Euro NCAP Says Jeep Compass "Disappoints", Honda Civic "Impresses" in Latest Crash Tests

The latest results from Euro NCAP, which is equivalent to the IIHS in North America, brings good news for some, and bad news for others.

The two vehicles tested by the European body are the new 2012 Honda Civic 5-door hatchback and the redesigned Jeep Compass crossover.

Starting with the good news, Honda's compact model was awarded the maximum five star rating, achieving high scores in all areas of assessment and putting it on a par with the top models in its category.

Euro NCAP said that the passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact while the car scored maximum points in the side barrier test. It also offered adequate protection in the more severe side pole impact, and scored top points for the protection it offered to pedestrians.

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Aftermarket Firms Develop Power Operated Soft Top for Jeep Wrangler

Along with myriads of new concept and project cars, next week's SEMA Show in Las Vegas will also see many aftermarket companies debuting numerous new vehicle components and accessories.

Jeep specialist RuggedRidge and RoadWire both revealed that they would use the SEMA Show to launch new power operated convertible tops for the JK Wrangler.

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Jeep Announces New Ad Campaign for Italy

Jeep is one of the two mainstream brands within the Fiat Group – Chrysler LLC alliance (the other one being Alfa Romeo) that are destined to play a major global role in the company's growth plans for the future.

To mark Jeep's renewed lineup in Italy, the automaker is launching a new TV campaign under the tagline "Don’t' adapt to conventions". The first spot is named "Never Adapt" and it will begin airing on Italian television channels on Sunday, October 9.

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Brand New Chrysler Group Cars Driven at Warp Speed out of Transporter Train…

While we are no strangers to offbeat incidents involving new cars and transporters, we'll admit that we've never seen anything like this – that is, if the video you're about to watch is original and has not been altered in any way as understandably, we can't be 100 per cent sure.

The clip appears to have been shot by someone standing on the top level of a double decker transporter train and it shows five allegedly brand new vehicles (all Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs, if we're not mistaken) shooting out of the deck at warp speed.

The surroundings suggest the train is located at a parking lot terminal. Follow the break to watch the video for yourself and tell us what you think in the comments area below.

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Jeep Swallowed by Sinkhole after Hitting a Fire Hydrant [Videos]

A 35-year old man, who has not been named, made news in Boston after he was involved in an odd accident that set off a chain of events that eventually led to a…sinkhole swallowing his Jeep Patriot.

According to local reports, the accident took place on Lowell Street in Lexington, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning at around 6:30 am when the silver Jeep smashed into a telephone pole and then rebounded into a fire hydrant, which cracked and started flooding the surrounding area with water.

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Video: Watch the Mopar Team Turn a Jeep Wrangler into a Pickup Truck

As well as announcing the U.S. market launch of the JK-8 kit that carries a $5,499 sticker, Chrysler’s Mopar division also released a new time-lapse video that shows us a team of workers turning a four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a pickup truck with a small bed at the back.

According to Mopar Performance Team engineer, Steve Houtman, it took the four-man crew (or at least that’s our count of the number of people seen working on the Jeep) about an hour to complete the transformation using the JK-8 kit. Watch them in action for yourself in the clip after the break.

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Jeep’s Drive Your Track Lets you Plan World Road Trip from Your Music

I’ve been trying out Jeep’s Drive Your Track website for their Wrangler model’s Infinity Sound System. You start by uploading a song from your hard drive: I chose Gary Numan’s, “Cars” for reasons that should be readily apparent.

It takes a few minutes to load your song, and then the sound waves are somehow mapped to certain geographical features from around the world.

You end up with eight or so places, which for me included the Appalachian Mountains, the Himalayas, the Andes, the Ural Mountains and Colorado Rockies.

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New Footage of Jeep’s Build-it-Yourself Wrangler JK8 Independence Pickup Truck

Earlier this month, the Chrysler Group’s Mopar division unveiled a new do-it-yourself pickup conversion kit for the latest generation of the Wrangler modeled after the 1980’s Scrambler CJ-8. Called the JK-8 Independence, the kit allows the transformation of a four-door 2007-2011 Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door, two-seater pickup truck with a 50-inch long cargo bed.

Now, the Detroit automaker has released new running footage of the JK-8 Independence pickup conversion shot at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, as well as a walkaround clip with Steve Hautman, a Mopar Performance Offroad Team engineer, providing us a brief explanation on the build. You can watch both clips right after the break.

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Teen Girl Rams Stolen Jeep Wrangler into a Church During Police Pursuit [with Video]

A police video camera has captured the pursuit of a speeding Jeep Wrangler that ended with the 4x4 plowing a Church in Socastee, South Carolina on Friday. The driver turned out to be a 15-year-old girl who had stolen the red-colored Wrangler. Despite the severity of the crash, the teenage girl managed to escape with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Read more »

Jeep’s 2011 Moab Easter Safari Specials in Pictures and on Video

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.

