Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Chrysler expanding Detroit plant for car-based Grand Cherokee]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/chrysler-expanding-detroit-plant-for-car-based-grand-cherokee/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/chrysler-expanding-detroit-plant-for-car-based-grand-cherokee/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/chrysler-expanding-detroit-plant-for-car-based-grand-cherokee/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for big gallery of the current Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep has a long and illustrious history with the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, and that lineage will continue on, albeit with some modifications to remain relevant to the times. Unlike many of its closest rivals that used a body-on-frame approach (we're looking at you, Explorer), the Grand Cherokee has always been based on a unibody platform. But it looks like future Grand Cherokees will be moving on to a car-based platform rather than its own dedicated one. To retool for this new vehicle program, Chrysler has announced that its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit will be getting a $1.8 billion renovation that should employ 400 new workers -- a boon for the weary Detroit-area economy.

While purists may not like the idea of a car-based Grand Cherokee, we can't imagine that Chrysler would make the mistake of alienating its vast army of die-hard Jeep fans by making its flagship product too road-biased. Remember too that the Grand Cherokee name has always been affixed to a model that's a bit less rough-and-tumble than other more hardcore Jeep models like the Wrangler. Expect to see the next-gen Grand Cherokee sometime in 2010. Thanks for the tip, Roger!

[Sources: Dow Jones Newswire, Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Chrysler expanding Detroit plant for car-based Grand Cherokee originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>grand cherokeeGrandCherokeejeepjeep crossoverjeep cuvjeep grand cherokeeJeepCrossoverJeepCuvJeepGrandCherokeejefferson northjefferson north assembly plantJeffersonNorthJeffersonNorthAssemblyPlantnew grand cherokeeNewGrandCherokeeunibody jeepUnibodyJeepWed, 13 Aug 2008 15:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Chrysler following GM and Ford's lead - cutting NA production]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/13/chrysler-following-gm-and-fords-lead-cutting-na-production/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/13/chrysler-following-gm-and-fords-lead-cutting-na-production/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/13/chrysler-following-gm-and-fords-lead-cutting-na-production/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The 2009 Dodge Ram can't come soon enough. Chrysler, along with GM and Ford, will be turning out the lights in its Warren Truck Assembly Plant for a few weeks as of this month. The Jefferson North Assembly and Windsor Assembly plants will also be shut down.

The Warren plant that assembles the Dodge Ram and Dakota pickups will be closed the longest, from December 21 to February 4. Jefferson North, which builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs, will close for three weeks as of January 4, 2008. That plant will also lose 911 workers, and will lose its second shift as of February 4. The Windsor plant, in Ontario, Canada, which builds the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, will go silent on January 14 for two weeks.

The acronym to describe it is "volume-related downtime," which is yet another painful step that needs to be taken to right the domestic ships. Dealers lament that not enough of the buying public is buying enough products to keep production going. But dealers must also be happy that they themselves won't have to be the involuntary recipients of more product they can't sell.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

Chrysler following GM and Ford's lead - cutting NA production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chryslerchrysler factorieschrysler productionchrysler production cutsChryslerFactoriesChryslerProductionChryslerProductionCutsjefferson north assembly plantJeffersonNorthAssemblyPlantproduction cutsProductionCutswarren truck assembly plantWarrenTruckAssemblyPlantwindsor assembly plantWindsorAssemblyPlantThu, 13 Dec 2007 16:02:00 EST