Jeep Overview

The Jeep Wrangler “Dragon” style concept features a glossy black paint scheme with the same color right on the three-piece hard top. “The Jeep brand is committed to China and therefore we must design and tailor our vehicles to the specific tastes and preferences of Chinese consumers,” as uttered by Mike Manley, CEO and COO of Jeep Brand for Asia.
However, the Dragon’s slithering success will have to depend on its attractiveness and popularity to the Chinese market, Manley added. However, aside from its limited edition “Dragon”, Manley hopes to attract China’s growing auto market after revealing that talks are being made on possibly localizing production of the Jeep brand in the country.
Chrysler’s parent company Fiat is recently partnering with the Guangzhou Automobile Group in China to begin production of its Fiat Viaggio compact sedan at a new plant in Hunan in just a few months. The plant promises to have an annual capacity of more than 200, 000 units. However, Manley said that while they want to produce their models in China as soon as possible, they want to be sure that GAC and Chrysler share a common collective vision of the brand before pursuing domestic production.
In the past, the Jeep brand has had a long history with China including a loyal fan base.

BEIJING —To mark its return to China, auto magnate Chrysler LLC unveiled its special custom “Dragon”-inspired Wrangler during last month’s 2012 Beijing Motor Show. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with a draconic-inspired paintjob, the “Dragon” hopes to attract a large following in China, considered currently as the largest auto market in the world.
An exclusive China market vehicle – the Jeep Wrangler “Dragon” features, obviously, a dragon-inspired design in honor of the celebration of the Year of the Dragon. Featuring an all-gloss black body paint scheme with bronze-gold particulars, the Dragon has 18-inch five-spoke wheels that are supposed to resemble the claws of a Chinese dragon. While its exterior boasts a sleek yet draconic feature, its interior is more refined with leather seats with dragon-inspired patterns throughout the car’s insides.
Instead of the usual “Trail rated” insignia found in the front fenders of ordinary Jeeps, the Dragon has a golden Chinese type character symbolizing the mythical reptile instead. However, the Dragon design makes its Chinese audience drool with pleasure with a tone-over-tone dragon decal running all along the extent of the vehicle and that of another draconic-inspired decal on the black spare cover tire.

Mopar and Jeep in Michigan took off the wraps of the six vehicles that were Moab-bound on Tuesday. This has showcased concepts like the Jeep Wrangler Traildozer and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. 

While the 6 vehicles are expected to turn many heads on to the  Easter Jeep Safari, the popular vehicle brand Chrysler has also declared that it will go to its way revving up with  Mopar with some kind of new division for off-road which are charged with improving and developing authentic accessories and parts for jeeps.

According to the company, each of the parts of the accessories will be made and designed and will offer a good quality and built as well. They are all tested so that they will be able to meet all jeep requirements and specifications. This will also fulfill the requirements of the jeep brand, particularly for the 4 x 4’s capability, versatility, and craftsmanship.

Jeep also stressed out that the Trailhawk’s concept goal is to come up with a visual impact. Trailhawk simply comes with Stone White, Red, and Mineral Gray exterior. It is also inspired with hood appliques in matte black that are responsible for cutting the glares that usually take place during technical and off the road maneuvers.

According to Chrysler, the Wrangler Traildozer is specifically designed with a concept that will match the toughest trails of Moab. This concept seems like to be the remake or the spun version of the 2012 Dozer Yellow Jeep Rubicon Wrangler that is also shod with thirty-seven-inch tires. In addition, this also comes with a 470hp that is bolt-in, a 6.8 L Hemi V-8 engine that is connected to a 238 Getrag 6-speed manually operated transmission. 

This jeep also comes with a 3.5 suspension lift, rear bumpers, Mopar premium for its rear and front guards for its corners including a Warn/Mopar Cti Winch 9.5.

The Jeep J12 on the other hand is considered as Mopar JK8’s extended version while the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Apache was created as a response to the many people asking for V8 powered jeeps.

On the other hand, Jeep Mighty FC Concept is a great nod for the Jeep Forward Control that became popular and debuted sometime in 1956. The designers made use of Wrangler 2012 Rubicon as the jeep’s base.

And lastly, the “The 2012 Mopar Accessorized” is considered as a rolling ad for the bin for the Mopar’s parts. It comes with two inches lift kit for performance, all-time weather mats, rock rails, and several goodies.

The Jeep brand’s legacy started during the Second World War with the military off-road vehicle Willys-Overland. Now owned by Chrysler, Jeep is slowly making a huge comeback out of the ashes of its bankruptcy in 2009. Optimism is high while Jeep sales are up by 30 percent this year compared to the brand’s performance in the same quarter last year. Last month has been tagged as the trade name’s 22nd consecutive month of sales gains.
The brand with the iconic seven vertical slots grille has since expanded its models into SUVs and CUVs and all of the five Jeep models posted double digit sales increases last month. On top of the list is the all-time favorite Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 47% boost in sales. Television’s most respected car show series MotorWeek has awarded the Grand Cherokee with the Driver‚  Choice Award Best Large Utility just last month. Another Jeep model, the Wrangler, won the Total Cost of Ownership Award for mid-sized sports utility vehicles from Kelley Blue Book, the most trusted source of car valuation.
In February 2011, Jeeps sales was pegged at 28,619 units while this year same month, sales peaked at 37,312 showing that whopping 30 percent increase in sales. The brand’s popularity has earned another boost as its Facebook site has hit two million fans becoming the first ever US auto brand to ever reach the two million mark. Its closest rival has only 700,000 fans. According to Mike Manly, President and CEO of the Jeep Brand, this amazing feat is a manifestation of the vehicle owners  unique culture and sense of passion and community.
Plans to upgrade the look of the Grand Cherokee is underway and the company intends to parade the latest enhanced model to the state that awarded the Grand Cherokee as its official SUV, the wonderful state of Texas. A sneak preview showed that the enhanced model will feature a chrome front end and black gloss wheels. Described as ‘ edgy and aggressive, the Grand Cherokee promises to be an entirely new appearance, totally different from the Grand Cherokee that we see today. A brilliant black prototype of the new Grand Cherokee model first appeared at the Houston Auto Show and a cherry red variant was shown at the Washington Auto Show. Aside from the platinum chrome grille set, the new model has leather-trimmed seats and leather-wrapped steering wheels. The front seats are also heated.

