Hasta La Gadget!

There are a plenty of places in the world that need 4×4s to get around. In some places, that’s just not enough. That’s probably why Mercedes-Benz came up with this 6×6 off-roader, which promises to be the most rugged Merc you’ve ever seen.

The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 was probably built for multi-millionaires and super-villains, with secret lairs far away from the beaten path. Or maybe Saudi oil princes, wanting to get around in the desert.

The 8300 pound G63 AMG 6×6 comes with six massive 37-inch wheels for more traction, a twin-turbocharged 5.5L AMG V8 that produces 536HP, a seven-speed automatic transmission and naturally, all-wheel drive, all resulting in a whopping 560-lb-ft of torque.

The interior is quite luxurious, featuring Alcantara and leather, sports seats, and everything you’d expect from a high-end Merc.

You’ll have to pay about $525,000(USD) to get yours, but act quickly, because they’re only making 20 to 30 of these each year.

In what we can only assume is a replay from yesterday, Jeep’s Twitter account was hacked and much of the branding was changed over to Cadillac logos and images, mentioning that Cadillac has acquired Jeep, although that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re guessing it’s the same hackers behind yesterday’s Burger King/McDonald’s Twitter hack.

Many of the tweets are also similar to what we saw yesterday, mainly dealing with the superiority of Cadillac over Jeep, mixed in with some incoherent language and hashtags. The background was also changed to a McDonald’s-laden blinged-out car, pretty much confirming that it’s the same hacking group that we saw yesterday, due to the McDonald’s reference.

If it is the same group, then the Defonic Team Screen Name Club are the ones behind today’s Twitter hack. The group is best known for hacking into Paris Hilton’s phone a while back. Of course, Jeep is gaining hundreds of new followers by the minute, similar to how Burger King’s following grew by 30,000 users in about an hour’s time.

Jeep’s Twitter account hasn’t been suspended, unlike Burger King’s account, and it seems things are back to normal. Jeep’s head of brand communications Todd Goyer says that the company is “aware of the issue and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.” Most of the branding is back to normal and all of the irrelevant tweets have been deleted.

Jeep Twitter account hacked, taken over by Cadillac fanboys is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Chrysler debuted the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the recent Detroit Auto Show in Michigan, where it gave us a variety of details, minus one particularly relevant one – price. Much speculation has swirled around the rumorsphere in regards to the model’s price range, but nothing concrete has surfaced. That has apparently changed, with a user over at the Jeep Garage forums stating that he managed to grab a pricing sheet, which he then published for all to see.

According to the leak, the 2WD Grand Cherokee Laredo will be the cheapest option with a starting price of $28,795, with a couple rungs higher being the Grand Cherokee Summit at $47,995. Things keep going north from there, with Grand Cherokee SRT coming in at $62,995, a $2,700 increase over the previous model, according to Auto Blog. Fully loaded, buyers are looking at a cool $72,000+.

In addition to the pricing, a full breakdown of each Cherokees’ features is also provided, also said to be a leak of official data, which you can view here. Jeep has not made a comment on the leak, and nothing official has been stated in terms of price. As with all leaks, rumors, and speculation, don’t take it as indisputable fact.

This follows an announcement by Jeep on January 15 that it plans to start back up manufacturing in China after it ceased operations back in 2009. Currently, only import models are available in the nation, where they enjoy moderate popularity. The company also plans to increase its number of dealers in China to 200 by the end of this year.

[via Auto Blog]

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s price leaks, will start at $28,795 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Chrysler has announced a deal with Guangzhou Automobile Group, a Chinese manufacturer, that will bring Jeep production back to China. This won’t be the first time the popular brand has been manufactured in China, with the initial production round taking place in 1983 and ending in 2009. Three import models are still available in the nation, but this deal will be a big step in expanding the Jeep brand there.

In addition to Jeep production, the deal with Guangzhou also allows for the building of more Fiat models, which is also owned by Chrysler. For now, Chrysler has an estimated 150 dealerships in China, and has stated plans to increase that number to 200 by the end of the year. The three imported models available for sale in China already include the Grand Cherokee, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Wrangler.

Chief Operating Office of Chrysler and Fiat in Asia Mike Manley offered this statement. “The expansion of the agreement with our GAC partners will allow us to unleash the potential of both our Fiat and Chrysler Group brands in China … The reality is you can’t ignore the size of the market or the opportunity that it represents.”

This comes after the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT’s unveiling today. The SUV features a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine with 465 pound-foot of torque, as well as an 8-speed transmission and towing capacity up to 7,200 pounds, a reported 44-percent increase over the 2013 model. To keep fuel costs down while being a tad more environmentally friendly, the vehicle also features Eco-Mode, a feature that optimizes transmission shifting. Sadly, there’s no pricing or available info yet.

[via WSJ]

Chrysler unveils plan to manufacture Jeeps in China is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Jeep is on hand at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show and is unveiling its refreshed 2014 vehicle models. The refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee is the latest version of Jeep’s best-selling model. One of the biggest changes for the 2014 model Grand Cherokee comes under the hood.

Jeep is offering a diesel power option for the first time in the Grand Cherokee. The available engine is a 3 L V-6 turbo diesel engine designed and built by Italian company VM Motori. The engine creates a whopping 420 pound-feet of torque giving Grand Cherokee a towing capacity of 7400 pounds.

The available diesel engine in the new Grand Cherokee has 240 hp. The diesel version of the vehicle is expected to be in showrooms this March with fuel economy ratings of 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway for rear wheel drive versions. The diesel engine will be backed by an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission.

That same automatic transmission will be found in all 2014 Grand Cherokees. Jeep says that the extra forward gears is good for an additional two mpg on highway for the V-6 and an extra one mpg for the V-8. The 2014 Grand Cherokee is also refreshed on the outside with slimmer headlights and upgraded interior materials and electronics.

[via Edmunds]

Jeep unveils 2014 Grand Cherokee at Detroit Auto Show is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.