 Chrysler Announces Patriot EV! |
In a bit of a surprise, Chrysler today unveiled the Jeep Patriot EV in Detriot at the North American International Auto Show.
The vehicle has a 400-mile range, with a 40-mile all-electric range with zero fuel emissions - similar to the Wrangler EV.
As a Range-extended Electric Vehicle, the Jeep Patriot EV combines the electric-drive components of an Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles.
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Consumer Reports Has Nice Words for Patriot |
Amid all the poor sales, rumors, and controversy surrounding Chrysler and the Jeep brand lately, there is a bit of good news.
Consumer Reports recently gave the Patriot a "Good" rating in their front crash test. Check our Chrysler's weekly "Under the Pentastar" for all the info.
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Jeep Patriot Back Country Concept |
Chrysler's Mopar division debuted a Jeep Patriot Back Country Concept late last month in Paris.
The concept takes a stock Patriot and adds a bunch of Mopar Accessories and other custom additions to give it a more "rugged" look.
Back Country’s exterior boasts a unique Optic Green color along with a variety of MOPAR accessories including a roof top cargo basket adorned with off-road lights, splash guards, 18-inch alloys and special insignias. The blackened B-pillars, body-color door handles and the platinum chrome light bar at the rear complete the crossover’s exterior looks.
The interior was upgraded as well with new materials and colors.
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Pics of Updated Interiors for 2009 Compass and Patriot |
With all the complaining about the cheap interiors in current models of the Compass and Patriot, it's not really any surprise that they'll get an upgrade for 2009.
Carscoop (via Allpar - registration required) got their hands on some information and photos of the updated interiors. From their writeup:
Few will disagree with us when we say that the majority of Chrysler LLC's vehicles are a huge disappointment in terms of interior design and quality and choice of materials inside the cabin. Heck, even Chrysler admitted it by announcing earlier this year that it will revise the interiors of several of its cars. And indeed it will as these leaked images of the 2009 Jeep Patriot & Compass from the 2009 Mopar Accessory brochure prove.
While there's no way of knowing whether Chrysler replaced the fridge-like plastics in the compact crossovers' interiors, the pictures do show that the American carmaker has completely redesigned the upper part of the dashboard.
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Patriot Named Least Expensive SUV to Own |
The Jeep Patriot was recently named the "least expensive SUV to own" by Edmunds.com. The ranking takes into account not only purchase cost, but also fuel efficiency, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation - among other factors.
From the press release:
Chrysler LLC's Jeep(R) brand has a solution for sport-utility vehicle (SUV) customers seeking relief from high gas prices and economic uncertainty -- the Jeep Patriot. A study by Edmunds.com reveals that the Jeep Patriot is the least expensive SUV to own at 48.6 cents per mile.
"In difficult periods like this, it is vital that we continue to evolve our products to exceed customers' needs and Jeep Patriot does just that," said Robert Hegbloom, Senior Manager - Jeep Brand Marketing. "By providing great fuel economy, performance, handling and flexibility, all at an affordable price, the Jeep Patriot is a tremendous value."
The number one ranking is based on Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own data, which incorporates projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs. The data accounts for total vehicle costs over a five-year period.
"Even though gas prices are high, some consumers are still in search of a sport-utility vehicle to meet their needs," said Jesse Toprak, Executive Director of Industry Analysis, Edmunds.com. "For those consumers, vehicles like the Jeep Patriot are relative bargains in their segment."
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Video: 60+ MPG in 2.0L Diesel Patriot and Compass |
A British couple recently took a stock Jeep Patriot and Compass on a trip across Europe for the "Jeep Fuel Economy Challenge". Their goal was to see how far they could make it on a single tank of fuel.
As far as I can tell, both cars were stock, and the test seems to be well documented. In the end, they were able to go over 1,000km from London to Poland on a single tank! In the end, the Patriot made over 67MPG while the Compass made over 66MPG.
This is pretty amazing, even if they were coasting half the time... 
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Chrysler Sees New Day in Patriot and Compass Upgrades |
Word from NAIAS is that Chrysler wants to make some quick moves in fixing some issues with their current lineup in an effort to show that they are much more nimble now than they were when their name began with Daimler...
