Australian Jeep Jamboree set for Fall 2010

The Melbourne Jeep Owners Club (MJOC) will be hosting the National Jeep Jamboree Victoria 2010 from September 30 to October 3 at Lardner Park in Warragul, Victoria.

At the National Jeep Jamboree Victoria 2004, MJOC welcomed 600 visitors and nearly 300 Jeep vehicles set the bar for Jeep events in Australia, with over 600 people and nearly 300 Jeep vehicles attending over the four-day period, setting the bar for Jeep events in Australia. MJOC’s goal for this year is to bring in more than 1,000 people, making it the largest Australian Jeep owner’s event ever.

Lardner Park was home to the 1994 Jeep Jamboree but MJOC says things have changed a little since then. It is located about 10 minutes from the towns of Drouin and Warragul and about 103 kilometers (roughly 64 miles) east of Melbourne, the capital city of Australia’s southernmost state. Lardner Park includes some of Victoria’s great tracks and there will also be trips to the surrounding areas including Neerim, Nilma, Noojee, and Bunyip, as well as areas a bit further away such as Baw Baw and Walhalla. Jeep is the key partner for the event and is very excited about the Jamboree being held at such a fantastic venue.

For more information, visit the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club website or the National Jeep Jamboree website.

Thanks to Mike’s Totally Free Jeep News Now for the tip!

Minor 2010 Jeep recall for Commander, Grand Cherokee

Around 3,500 2010 Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees are being recalled due to a possibly defective rear track bar which could reduce stability. Dealers will inspect the rear track bar bushing retainer and replace the bar if it is mispositioned. The recall process will start during April 2010; the Chrysler campaign number is K05.

Jeep pulls out of New York Auto Show press days?

Chrysler had reportedly scheduled a press conference for Jeep during the New York Auto Show, whose press days are scheduled for March 31 and April 1. While Jeep has unveiled its new vehicles at the show in recent years, and was slotted in earlier this year (with many assuming the Grand Cherokee would be re-unveiled), the most recent list of press conferences does not show Jeep. Listed are Mercedes, Infiniti, Ford, Chevrolet, Volvo, Mazda, Scion, Hyundai, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW, Acura, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai, Mini, Bentley, Mitsubishi, Saab, and SMS Supercar (which launched their Challenger-based supercars in New York last year).

The schedule is subject to change, and Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep could re-appear.

Update: to clarify, Jeep will, with Chrysler and Dodge, have a presence at the show; the only change is not doing a dedicated press conference.

Enter the “Jeep Tweet to Win” contest

If you are an avid fan of Jeep vehicles and are steeped in Jeep trivia, Jeep’s “Tweet-to-Win” contest is made just for you.

“The ‘Jeep Tweet-to-Win’ contest is a unique and interesting way to build the buzz for the iconic Jeep Wrangler and the new special-edition Jeep Wrangler Islander which will hit Chrysler Group dealerships starting this spring,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO – Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “Social media initiatives, such as this, offer the Jeep brand an opportunity to build and develop a connection with consumers and potential customers; this also enables the company to carry on a two-way conversation between the brand and its customers, which allows us to learn more about that customer and his or her needs.”

The Jeep Tweet-to-Win contest runs from Monday, March 15 to Friday, March 19 and takes place on Jeep’s Twitter Page. Each day, a new Jeep-branded trivia question will be posted to the site. The first person to answer the question correctly, and in the correct format, will win a trip for two to the 2010 New York International Auto Show where they will have chance to dig for the “Golden Tiki.” The contest is for U. S. residents.

On Thursday, April 1, contestants will dig in a giant sandbox, built specifically for the New York International Auto Show, to find the Golden Tiki. The first to find it will win an all-new Jeep Wrangler Islander.

Wrangler hard-tops on their way

Jeep Wranglers with hardtops have been constrained by the loss of the former supplier, and difficulties by the current supplier in producing the fairly complex tops in a high enough quantity. This has been a problem for sales, as the Wrangler hard tops, despite the considerable expense, outsell the soft tops by around three to one. Chrysler has just told dealers that the production issues should be resolved with the supplier ramping up over the next two months; starting with the May production month, the ordinary 75/25 allocation of hard tops to soft tops should be possible.

Challenger, Wrangler, Sprinter named as top spring break cars

Winding Road, the digital automotive magazine, has named the Dodge Challenger SRT-8, Jeep Wrangler and the Ram Sprinter among their picks as the “Top Ten Spring Break Cars.” Chrysler was the only manufacturer with three selections.

Writing about the Challenger, which was at the top of their list,Winding Road said, “A super comfy ride for the long haul down to FLA, meets the most massive trunk in the coupe segment today, meets major “wow factor” for cruising when you arrive. Keep on the lookout for over-baked cougars—this thing is like baby boomer Viagra.”

“Never, in the history of motoring, has there been a better vehicle to pump your fist and yell “Spring Break! Whhooaa!” in than a soft-top Jeep. That’s just science,” was their assessment of the Wrangler.

The Sprinter, which is being phased out as a Chrysler product, was described as, “Room for all of your friends. Room for all of your stuff. Room to install a floor-to-ceiling “entertainment” pole. (You know, if you could find a use for that.) Plus, the Sprinter sips diesel pretty slowly, too, so less money need be wasted on costly fuel (or a hotel room). Downside? The ladies that won’t be sketched out by your ride are likely to be a little sketchy themselves.”

You can check out the article at Winding Road’s website.