Autoblog

Jeep's official unearthing of the 2007 Wrangler Unlimited left us wondering how long one needs to bury a standard two-door Wrangler before it up and sprouts a second set of doors. Alas, that question went unanswered. What was made clear is that a high-pressure fire hose is an effective means of extracting a buried SUV, and that if Jeep's PR folks are handing out plastic ponchos, it's wise to accept one.

While we thought that the full doors (shown in Jeep's official press release) appear a bit awkward when the top is removed, the half doors (shown in pics after the jump) definitely look to be the hot ticket for topless motoring.

(More photos after the jump!)

Apparently, the saga that is the Romanian-built Cross Lander is not quite over yet. Our contact at the company's Atlanta outpost, Sean Rich, hipped us to the latest developments.

According to a press release issued Thursday, Cross Lander USA has announced its intentions to lodge a legal grievance against the country of Romania, pursuant to the "Bilateral Investment Treaty" between the U.S. and Romania. The would-be truckmaker alleges that it has been the subject of "a continuous barrage of attacks" by Romanian government officials both past and present, along with AVAS officials and "sensationalist reporters," among others. Cross Lander believes that a "web of corruption" led to the failure of the Romanian governent to abide by its obligations under a privatization agreement, "including the cancellation of a 47 million U.S. dollar budgetary debt."

In related news, Cross Lander announced that it is no longer Cross Lander.  Err... kinda. The company is officially changing its name to Global Vehicles U.S.A. Incorporated. However, as a regrettably infectious tune once said, "It's all the same, only the names will change"-- the company and its charter remain unaltered, and the "Cross Lander" moniker is being retained for future U.S. bound products. The embattled firm further states that it plans to move its home base to the Atlanta, Georgia area later this summer, and claims to still have 150 dealers signed up.

Click through to the link for the full press release.

[Source: Cross Lander USA via P.R. Newswire]