Car Moon

A dozen vehicles from the three core Chrysler brands covering more than half of the company’s 2011 models are being recalled in the United States to fix a potential problem with the steering column.

The recall covers 11,351 vehicles and affects certain 2011 model year Dodge Journey crossovers, Jeep Wranglers, Chrysler 200s, Chrysler 200 Convertibles, Dodge Avengers, Dodge Nitros, Jeep Liberty SUVs, Dodge Calibers, Jeep Compass crossovers, Jeep Patriots, Dodge Grand Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.

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Jeep has disclosed plans to increase European sales from 25,000 units this year to 125,000 units by 2014. Europe will play a key role in Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s plans to double the brand’s global sales from 420,000 units last year to 800,000 units in 2014.

"Our plans for Europe are ambitious but doable. Europe for Jeep is an incredibly important market. We have been here for 30 years and half of our international sales historically were in Europe," Jeep CEO Mike Manley told Autonews Europe.

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After releasing a barrage of refreshed models, Chrysler's Jeep division is now banking on a series of special edition models created to celebrate the brand's 70th anniversary.

“As part of our celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Jeep brand, we are creating stunning, premium special-edition models of each vehicle in our lineup that pay homage to the history of the legendary Jeep brand,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep.

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Jeep announced today that the UK-spec Patriot can be ordered with a new, 163 hp 2.2-liter diesel engine, sourced from Mercedes. In addition, the American SUV also gets improved trim levels. Replacing the previous Volkswagen 2.0-liter four-pot, the new powertrain features common-rail technology, which increased power by 23 hp and 10 Nm (7.4 lb-ft).

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Jeep has released images of its freshened-up Jeep Patriot, and it looks like...the Jeep Patriot. Although front and rear fascias have been facelifted, the differences are only noticeable upon very close inspection.

Outside, the Patriot gets a new body-colored grille, standard fog lamps, new 17-inch wheels, lower rear bumper, and a total of four new colors. On the off-road side of things, the 4X4 models receives a one inch increase in ride height.

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he Chrysler Group's Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois reached a major milestone on Wednesday, July 28, when the one millionth vehicle, a natural green Jeep Patriot, that will be delivered to B.Z. Motors Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealer in Lewisburg, Pa, rolled off the assembly line.

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The Patriot S-Limited is Jeep's latest offering in the U.K. market and it owes its existence to the crafty marketers a few unique exterior and interior appointments. It is available exclusively with a 2.4-liter petrol engine and aside from the black paint finish, the S-Limited is distinguished on the outside by special badges, the Startech chrome grille surrounds, body colored door handles and mirrors, and front and rear under-ride body-kit. Interior upgrades are achieved by the use of leather trimmed seats and leather and Alcantara door panels, plus a leather covered center armrest, gearstick and headrests. Jeep said that production of the Patriot S-Limited is limited to 100 vehicles in the UK with prices starting at £19,810.

Making its debut at the 2008 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, the Jeep Patriot Back Country is a concept study customized with by Chrysler’s MOPAR division. Based on the recently facelifted Patriot that features an updated interior (see details here), the Black Country’s exterior boasts a unique Optic Green color along with a variety of MOPAR accessories including a roof top cargo basket adorned with off-road lights, splash guards, 18-inch alloys and special insignias. The blackened B-pillars, body-color door handles and the platinum chrome light bar at the rear complete the crossover’s exterior looks. -Continued

The exterior color scheme is continued in the Patriot’s interior which has been enhanced with satin chrome detailing on the door locks, door handles, shifter knob, console and air vents. Furthermore, Jeep has used a special material on the top-end of the steering wheel and the seat bolsters and head restraints. The material is inspired by wet suits and scuba equipment and is made from a smooth urethane that can hold up either wet or dry.

A couple of weeks after seeing the first images of the 2009 Compass and Patriot models through a set of dealer ads, Jeep has finally decided to release official details on its revised compact crossovers. The most important changes concern the interior which has been revamped to address criticism regarding the poor quality and materials. Both the Compass and Patriot feature a redesigned instrument panel, centre console and door trim panels. Jeep has also added chrome accents around the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) vents, shift bezel, door spears and cluster rings while there are also new LED-illuminated cup holders. -Continued

Under the skin, the addition of engine compartment and interior floor insulation promise to reduce noise levels and give the Patriot and Compass a quieter ride, while Jeep has also performed tuning improvements to the engine exhaust. Finally, all Compass and Patriot Sport models Jeeps feature revised suspension settings for a smoother ride.

