Jeep Preparing 3 New Models, Hopes to Boost European Sales Five-Fold

Jeep has set its sights on improving its sales volume in the European car market more than five-fold in the next three years through the introduction of three new models, the expansion of its dealer network and to a lesser extent, by completing a football (soccer) sponsorship deal, reports Autonews Europe.

In 2011, Jeep sold 23,745 units in Europe, up 62 percent from the previous year, while in the first four months of 2012, the Chrysler Group company delivered 9,807 units.

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NHTSA Upgrades and Expands Fuel-Tank Fire Probe of Jeep Models to 5.1 Million Units

A federal investigation regarding the fuel tank integrity of the 1993-2004MY Jeep Grand Cherokee has been upgrade to an Engineering Analysis and has also been expanded to include two more Jeep models, the 1993-2001MY Cherokee and the 2002-2007MY Liberty.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the data it collected during a preliminary evaluation indicates that rear-impact-related tank failures and vehicle fires are more prevalent in said Grand Cherokee models than in the non-Jeep peer vehicles.

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SCOOP: Alfa Romeo Test Mule Hides New Jeep Liberty's Underpinnings

For those of you wondering what an Alfa Romeo Giulietta prototype with a raised ride height, a bulkier shaped front end and Michigan manufacturer plates is doing in the States, the short answer is testing.

The more detailed answer is that the Chrysler Group's engineers are trying out the platform that will underpin the next generation of the Jeep Liberty or Cherokee for overseas markets.

Like the new Dodge Dart as well as the replacement for the Chrysler 200, the next Liberty will use the Chrysler Group's new Compact U.S. Wide (CUSW) platform, which itself is a longer and slightly wider version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta's chassis – hence the use of the Italian hatchback as a test mule.

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Chrysler to Offer a Smaller Displacement Version of its Pentastar V6 According to Sources

Two separate sources, a union official and a company insider, have told Automotive News that Chrysler will soon present a smaller displacement version of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gasoline engine.

Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW (United Auto Workers) Local 12 in Toledo, Ohio, where the Liberty replacement (called Cherokee in markets outside the U.S.) will be assembled, told the news site that the SUV would be offered with a new V6 with a capacity of 3.2-liters.

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Chrysler Confirms Pentastar V6 and 8-Speed Auto for Ram Truck, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango

Not that we weren't expecting it, but the Chrysler Group officially confirmed through a voluntary annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was first discovered by Autonews, the availability of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission on the Ram pickup truck.

The Pentastar V6, which should produce around 280-horsepower in this application, will replace the Ram truck's current 210hp 3.7-liter V6 that is linked to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The new and more powerful Ram model will be presented next month, possibly at the New York International Auto Show.

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