KK gets new Jeep steering wheel

[Marlon_JB2]

Looks interesting.

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[ThunderbirdJunkie]

WHAT THE HELL IS JEEP DOING SISSIFYING EVERY VEHICLE IN THEIR LINEUP BY CHANGING THE INTERIOR
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO A WOODEN STEERING WHEEL RIM WITH STEEL SPOKES WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT HOW ABOUT A STEEL DASH NOBODY DOES THIS ANYMORE
rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble

 

[eyehatetofu]

People don't buy Jeeps to wheel anymore. Why should they give up the creature comforts of other vehicles to drive something that'll never see dirt? Seems pretty smart to me... sad, but smart.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'd have to see it in person to see if I like it.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

It's a very nice steering wheel.

I'd love to know what's involved in a possible swap, I like it that much. Of course if the airbag doesn't work, then screw it.

 

[yellocoyote]

Well if you're not gonna buy a jeep to wheel it then you shouldn't even buy a jeep.

Jeep should break off from Fiat and be its own company again and make only vehicles made for wheeling.

And then Jeep goes bankrupt because there are not enough people to sustain the company if Jeep only marketed to the 'just wheeling' crowd. And those people that DO plan to wheel are simply not going to run and buy a new Jeep to do it - most would rather buy used and build. Which doesn't do the company any good either.

 

[KeswickDave]

WHAT THE HELL IS JEEP DOING SISSIFYING EVERY VEHICLE IN THEIR LINEUP BY CHANGING THE INTERIOR
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO A WOODEN STEERING WHEEL RIM WITH STEEL SPOKES WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT HOW ABOUT A STEEL DASH NOBODY DOES THIS ANYMORE
rabble rabble

Yes! Guages and toggle switches, what more do you need!

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[Marlon_JB2]

Since when is Jeep owned by Fiat?

budke, PLEASE explain that. Oh, also explain how they can "split" from... ANYBODY...

 

[jeepchic79]

Looks interesting.

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id have to say .... since i am a 1 handed driver for 5 weeks i like it ! lol

 

[Dave]

People don't buy Jeeps to wheel anymore. Why should they give up the creature comforts of other vehicles to drive something that'll never see dirt? Seems pretty smart to me... sad, but smart.

I agree with what you are saying tofu. It is both sad and smart.

I think it looks good in the pic but would reserve my final opinion until I actually see one.

Dave

 

[jnaut]

Since when is Jeep owned by Fiat?

budke, PLEASE explain that. Oh, also explain how they can "split" from... ANYBODY...

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/666...olster-jeeps-future-product-lineup/index.html

Jeep's current lineup contains a mix of traditional truck-based SUVs as well as smaller car-based offerings. Following Fiat's acquisition of Chrysler, the Italian automaker's influence will make its way to Jeep with a new crop of car-based SUV offerings.

The big news at Jeep is the upcoming proliferation of Fiat platforms to replace aging models. The current Patriot and Compass car-based SUVs will be replaced by at least one vehicle on the Italian automaker's Compact Wide platform.

They's a gonna exert some influence. (dunno)

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

jnaut, a Fiat-based Jeep doesn't mean Jeep is OWNED by Fiat.

Fiat is going to be selling Chrysler-based vehicles in Europe. Does that mean Fiat is owned by ChryCo?

 

[eyehatetofu]

Owned really isn't a practical term in a major business scenario. FIAT does have the controlling share of the company. I would imagine then that the Pres. of FIAT has control over the decisions of Dodge / Chrysler / Jeep. I am not a businessman but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

[jnaut]

jnaut, a Fiat-based Jeep doesn't mean Jeep is OWNED by Fiat.

Fiat is going to be selling Chrysler-based vehicles in Europe. Does that mean Fiat is owned by ChryCo?

That wasn't my point. My point was that Fiat is exerting influence across the product line. Cross-polination will occur. Or as Austin Powers would say, there's some cross-mojination going on.

However, it's entirely arguable that Fiat does own Jeep. (or has a controlling stake in it) To wit:

BMW owns: BMW, Mini, and Rolls Royce

Fiat owns: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati; Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep–20-percent stake

Ford Motor Company owns: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo (for now), and still owns 13.4 percent of Mazda

General Motors owns: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC. Also owns a controlling interest in Daewoo, as well as Opel and Vauxhall in Europe and Holden in Australia. (Pontiac to be discontinued)

Honda owns: Honda, Acura

Hyundai owns: Hyundai, Kia

Tata Motors (India) owns: Jaguar and Land Rover

Mazda (partially owned by Ford)

Mitsubishi

Daimler AG owns: Mercedes-Benz and Smart

Nissan owns: Nissan and Infiniti (Nissan is owned by Renault--France)

Porsche owns: Porsche and a majority share in Volkswagen

Subaru (A controlling interest of Subaru is owned by Toyota)

Suzuki

Toyota Motor Company owns: Lexus, Toyota, Scion, Daihatsu and Hino Motors, with a stake in Fuji Industries (Subaru’s parent company) and Isuzu

Volkswagen owns: Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and overseas SEAT and Skoda.

