AEV making Jeep J8 MILSPEC available for U.S. civilians

The J8 is one of the toughest vehicles in the world and, until now, it was only sold to foreign militaries and governments. Good news, then. American Expedition Vehicles – normally purveyors of American-made aftermarket off-road parts and equipment – has entered into an agreement with Chrysler that will allow AEV to sell fully assembled J8 kits as the AEV J8 MILSPEC in the United States.
Though American civilians can get their hands on the stripped-down, beefed-up super-Jeeps, there are some steps to go through before it'll be road-ready.

These aren't aftermarket conversions of civilian equipment either - these are the real-deal, military-grade Jeep J8s that are being sold overseas. They are available in either three-door or five-door variants, but both are built on the same Wrangler Unlimited platform.

"Hardcore off-road enthusiasts have been asking for a vehicle like this for years, no frills and setup for a choice of diesel or V8 power and built with extra heavy-duty components,” said Dave Harriton, CEO of American Expedition Vehicles. “It’s certainly not for everyone, but that’s all part of the appeal. Being able to offer even limited quantities to the American public is really a dream come true for AEV. First, it’s a perfect match with our niche manufacturing and distribution channels, and second, the J8 is a unique part of history that we’re proud to be part of."

The AEV J8 MILSPEC will be sold as a component rolling chassis. The vehicle is meant for off-road use, and as typical for component vehicles the engine and transmission will be installed by the buyer or at the buyer's direction by an independent contractor. Although AEV does not provide the powertrain, there are a number of independent AEV dealers that can supply and install either a 2.8-liter diesel engine or a 5.7-liter V-8 HEMI® engine and transmission package.

The AEV J8 MILSPEC will be assembled in Detroit by AEV. The complete rolling chassis will be delivered painted, upholstered, fully instrumented and will include ABS brakes, heavy duty suspension and axles, exhaust, wheels and tires.

The J8 gets a range of upgrades over a standard Jeep, including a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles, plus rear leaf springs and a heavy-duty frame that together boost the J8's tow capacity to 3,500lb and payload rating to 2,500lb.

Right now, however, AEV is simply taking orders through its site. Once it has enough to begin production, a $10,000 deposit will be due in order to secure your place in line. No word yet on final pricing, though AEV says owners should expect a total investment of about $50,000.

Chrysler To Close Eight Plants by 2010; 10 Remain For Long Term Growth

This past week’s bankruptcy announcement for Chrysler means the decisions will be coming hard and fast. The carmaker has already confirmed that overlapping models and some slow-sellers will be dropped but there will also be a lot more cutbacks as revealed by new bankruptcy documents filed with a court in New York.

The documents revealed that up to eight plants in the U.S. will be closed but it appears no employees will be retrenched. Speaking with Automotive News, Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez said the alliance with Fiat would allow the carmaker to “retain substantially” all of its employees.

Furthermore, Chrysler expects the alliance with Fiat, which is subject to modification by the bankruptcy court, to add about 5,000 employees, Gutierrez explained. Current employees would be offered employment in the new company.

Chrysler is yet to confirm the plant closings, as the information revealed was sourced from a preliminary draft bankruptcy petition prepared by Robert Manzo, executive director of Capstone Advisory Group, one of Chrysler's advisers. The document also revealed that Chrysler would be split itself into two legal entities - an "OldCo" that would retain these eight plants and other liabilities not and a "NewCo" that would remain after the restructuring.

Sadly, one of the plants included - Conner Avenue – is responsible for the Dodge Viper, which Chrysler is currently trying to sell the rights to.


Here’s the complete list of facilities that will be closing according to Chrysler's bankruptcy filing:

-- Sterling Heights (Mich.) Assembly Plant
-- Detroit (Mich.) Axle
-- Conner Avenue (Detroit) Assembly
-- St. Louis (Mo.) North Plant
-- Kenosha (Wisc.) Engine
-- Twinsburg (Ohio) Stamping Plant
-- An idled plant in Newark, Del.
-- An idled plant in south St. Louis

Retained under a restructured Chrysler for long term operation will be:
-- Toluca and Saltillo plants in Mexico
-- Brampton and Windsor plants in Ontario, Canada
-- Toledo North and Toledo Supplier Park in Ohio
-- Warren Truck and Jefferson Avenue in Michigan
-- Belvidere in Illinois
-- Van operation in Ladson, South Carolina

Fiat wants to form new company to combine Chrysler and GM Europe

Fiat’s alliance with Chrysler is only the beginning. According to a variety of reports, Fiat has confirmed that it is also considering acquiring General Motors' European operations, including Opel, Vauxhall and even Saab.

To do so the Italian auto giant may form a new company to combine its Fiat car brands (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo) along with Chrysler and any acquired GM entities. The information was revealed in a statement issued by Fiat’s board on Sunday, which also stated that the new company would earn more than $106 billion in annual revenues and become the world's second-largest auto group after Toyota.

Fiat's board "expressed its full support” for the initiative which will begin in the next few weeks with an assessment of the viability of such an acquisition. Speaking with the Financial Times, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said he wanted to join Fiat’s auto division with Opel, Vauxhall and even Saab. Along with Chrysler, the new entity would have sales of 6 million to 7 million vehicles a year.

Marchionne also said he hopes to complete the transaction by the end of May and list shares of the new company, tentatively called Fiat/Opel, by the middle of the year. Major hurdles to the deal, however, are a rival bid for GM’s European operations from Magna International as well as opposition from German trade unions. Fiat and Marchionne have a long road ahead.

If the deal goes ahead, Fiat and Opel will be able to merge a number of platforms, including A, B, C, and D segment architectures, and reap more than $1 billion in synergies.

Marchionne is a strong believer of mass consolidations and even predicts that the future landscape of the auto industry will see only six carmakers survive - one American house, one German of size, one French-Japanese, maybe with an extension in the U.S., one in Japan, one in China and one potential European player.

Chrysler shows off new Fiat-based sedan at special dealer presentation

Chrysler has showed off several of its planned models at a special dealer presentation held this week at the carmaker’s design dome in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Among the new models was the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2011 Chrysler 300 sedan, and according to the Wall Street Journal a compact sports sedan from Fiat that will form the basis for a new Chrysler version.


The proposed alliance between Fiat and Chrysler still hasn’t been finalized and with the government’s deadline for restructuring falling at the end of this month dealers understandably are nervous. Add a looming bankruptcy to the mix and stress levels for most dealers will likely be going through the roof. The show off may settle tensions a little and offer some hope.

On hand at the event was Chrysler’s design chief Ralph Gilles who confirmed that the Chrysler version would use the Fiat chassis but will have unique exterior sheet metal. Chrysler doesn’t have a compact sedan in its lineup at the moment and has lacked one ever since the Dodge Neon was discontinued back in 2006. With consumers in the U.S. continuing to downsize to smaller vehicles, even with fuel prices back at the $2 per gallon mark, Chrysler needs to fill the gaping void in its lineup.

There’s been no mention of which Fiat model was shown at the presentation but Chrysler has previously revealed that it will build a sedan based on the Italian carmaker’s C-Evo platform, which currently underpins cars like the Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta.

Chrysler, in its original viability plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury back in February, showed that it could expand its lineup for very little cost by borrowing several future Fiat models. The alliance will possibly see up to seven new Fiat and Alfa Romeo models sold in the U.S., including some that will be produced in North America for the first time.