New Jeep Renegade arrives: Geneva Motor Show

The new Jeep Renegade debuts at Geneva There’s plenty of choice if you want an compact faux SUV for the urban jungle, but the new Jeep Renegade – revealed at the Geneva Motor Show – promises to be able to do real off-road stuff as well as be a City warrior. Reviving a historic Jeep name, the new Renegade gets styling that shouts traditional Jeep – from its boxy shape, square wheel arches and upright look – and, even though it’s based on the underpinnings of the Fiat 500L (and the soon to arrive Fiat 500X), it conspires to be all American despite its Italian roots and diminutive size. Despite the rather retro look, the modern underpinnings borrowed from the 500L promise to be an effective basis for a compact Jeep, especially as Jeep has modified the setup to offer all independent suspension.

Chrysler recalls Wrangler, Compass and Patriot

Chrysler Group said today it will recall more than 220,000 units of the Jeep Wrangler to fix a transmission flaw and 409,000 units of the Jeep Compass and Patriot worldwide to fix a software glitch that could stop airbags and seatbelts from working in a crash. The recalls add to a growing list of safety problems at Chrysler, which stunned the auto industry this week by taking the rare step of rebuffing a recall request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On Tuesday, Chrysler refused to recall 2.7 million units of the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-07 Jeep Liberty, claiming that the vehicles were built in compliance with safety standards and are not more accident-prone than other vehicles of the time.

Volvo P1800 turns 50

Volvo's sporty little number - the P1800 For those of us old enough to think in black and white, the Volvo P1800 conjures up long-forgotten images of The Saint and Roger Moore. For those too young to remember, the Saint was Roger Moore’s television audition for James Bond, but the real star of the show was the Volvo P1800. Even in the early 1960s, Volvo was renowned for its solid, safe and respectable cars.