Well, Jeep sales numbers for the first quarter of 2001 are in and...they're down. As expected, Jeep sales continue to slide when compared to the first quarter of 2000. The Wrangler was hit especially hard, down 30% from last year. Here's the breakdown:

                                    Month Sales     DR %   Sales  CYTD   DR %         Model                        Curr     Pr   Change   Curr    Pr   Change                                       Yr      Yr             Yr     Yr

    Wrangler                        5714    8144   -30%   14205   20019  -29%      Cherokee                       12765   12514     2%   33894   36143   -6%      Liberty                            0       0     -        -       -    -      Grand Cherokee                 23025   22758     1%   58445   64442   -9%      JEEP BRAND                     41504   43416    -4%  106544  120604  -12%

    Selling Days                      27      27             77      77  

In other bleak news, one of the minor Jeep factories is moving to Mexico - which one is it, you ask? Don't worry, it's one of the smaller ones - really small. The toy division of Mattel that manufactures the Barbie Jeep is closing down after 30 year on production in Murray, Kentucky. Here's a link to the complete story.

Finally, it appears that the county that controls the area around the famed Rubicon trail in the Sierra Nevadas is thinking about closing access to the world-famous Jeep trail. For those of you who aren't familiar with the trail, every Jeep model must be able to complete the trail before it is allowed to go into production. What can you do to help save the Rubicon? How about signing this petition - it's free. Currently, there's over 5000 signatures, so why not add yours today!