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Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence: DIY Mopar Kit Allows Owners To Turn Wrangler Into a Pick Up Truck

Some of you may remember the 2005 Jeep Gladiator concept study for a pickup truck version of the Wrangler, which for many reasons, never came to fruition. But if you happened to like the idea of a light-duty hauler based on the Wrangler, then Jeep may have the answer for you with its new JK-8 Independence package.

The do-it-yourself Mopar kit allows owners to convert a 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck with seating for two and a pickup style bed. After the conversion, the bed length is 50 inches and the width between wheel wells is 44 inches. The package includes all the necessary parts such as the bed floor, inner and outer body panels, half hard top (works with Freedom Top panels), and a new bulkhead.

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Mopar Tunes from SEMA Show Including Fiat 500, Dodge Redline Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee

Here are the first real life photos of some of the Mopar-tuned Chrysler Group products that were introduced at the SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas. If you follow the break, you can find photos of the customized Fiat 500, Dodge Redline Charger, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, plus a video with Mark Allen, head of Jeep Product Design, showing off three new Jeep studies.

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VIDEO: Mopar’s Jeep J7 Stripper and NuKaiser 715, and Ram Power Wagon Concepts

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.

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Soldiers Rip to Pieces and then Rebuild Army Jeep in Less than 4 Minutes!

For many, the world's most iconic automobile is not the Ford Model T or the Volkswagen Beetle. For them, it's the humble Willys Jeep. Serving in three wars, the Jeep (or MB) was built to fulfill a 1930s War Department requirement for a light 4x4 utility vehicle that was both simple and reliable.

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Chrysler Releases First TV Spot for 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Being one of the most important launches of the year for the Chrysler Group and the first to come during the newly-formed alliance with Fiat SpA, the Detroit automaker is working hard to spread the word about the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee as well as the change of philosophy in the company.

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Jeep Releases New Photos and Video of 2011 Grand Cherokee

The Chrysler LLC group has rolled out fresh pictures and a new video with some B-Roll footage of its all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee a couple of weeks ahead of the SUV's U.S. market launch in early June.

The 2011 Grand Cherokee will be offered with a choice of two engines including the Chrysler Group's all-new 290HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine that delivers up to 23 mpg, and a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with 360-horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque.

In its latest press release, the company revealed prices for the entry-level 4x2 Laredo model that starts from $30,995, while the 4x4 version of the Laredo will start at $32,995. The new Grand Cherokee is built at the Chrysler group's Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) in Detroit.

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AWESOM-O VIDEO! Techno Song Made With Sounds from Jeep Cherokee

Trust us when we say that, even if you're not a fan of techno music, this is one video clip that you'll want to watch / hear again and again. Created by filmmaker - musician Julian Smith, the video shows a crew of people using the doors, engine, switches, locks and numerous other parts of an old Jeep Cherokee to make a music clip called "Techno Jeep".

Julian said that the "automotive band" began rehearsing their parts 2 weeks before the video was shot, while it took the group "7 hours of filming to get a solid take." Enjoy the video after the break. Kudos to Sebastian R. for the tip!

Deconstructicon: Artist Transforms 1983 Jeep Grand Cherokee into a Metal Ball [with Video]

Let's say you work for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and someone donates a 1983 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. What do you do with it? Well, for whatever reasons, using the vehicle, which makes the most sense, was not among the options being considered by the museum folks. To make a long story short, they chose to call in artist Keny Marshall to create a modern sculpture out of the Jeep.

The artist and his team decided to disassemble the Grand Wagoneer and use all of the parts from the vehicle to craft a nine-foot tall metal that now adorns the outdoor area of the museum.

Hat tip to 3Deuce27!

Via: Makezine , Photos: Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

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VIDEO: Jeep Wrangler with Twin-Turbocharged Viper SRT10 V10 Engine!

To say that 'das' creation is insane, is clearly an understatement. Having already fitted a Dodge Viper V10 engine under the hood of a 1991 Jeep Wrangler, the German owner of this custom build decided to proceed to 'Stage II' by turbocharging the massive V10! As you can see in the first video after the jump, the dyno showed that the beastly Wrangler 'SRT10' produces 714HP at the wheels along with a staggering 1,053Nm or 745-lbs/ft of torque. There's also a second video available showing the pre-turbocharged Wrangler SR10 running the quarter mile in 12.93 seconds.

Via: Streetfire & Cardomain

Video: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Highlights and Driving Shots

The latest evolution of Jeep's Grand Cherokee takes a stride towards crossover territory promising to offer significant improvements to on-road handling thanks to its Mercedes ML underpinnings that grace Jeep's flagship model with an all around independent suspension. In addition to the 5.7-liter V8 HEMI, the 2011 Grand Cherokee will also be offered with Chrysler's all-new 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar engine that cranks out 280HP. Hit the jump to watch the first videos of the new Jeepthat made its world premiere at this week's NY Auto Show.