubs, snowmobile clubs, statewide organizations, and the off-road industry.” Sound good? It should. Go here to learn more and get involved: orba.biz/onevoice.
•Two years ago, Audi brought Traffic Light Information to Las Vegas. Now, it’s being used in 10 cities (that’s 2,250-plus intersections) in the U.S. and allows certain ’17 and ’18 Audi models to talk to the infrastructure—like, spilling the details on the time remaining at a red traffic light.
•The Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV is expected at the end of 2018 (or possibly early 2019)…and it’ll start at just a bit under $350,000.
•In October 2018, Toyota will open a closed-course test facility for R&D of self-driving vehicles.
•Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety have an announcement based on their study of SUVs with three rows and unrestrained pets: Never put the four-legger between the captain’s chairs. It’s perhaps the most dangerous place for them to travel.
•It’s 10 years for Mopar Express Lane, so that means a new location had to open for the occasion: Pulaski, Virginia. More than 30 countries have Express Lane service.
•Strange bedfellows? Uber and the U.S. Army are working together on “quiet” tech for potential use in flying cars and aircraft?
•One more question: the Pentagon? As in, developing its own variety of self-driving vehicles?
•There’s now a Dodge Durango Pursuit. The ’18 SUV for law enforcement has the 5.7L Hemi.
•AAA said one out of five people driving around in the U.S. really wants an electric vehicle.
•Semi-related note: Dana and Workhorse have coupled on development of a delivery rig using the axle maker’s new Spicer Electrified e-Drive axle.
•SomethingJp Magazinewouldn’t normally utter: Hear, hear, Honda. It created the Shifting Gears program to get drivers excited about manual transmissions, especially the younger gens.
4.
“I take it as a point of pride that I drive pretty much the crappiest car in the fleet. When I first got the car, on a warm day, you could smell the smell of weed in there. It's gone now. Which is good because the chief doesn't want to be driving around a car that reeks of weed.”
—Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith toGreen Bay Press Gazette, regarding the ’07 Jeep Commander he drives with 155,000 miles on the odo. It had been seized by the PD in a drug bust. He said it squeaks, rattles, and gets tire-pressure distress signals on the dash every 10 minutes.
5.
“Jeep is back in the game.”
—Michelle Krebs ofAutotraderto Investor’s Business Daily about Jeep’s sudden surge in sales in 2018, particularly of the Wrangler
6.
Dana Bashed Jeeps for Your Benefit
If you’ve ever wondered what might be the perfect job, it might be the R&D side of Dana (if not a staffer gig atJp Magazine). The engineers took Jeep Wranglers out to Moab and wheeled, watered, and whatnot’d them for 13 days to test the designs for its Spicer OpTiMa tire-inflation system and prototype products for axles (the goal is to sell via aftermarket), such as the Ultimate Dana 80 rear axle and Ultimate Dana 60 kingpin front unit. The team also beat up some of its current product line, like its nodular iron diff covers and drivetrain pieces for the JL.
7.
Where Do You Read?
This photo from Brad Winter was taken in Pisa, by his wife, Pam. They were in Italy on a three-week vacation (thanks for the invite). “I always take myJp Magazinewith me during my travels.” (How about taking Jp with you during your travels?)
Now, where do you readJp Magazine? Well, if you read it in a unique or cool location, we want to see a photo of that—and don’t bother with a toilet photo, please. The photo should show you, the magazine, and the location, all in one. Email the photo and information about you to jpeditor@jpmagazine.com with the subject line “Jpon Location.” Show and tell! Answer these questions for us in your email:
Your name: Where you’re from: Where the photo was taken: What you’re doing/why you’re at that location: Photo requirements are JPG (maximum quality), BMP, or TIFF file at 1,600 by 1,200 pixels (around 2 megapixels or the original size from your phone/device). It probably goes without saying that your copy of Jp Magazine should be seen with you in the photo.
8.
Photography: SSG Eric Bol
We Need Your Stuck or Broken or Military Jeep!
We want your Jeep for our Sideways department! Here are ways you can get your Jeep in inJp Magazine!
