Auto Fans Club

Earlier today, we showed you the Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck [DIY] conversion, and now its time to give you a sneak peek of the rest of the vehicles Jeep and Mopar are planning to bring to the upcoming 45th annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari in Utah on April 16.

The list includes the Jeep Compass Canyon, Cherokee Overland, Grand Cherokee Off-road Edition, Wrangler Renegade, Wrangler Pork Chop, Wrangler Blue Crush and the Mopar Ram Truck Runner.

One of the most impressive looking models is the Jeep Wrangler Blue Crush, which is said to combine “high-speed off-road racing and rock-crawling capability.” The high-riding Wrangler packs a Mopar 426 cubic-inch HEMI V8 with 540 horsepower that is paired with a 545RFE performance transmission and a gear-drive transfercase.

Ram's new version of the 1500 pickup truck, formerly known under the code name the “Adventurer”, has finally received an official designation. The Ram 1500 Express targets younger customers and first-time buyers and comes with a starting price of $23,830 (€16,677), including a $975 destination charge.

The Chrysler Group’s Ram Truck division has lifted the wraps off its latest offering, the new Cargo Van or simply Ram C/V, which is nothing more than a 2012 Dodge Caravan in LCV guise with solid panels in the place of the rear windows and a flat load area.

In a somewhat strange move, the Chrysler Group's Ram Truck division announced today that it would launch a new entry-level version of its 1500 pickup truck equipped with a standard HEMI V8 engine, but it has yet to decide on the vehicle's name. According to the company, the new model is currently known under the code name “Adventurer".

Chrysler's Ram division introduced the a new Tradesman option package for the 2011 Ram 1500 at the Chicago Auto Show. Based on the ST trim level, the new variant comes with the 390HP 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and five-speed automatic transmission, accompanied by a more comprehensive standard equipment list.

We received some e-mails asking us if the green-colored Ram truck hiding behind the Chrysler-ized Prius 300C we showed you earlier today was a tricked out Dodge, or if, like many other project cars shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon, this too was a replica. The answer is it's a Ram Truck clone based on the Mazda Bongo Friendee, which is a Japanese domestic market MPV with seating for eight, offered between 1995 and 2005. Like the Prius 300C, the Ram Truck Friendee was built by a team of students from the Saitama Institute of Automotive Technology.

Chrysler and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new partnership to explore the possibility of adapting the EPA's hydraulic hybrid system for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles. Developed by the EPA, the hydraulic hybrid system is currently used in industrial applications, including large delivery trucks and refuse trucks, but Chrysler, keen on developing a new portfolio of hybrid vehicles, wants to adopt it for use on passenger vehicles. Read more »

The Chrysler Group is recalling certain Dodge Journey crossovers and Ram trucks in three separate actions to repair defective steering wheels, airbags and noisy rear axles.

The largest of Chrysler's recalls involves 65,180 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured from November 1, 2007, through September 7, 2008. According to a posting on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], the wires within the front door wire harnesses may fatigue and break. If this happens, the side-impact sensors may not work resulting in inoperative side airbags. Chrysler said it will replace the left and right door wiring harnesses free of charge.

Reuters is reporting that major automakers are tirelessly working on reducing the weight of future generation pickup trucks, in order to meet stricter fuel economy standards without sacrificing key abilities, such as power, payload capacity or towing capability.

Until 2016, when the new mandates take effect, manufacturers must reach an average fleet economy of 35.5 mpg (6.63 lt/100 km), while light trucks will have to return around 30 mpg or 7.84 lt/100 km. Given that around 50 per cent of vehicles sold in the U.S. in the first 11 months of the year were light trucks, it’s clear that the likes of Ford and GM have to act fast.

Fiat’s comeback to the U.S. with the 500 is just the first piece of a larger puzzle. The company’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, may give the green light for natural gas-powered cars to be sold in the Land of the Free, as they offer a cheaper way to cut emissions. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Mr. Marchionne noted that electric cars, favored by GM and Toyota, present “too many obstacles” with long recharge time for batteries being one of them.

A loss is a loss, but at least there's an improvement in the Chrysler Group's financial results for the third quarter of the year that ended on September 30, 2010. The American automaker, which is operated by Fiat SpA, reported an $84 million net loss in Q3, the smallest in the year and less than half the $172 million loss in the second quarter of 2010.

Most likely, you have read our preview on Mopar's SEMA-bound tuned vehicles. If that's the case, then you may also be interested in the video after the break, as Jeep's Chief Designer, Mark Allen, does a show and tell on three Jeep and Ram concept vehicles.

Do you own a car that's likely to be stolen? Maybe, maybe not. Here is the list that the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) has compiled concerning the most stolen vehicles in America. Honda's 1994 Accord and 1995 Civic along with Toyota's 1991 Camry occupy the first three places ahead of Ford's 1997 F-150 pickup truck and Dodge's 2004 Ram pickup.

If your car is on the list (scroll down), you should make sure to keep that chunk of metal locked down. As in, put a ring on it and don't let anyone near it.

Most Stolen Vehicles in the US in 2009: