2006 Dodge Hornet concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Over the past couple of years, Chrysler has been in discussion with seemingly every carmaker in the world about some sort of tie-up to achieve some particular end. Before it was battling for its very survival, it was in serious talks with Chinese automaker Chery about building a car or two, including a vehicle based on the 2006 Hornet concept car (pictured) and the A1. Fast forward to today, when everything has fallen away – including its collaboration with Nissan – and now news agency Reuters says that Chrysler and Fiat are headed back to the People’s Republic.
Neither company has any noteworthy presence in China, a situation that both companies are desperate to change. According to Reuters, they want to find a Chinese maker to build something on Chrysler’s C Platform, which underpins the Jeep Compass and Patriot, and Dodge Caliber.
Chrysler currently exports ten of its models to to China. Fiat has a partnership with Chinese car company Guangzhou – which, in turn, is also allied with Honda and Toyota – to build a factory where Guangzhou will build cars on Fiat platforms. Guangzhou is a company that Chrysler has already approached, and the easiest route appears to be to simply expand the partnership via Fiat. No matter how it gets done, just give us a Hornet that looks like a Hornet… and not an A1.
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The Toyota Land Cruiser has been on the road for more than 27 years, and amassed more than 400,000 miles on its odometer.
In the past three months, it has endured a broken engine mounting, ruptured handbrake cable, broken cross-shaft, damaged power piston and more than a few cosmetic blemishes.
Time to head to the dealership, right?
For Emil and Liliana Schmid, not even close. While driving the 1982 Land Cruiser FJ60 over the past 27-and-a-half years, the Swiss couple has gone through 166 flat tires, 138 spark plugs, 54 shock absorbers, 31 batteries and 22 air filters.
The couple, which embarked on a worldwide travel extravaganza in 1984, hasn’t stopped, and neither has their Land Cruiser. They’ve ridden it through 172 different countries and logged 413,654 miles. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized them and their vehicle for the longest travel journey, the most miles, and the most countries visited in a single car.
The journey began as a one-year escape from his job as a software developer and hers as a secretary, but it quickly spiraled into one without a return date. So far, they’ve parked the Land Cruiser near Egyptian pyramids and Australia’s Ayers Rock. And everywhere in between.
They’ve been on the road for 9,493 days, according to the meticulously kept statistics on their website, consumed 43,497 gallons of gas and been behind the wheel for 18,482 hours.
Truth be told, they pondered replacing their Land Cruiser once. But after a spirited debate in 2006, they found a place to fix the original in the town of Miri on the island of Borneo, and haven’t regretted the decision one bit.
Thinking about taking an epic journey like the Schmids? We’ve got a few cars that we think will serve you very well while you see the world.
MSRP: $77,955
Given how much success the Schmids have experienced with their 1982 Land Cruiser, we have to recommend the 2013 model.
The Toyota Land Cruiser remains at the top of the class when it comes to luxury and off-road capability. It provides legendary durability and reliability thanks to Toyota’s impressive level of quality control. A 381-hp 5.7-liter V8 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission sends power to the four-wheel drive system. Driving at low speeds on rough or steep terrain, the Crawl Control system automatically controls the vehicle’s engine and brakes which allows the driver to focus on steering
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[Source: Reuters]