Each passing year, the staff of the famous Motor Trend finds it difficult to get the exact definition of Sports Utility Vehicle or SUV. The Jeep wrangler for the year 2012 used to be the model for a multi surface vehicle particularly in terms of testing vehicles around asphalts and dirt. 
As of today, the body frame of this vehicle and its low range 4 wheel drive system has become one of the technological curiosities. As a matter of fact, this Jeep is the only vehicle on this list that features both high-tech concepts for SUVs.
As for the other nine contenders for the Motor Trend 2012 SUV of the Year Award, you will come to know that all of them come with body variants or powertrains. However, you will be surprised to know that half of the contenders come with engines that have been transversely mounted.
Say for example, the Mini Countryman and the Range rover Evoque come with more than hot hatches that are lifted. Despite the obvious downfall of off-roaders characteristics, this year’s competitors have been able to maintain a very surprising and interesting level of abilities to pave off the road.
Last Year’s Winner 
The Porsche Cayenne has been declared as the winner in the last year’s Motor Trend. This car has represented the pinnacle of the SUV science for the year 2011. It has presented the dynamics of sedans on the road. The judges had put their heads together to vote for this car model because of its variety of style, technology, refinement, and value.
The contender’s for this year’s event are also being judged with the same criteria, which have been used last year. However, contenders need not to compete with Cayenne ever again as it is obvious that Cayenne has already had its share of fame and glory last year.
This year’s competition aims to achieve a goal to meet and come up with the perfect SUV for its much intended purpose. So, this competition does not necessarily translate that a contender, which has not been judged as the winner, is no longer a perfect or the right vehicle for all the consumers out there.
The contenders for this year’s Motor trend 2012 SUV of the Year Award are as follow:
- Saab 9-4x
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
- Mini Cooper Countryman
- Mercedes-Benz M-Class
- BMW X3
- Ford Explorer
- Dodge Journey
- Dodge Durango
- Jeep Wrangler

Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. Being a registered trademark it is the oldest off-road and sport utility vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam BRC became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar period. Many vehicles serving similar military and civilian roles have since been created by many nations. Jeeps were also used by the U.S. Postal Service in the 20th century for mail services. If you’re thinking about purchasing a vehicle rugged enough to finesse rocky trails, chances are, one make comes to mind: Jeep. This specialty automotive manufacturer has a long history of producing trucks and SUVs capable of off-highway adventures – so much so that the term jeep is used by many to refer to all SUVs, whether the vehicle in question is a true Jeep or not.

Owning a jeep vehicle means that you are ready to conquer the world and survive all sorts of terrain. If you live in a place where you see all kinds of weather, from blizzards to hail to thunder storms, then a jeep vehicle is a wise choice. Other than severe weather conditions, another advantage of owning a jeep vehicle is its size and weight. Jeep vehicles may be small enough that they can fit easily into tight areas like parking spots. And because there are so many jeep vehicles in the road already, looking for spare parts is already easy because it is now plenty and cheap. Having a Jeep vehicle is practical and convenient as it won’t let you hunt around for hard-to-find spare parts all over your area. Also, a Jeep vehicle speaks of durability and toughness that cannot be matched by other kinds of vehicle.

Partnership with DaimlerChrysler resulted in new models, though none were able to attain great sales success. Despite the latest ownership change, Jeep will maintain a loyal group of customers thanks to its focused mission of building fearless, go-anywhere vehicles. Though often referred to simply as Jeep, the brand consists of six models demonstrating varying degrees of genuine off-road capability. Every contemporary Jeep SUV features a familial slotted grille, but it’s the Jeep Wrangler that carries the strongest tie to the brand’s past. Sold as the Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, this rugged vehicle has remained true to its roots while taking on vehicles such as the Hummer H3. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is particularly tenacious, but when that desire to explore needs to be tempered with family responsibilities, one can always check out the three-row Jeep Commander or popular Jeep Grand Cherokee. Buyers seeking capability on a smaller budget will be attracted to the Jeep Liberty. The Jeep Cherokee is no longer offered. Looking ahead, the face of Jeep is sure to evolve, though more dramatic changes might be in store under the skin, including a Bluetec diesel engine shown in the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was one of the pioneering SUVs that ushered in the modern midsize SUV segment in the early 1990s. When it debuted, the Grand Cherokee represented a bigger and better version of Jeep’s smaller but still popular Cherokee. The company’s designers wanted it to be maneuverable enough for urban duty, roomy enough for family duty, stylish enough to take out on the town and capable enough to get to the more remote campsites. It would seem that they certainly succeeded. The JGC, as it’s commonly referred to, has become one of America’s top sellers in the SUV segment. Unlike most other traditional SUVs from domestic automakers, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always been built using a carlike unibody chassis rather than a body-on-frame design. In general, a unibody chassis provides advantages in terms of on-road handling, easier entry and exit, and safety. Maintaining Jeep’s strong reputation for off-road prowess is retained thanks in large part to the Grand Cherokee’s advanced four-wheel-drive systems.