Your broken parts or broken Jeep: Did you have an epic snap, blow-up, or breakage? How about an insane trail repair? Photo or it didn’t happen.
Stuck/Flopped/Rollover:Send us your four-wheeling mess.
Vintage and Military Jeep: We like old-timey and military things, like with your father or grandfather, or even modern service.
Jeep Road Trip: A photo from your best road trip that took place in a Jeep. The Jeep needs to be in the photo in a landmark location. Like the Travelocity gnome.
Follow this format:
Your name and your city/state:
Year/make/model of your Jeep/military Jeep:
Where the photo took place:
Describe what we are seeing in the photo/other info we may need to know:
Why the photo means a lot to you/lesson learned/your takeaway:
In addition to the words, here are the photo requirements:
--JPG (maximum quality), BMP, or TIFF file.
--1,600 by 1,200 pixels (around 2 megapixels or the original size from your phone/device).
--No PDFs or other formats. We just can’t use them in the magazine. They won’t reprint.
--Email the materials to jpeditor@jpmagazine.com with the subject line, “Sideways”
9.
Where the Jeeps Are
Having an event in 2018?Let us know! Remember the magazine needs about four months of advance warning. Just follow these steps:
Name of event:
Date(s) of event:
City/State of event:
Name of venue (if applicable):
Website for readers to learn more about your event:
Have a high-resolution photo from a previous event? Feel free to send it to us and we might just include it. Photo requirements are JPG (maximum quality), BMP, or TIFF file at 1,600 by 1,200 pixels (around 2 megapixels or the original size from your phone/device).
Send the info and photo to: jpeditor@jpmagazine.com
Make your subject line, “Where the Jeeps Are”
MTOD program info:
Sept 7LIVE! 24H GT Series/24H Touring Car Endurance Series, 24H Barcelona - Qualifying and Night Practice
Auto Mundial
Motorsport Mundial
Sept 8LIVE! 24H GT Series/24H Touring Car Endurance Series, 24H Barcelona
LIVE! DTM Championship, Nürburgring
LIVE! FIA Formula 3 Championship, Nürburgring
Sept 9LIVE! FIA Formula 3 Championship, Nürburgring
Sept 10Roadkill Garage, Ep. 35
Sept 12Engine Masters, Ep. 38
Sept 13British Touring Car Championship, Knockhill
Sept 14Auto Mundial
DTM Championship, Misano
Motorsport Mundial
Sept 15LIVE! Formula Drift, Texas Motor Speedway, TX
LIVE! GT4 European Series, Nürburgring
LIVE! Virgin Australia Supercars, Sandown
Sept 16LIVE! GT4 European Series, Nürburgring
LIVE! Virgin Australia Supercars, Sandown
Sept 17Dirt Every Day, Ep. 81
Sept 18Ferrari Challenge Europe, Barcelona, Spain
Sept 19Mobil 1 The Grid, Program 16
Ignition, Ep. 196
Sept 20FIA World Rallycross, Latvia
Sept 21Auto Mundial
Motorsport Mundial
Sept 22LIVE! DTM Championship, Spielberg
LIVE! European Le Mans Series - Qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
LIVE! FIA Formula 3 Championship, Spielberg
LIVE! FIA Formula 3 Championship, Spielberg
LIVE! Michelin Le Mans Cup - Race 2, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
LIVE! TCR Europe Series, Monza, Italy
LIVE! VLN Endurance Championship - Round 7, Nürburgring
Sept 23LIVE! European Le Mans Series, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
LIVE! Michelin Le Mans Cup - Race 1, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
LIVE! TCR Europe Series, Monza, Italy
Sept 24Hot Rod Garage, Ep. 68
Sept 26China GT Championship, Zhejiang
DTM Championship, Nürburgring
Head 2 Head, Ep. 107
Sept 28Auto Mundial
Motorsport Mundial
Sept 30LIVE! Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Barcelona, Spain
Oct 1Roadkill, Ep. 76
Oct 3FIA World Rallycross, USA
Mobil 1 The Grid, Program 17
Put Up or Shut Up, Ep. 10
Oct 4British Touring Car Championship, Silverstone