In formal negotiations to be sold:
Hummer: Tengzhong (China)
Saturn: Penske Automotive Group
Saab: Koenigsegg (Sweden)

Further reading:

Jeep plans

As part of the wholesale shake-up under Fiat, Jeep will remain an international brand because of the strong name recognition it commands, the people said.

Fiat plans to develop the Jeep brand and beef up marketing for its iconic SUVs in emerging markets such as Brazil, one of the sources said.

If you've ever worked for a company that's been taken over by another (as I have), when the other company "has plans for you", you're not in control.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Chrysler owns Jeep. And Jeep is NOT its own company either. It's a brand. If Chrysler Corporation decided everything would be a Jeep, down to the current Chrysler 300, then they could do that.

Fiat does not own Chrysler. They have a ownership stake in Chrysler. Chrysler has its OWN board of directors, advisors, etc.

That's it. No ways around that. This is NOT the Daimler scenario where Chrysler was 100% wholly owned by Daimler. The maximum stake that Fiat can get is 35%, and if they want an actual controlling stake, they have to *pay* for it, and that will cost billions of dollars.

Fiat doesn't even seem to WANT 100% of Chrysler anyway. Why? Marchionne has been talking about a Chrysler IPO for several months now. That means public ownership, not private ownership by Fiat. Maybe 35%.... maybe 50%, but dang sure not 51-100% (controlling) ownership.

Chrysler is under Fiat MANAGEMENT (for good reason from what I've personally seen already), but they are not CONTROLLED by Fiat.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

If you've ever worked for a company that's been taken over by another (as I have), when the other company "has plans for you", you're not in control.

I'm going to side with Marlon. Chrysler wasn't taken over by Fiat. They still are their own company. End of story.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

With that said, I really like that steering wheel. lol3.gif

I almost had that steering wheel last night when I was about 2 feet away from getting T-Boned!

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'd like to see it in tan. And feel it in person.

But Jeep steering wheels are usually good in that regard.

 

[jnaut]

I'm sorry, they are NOT their own company, end of story. And it does not require 51% stock ownership to maintain a controlling interest in a company. Hence, this rather inconvenient headline from US News:

Chrysler Declares Bankruptcy; Agreement Puts Fiat in Control

That leaves Fiat's eventual 35% share as, effectively, the controlling interest

Now, there are definitely varying degrees of "control". For instance, the UAW took a 55% share of Chrysler but they DON'T control it, due to the structure of their deal. Hence THIS inconvenient headline:

Despite majority stake, UAW won’t control Chrysler

The UAW’s Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association may have been allotted a majority stake in the new-look Chrysler, but a new report reveals the UAW’s 55 percent stake won’t necessarily translate into a controlling share of Chrysler.
Two inside sources revealed to The Detroit News that the UAW’s 55 percent stake in Chrysler will not grant the union voting rights over the company. Based the type of stock issued to the VEBA retiree fund, the UAW is not automatically entitled to a majority control.

What you must understand is that when a company issues stock, it may issue different classes of stock, and not all stock is equal.

Yes, the structure of Fiat's control over Chrylser is VERY different from Daimler. Daimler "owned" Chrysler in the much purer sense, where Fiat is taking more of a hands-off approach.

Fiat’s Case/New Holland and Latin American production show that Fiat is very much unlike Daimler in its handling of subsidiaries; they seem to prefer mutual profitability to ego and domination. Fiat officials have repeatedly visited Chrysler plants, getting off the guided tour and talking to regular line employees; and they have reportedly been very impressed with what they’ve seen.

But to suggest that Fiat has no influence over the Jeep brand is to purely ignore the facts on the ground. See also: http://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/fiat/chrysler-fiat-alliance.html

Sergio Marchionne is CEO of both Chrysler and Fiat. He has shaken up the management structure, giving the brands independent leadership. His approach is to give executives multiple jobs, e.g. in charge of both a brand and overall sales, or a brand and overall product planning, or two brands (one in Europe and one in North America). Numerous executives have left suddenly under his restructurings, and some Fiat people have been brought in at high levels.

This represents CLASSIC corporate "control" in the strictest sense. Fiat's people have been moved in and put in charge of brands.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

The one thing jnaut, you're reading news articles.

Screw news articles.

The media is worthless.

All, at least I have said, trying to clear up budke's typical ignorance of situations, is that Jeep is NOT and from what I've gathered, HAS NEVER BEEN its own company, is now and has been for a while JUST A BRAND, and the final part....

Chrysler is MANAGED by Fiat.
The UAW owns the majority of Chrysler, yes and they ARE non-controlling shares, and again, for good reason. (This is coming from a UAW employee, that would be an absolute disaster!!!!!)

All I'm saying is that Chrysler IS a separate company and does NOT fall under Fiat's corporate umbrella. It is a partnership. NOTHING MORE. It is what the Daimler situation was described as, but never became.

Again, all of this can change in the future, but this is how it stands right now.

Regarding my typical hatred for the media (blogs included), take Chrysler's electric vehicle division for instance. Some of you may have heard of it before, it was called ENVI. Well the media says that it was dissolved / eliminated, etc. No, it wasn't, it was integrated into the normal vehicle development process.