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This Week In Jeep:
“A dumb idea.”
That’s what one woman is saying about some guys who decided to turn their Jeep into a boat. Jordan Denike. was at the beach in San Luis Pass on Memorial Day when she saw a big Jeep in the water. The video she recorded, which has since gone viral, shows a guy hanging out of the passenger side of the Jeep while a man drives the vehicle through the waves. He’s easily 40 to 50 yards off shore turning in and out of the waves. Certainly from the shore it appeared as if this was one hell of a Jeep commercial being filmed, highlighting, what ANYone would call amazing off road abilities. Not so much so for the driver, who turned out to be some dumb guy who had a little too much holiday celebration. The spectacle didn’t last long, and as sure as just about half the people on shore called it, the Jeep turned into a boat. The sight of this darwinian fail boat arriving attracted a big crowd. As it’s not everyday you see someone driving half a football field into the ocean and then make the even brighter idea to turn TOWARDS the ocean to go out even further. “The second I saw them that deep in the water without a snorkel, I knew that it wasn’t going to end well,” Denike said. Nope. It sure didn’t. The Jeep of course got stuck, well, achieved a balance more centered in buoyancy than traction one might say…. and several people got into the water to try and help. Something something something, monkeys, something something football… you get the idea. Judging by the video and pics I’ve seen, I can’t imagine that the Jeep is driveable now. A hydrolocked engine is the least of his concerns. This could be a lesson for others at the beach. Don’t drive in the water when it’s up past your hubs!
WHAT’S NEXT?!?!?
The writing has been on the wall for some time. We all knew it would happen sooner or later, and the buzz of the details of it all have been circulating for months now. No, its not more news about the new Jeep Pickup that’s on the horizon, though I wish it WERE as interesting as that. But the news does carry far more importance in the long run of things. I’m talking of course about the long standing CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Sergio Marchionne and his upcoming retirement. You’ve undoubtedly heard that name before as he’s been calling the shots at Jeep’s parent company for a good 14 years now. Exactly what will happen to the car companies under the FCA umbrella after its leader steps down next year, is what has most people racing to speculate. According to people close to and familiar with the matter, Sergio’s last hurrah as CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles entails betting the car maker’s entire future on the success of Jeep and Maserati while downsizing its namesake brands of Fiat & Chrysler. Under the proposed plan, the company is considering ending sales of Fiat cars in North America and China in the coming years, while mostly confining Chrysler to the U.S. Overall expansion will be fueled primarily by rolling out Jeep and Ram vehicles with a much more aggressive global outreach in marketing, sales, and manufacturing. The car maker is also considering combining Alfa Romeo and Maserati into a single division in FCA’s financial reports. Combining the upscale Italian brands would be seen by investors as a first step to an eventual spin off. And there’s that word again. SPIN OFF. We’ve heard rumors that there’s a chance that Jeep and Ram would become the likely spin off, leaving the rest of FCA to flounder, die, or get bought off by other car makers. But the latest reports have it more likely that the shareholders will look at a long term strategy to keep FCA whole, and that may include a merger with another large name automaker. THAT is a rumor that has left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths, especially the die hard Jeep fans.