Chrysler LLC is readying a sweeping, $150 million package of vehicle upgrades as new owner Cerberus Capital Management puts its first stamp on the line-up of Chrysler cars already in showrooms, executives said.
The initiative, which will be marketed under the tagline that Chrysler's new owners are ushering in a "New Day" for the struggling No. 3 U.S.-based automaker, will be introduced to Chrysler dealers next month, Chrysler executives said on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show.
The plan includes intended fixes and upgrades to over 260 vehicle features, and price changes covering 12 models.
The effort is intended to get consumers to take a new look at some of the last models rolled out under the ownership of German parent Daimler AG and demonstrate how quickly the "new" Chrysler can move to address problems, executives said.
Among the models that will be revamped are the Dodge Caliber, the Jeep Patriot and the Jeep Compass, they said...
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Led Zeppelin-themed Jeep Patriot |
In a blatant publicity stunt, Chrysler LLC recently announced a Led Zeppelin-themed Jeep Patriot. Created by RVGA, a British company specializing in automotive branding, the Patriot is just like any other CRD Patriot sold in England, except with the nifty graphics.
Seven were made, and for almost 35,000 Brit-bucks (I think that's about $2.5 million these days - check my math) you also got 2 tickets to the show and a post-concert cocktail party.
I know there's a joke in there somewhere about a Jeep Scrambler and the tune "Ramble On", but I can't quite put my finger on it...
Anyway, you can catch a glimpse of the vehicle in this week's "Under the Pentastar".
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British Magazine Names Patriot 4X4 of the Year |
The all-new Jeep Patriot has been named the 4X4 of the Year by the British magazine "4X4 and MPV Driver".
The Patriot has been attracting customers from competitor brands such as Land Rover, Nissan and Honda, since its launch in the UK in June this year. With nearly 800 sales to date, the Patriot appeals to customers that want a vehicle that is capable on- and off-road but who also want the performance, handling, fuel economy and price of a family hatchback.
Commenting on the award which was announced in the December edition of the magazine, Bob Murray, Editor of 4×4 and MPV Driver, said: “The Jeep Patriot is quicker than the Land Rover Freelander 2, more able off-road than the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV 4, pumps out less CO2 than the Nissan X-Trail and has a boot around the size of the VW Tiguan’s.
“The Patriot is a cracking car to drive and promises to be a decent ownership proposition. It adds a welcome dash of adventure and US style to a sometimes bland SUV market. At last you can have your American pie …. and eat it, too!”
The publication recently awarded the Jeep brand the Gold Award in its Green 4×4 awards ahead of all other manufacturers of 4×4s and SUVs. They praised the Patriot as being the most economical 4×4 ever to wear the Jeep badge and the least polluting with their low CO2 emissions compared to manufacturers with smaller vehicles.
Check out the full article from Motoring-News.com.
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International Sales Surge, Compass and Patriot Production at Record Level |
International sales for Chrysler LLC surged 26% in the month of August, helped out by strong sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler, according to an article in DetNews.com.
In the year to date, Chrysler said that Italy remained its top-selling market outside North America, with 14,409 cars sold, while Venezuela was second with 12,198 cars sold, led by locally produced versions of the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Grand Cherokee, and imported models like the Dodge Ram and Jeep Wrangler.
In a slightly related story, production at Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant hit a new record in August, churning out over 14,000 vehicles. The plant builds both the Jeep Compass and Patriot as well as the Dodge Caliber. While production is high, sales are not stellar. It is reported that only about one-third of the Patriots built.
The company continues to churn out the trio record levels on three shifts despite the fact sales have leveled off for the Caliber and Compass and even the Patriot has not taken off as quickly as some auto analysts had predicted.
In August, workers finished 14,032 Patriots, the highest month yet for the small SUV that went into production in December. August also was the top sales month yet for the Patriot, which analysts liked because it takes its styling from the old Jeep Cherokee, with dealers selling 5,081 Patriots in the U.S. and another 673 internationally.
Check out the entire article.
