Chrysler to begin building the next Jeep Grand Cherokee in May

Chrysler Group will begin building the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee--the first salvo in an effort to restore a product-starved lineup--on May 3, CEO Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday. Marchionne told an industry conference in New York that sales of the redesigned Grand Cherokee will begin in July. Chrysler plans to have 100 percent of its existing lineup refreshed or replaced by the end of 2012, as a wave of new products derived from the alliance with Fiat S.p.A.

Ford follows Hyundai with payment protection plan

Ford Motor Co., taking a cue from Asian rival Hyundai Motor, is offering to make car payments for buyers who lose their jobs. The program, called the Ford Advantage Plan, will cover payments for up to 12 months. The move is aimed at boosting sales, which have fallen 45.9 percent this year through February at Ford Motor and 39.4 percent industrywide as the U.S.

Skoda VisionC concept for Geneva 2014 debut

This is the first official teaser image of Skoda’s 2014 Geneva Motor Show star, called the Skoda VisionC concept. The new design study will be unveiled in Switzerland next month and previews “the next stage of development in Skoda’s design language”, according to the Czech brand. On Bing: see pictures of the Skoda VisionC concept Find out how much a used Skoda costs on Auto Trader The car is quite a break from the norm for Skoda, which is a carmaker known for building practical family hatchbacks, saloons and estates under the VW Group umbrella.