JEEP PATRIOT: WHAT’S NEW FOR 2009

Exterior:

• Light Sandstone Metallic Clear Coat replaces Light Khaki Clear Coat
• Deep Water Blue Pearl Coat replaces Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat
• Mold-in-color liftgate appliqué on all models

Interior:

• New instrument panel, door trim panel and center console
• Soft touch door armrest and center console with split lid for added storage space
• Chrome accents on HVAC vents and shift bezel – Sport model
• Chrome accents on HVAC vents, shift bezel, instrument panel, door spears and cluster rings – Limited model
• Removable carpeted load floor replaces vinyl load floor
• LED-Illuminated cup holders
• uconnect tunes (which includes the following features for music, audio, movie and personalized picture display):
• 30-gigabyte hard drive for ripping as many as 6,700 songs from CD or USB memory devices in compressed format (MP3, AAC or WMA file formats)
• JPEG photos can be loaded on to the hard drive, allowing the customer to personalize the home screen
• Movies can be displayed on the screen for entertaining passengers when the vehicle is in Park
• uconnect gps combines the features of uconnect phone and uconnect tunes with navigation and real-time traffic. The system includes an integrated voice recognition system and touch screen for easy operation
• uconnect gps standard on Limited model
• Universal Customer Interface (UCI) standard with uconnect tunes
• Large front and rear floor mats are standard on Sport “E” and Limited models

Powertrain/Chassis:

• 2.4L CVT Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) powertrain option available on FWD CVT models
• Improved engine compartment and floor silencers plus revised exhaust tuning (includes larger resonator on FWD and addition of resonator on 4WD)
• Revised suspension tuning on Sport models for a more comfortable, smoother ride

Packages:

Jeep® Patriot Sport “D,” “E,” and Limited:

• Available Freedom Drive II Off-Road Group (which includes trailer tow wiring harness, CVT2L with low-ratio capability, engine oil cooler, a full-size spare tire, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lamps, full-size spare tire, 17-inch OWL tires [Limited only], cabin air-filtration system and manual seat height adjuster)

Jeep Patriot Sport “E” and Limited:

• Available Security and Convenience Group (which includes uconnect phone with UCI and auto-dimming rearview mirror with microphone [Limited only], compass, HomeLink Universal Home Security System Transceiver, Tire Pressure Monitoring [TPM], Electronic Vehicle Information Center [EVIC] with compass [Sport “E” only], soft tonneau cover, security alarm, cross bars, heated cloth seats [Sport “E” only] and front seat-mounted side airbags)
• Available Sun and Sound Group (which includes a sunroof, uconnect studios SIRIUS Satellite Radio – [Sport “E” only], a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls [Sport “E” only], six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer and two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, the speakers can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgating and other activities)

JEEP COMPASS - WHAT’S NEW FOR 2009

Exterior:

• Light Sandstone Metallic Clear Coat replaces Light Khaki Clear Coat
• Deep Water Blue Pearl Coat replaces Steel Blue Metallic Clear Coat
• Mold-in-color liftgate appliqué on Sport model
• Body-color liftgate appliqué on Limited model

Interior:

• New instrument panel, door trim panel and center console
• Soft touch door armrest and center console with split lid for added storage space
• New chrome accents on the Compass Sport HVAC vents and shift bezel
• New chrome accents on the Compass Limited HVAC vents, shift bezel, instrument panel, door spears and cluster rings
• Carpeted load floor replaces vinyl load floor
• LED-illuminated cup holders
• Large front and rear floor mats standard on Sport “E” and Limited models
• uconnect tunes and uconnect gps available
• uconnect tunes standard on Limited model
• Universal Customer Interface (UCI) standard with uconnect

Powertrain/Chassis:

• 2.4L CVT PZEV powertrain option available on FWD CVT model
• Improved engine compartment and floor silencers plus revised exhaust tuning (including larger resonator)
• Revised suspension tuning for a more comfortable, smoother ride

Packages:

Jeep Compass Sport with Special Equipment Group “E” and Jeep Compass Limited features:

• Security and Convenience Group (which includes HomeLink Universal Home Security System Transceiver, Tire Pressure Monitoring [TPM] display, Electronic Vehicle Information Center [EVIC] with compass, uconnect phone with UCI and auto-dimming rearview mirror with microphone, soft tonneau cover, security alarm, heated cloth seats and front seat-mounted side air bags)
• Sun and Sound Group (which includes a sun roof, uconnect studios SIRIUS Satellite Radio [Sport “E” only], a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls [Sport “E” only] and six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer and two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, the speakers can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgating and other activities)
  

Although Chrysler has yet to make an official announcement, the 2009 model year Jeep Patriot and Compass have already made their way to the company’s dealerships. As you can see in the dealer photographs after the jump, the major difference between the 2008 and 2009 Patriot and Compass concerns the revamped interior that features a newly-styled dashboard with softer plastics, new door panels and seat fabrics.

These changes were made by Jeep to address the negative impressions from consumers and the media alike in regards of the poor quality and cheap materials of the Compass and Patriot. Expect the Dodge Caliber to receive a similar treatment towards the end of 2008. -Image gallery after the jump

2009 Jeep Patriot

2009 Jeep Compass

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Cars