After blurry spy shots from the Toledo Jeep plant leaked out onto the internet, Chrysler has released official photos of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee (above) that will replace the Liberty. See this news and more in today’s Executive Briefing.
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+ Jimmie Johnson collected his second Daytona 500 victory Sunday, with Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing on his rear bumper in second. More here at Motorsport.com.
+ Daimler has extended the contract of CEO Dieter Zetsche, 59, another three years. More here at Reuters.
+ Sales growth of ultra-luxury cars (Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari, etc.) in China fell sharply in 2012 as buyers backed away from high-end goods in general. More here at ChinaAutoWeb.
+ Honda North America is moving its executive headquarters from Torrance, California to its manufacturing base in Marysville, Ohio. More here at Bloomberg.com.
+ In Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona, 28 spectators were treated for injuries, some serious, due to flying debris from a violent last-lap crash. More here at National Speed Sport News.
+ A House of Representatives panel in Washington will examine executive compensation at General Motors, Ally Financial, and other companies that received government bailouts. More here at The Detroit News.
+ Chrysler has released photos of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, the SUV that will replace the current Liberty. More here at AOL Autos.
+ Volkswagen AG reported a 41 percent jump in profits for 2012, but warns that earnings will be flat in 2013. More here at The Wall Street Journal.
For the previous Executive Briefing from Feb. 22, click here.
The blurry Cherokee photo was more flattering.
I remember when Detroit was lobbying for the elimination of round sealed beam headlights, saying that they could make more attractive designs with the added freedom. We got rectangular lights, which helped, but I still say the compromises that were required for lighting.
Now they have a blank page, and they all seem to be creating the same front end. All the designers from the Sixties and Seventies have retired, leaving us with a group inspired by cartoons and origami instead of art & architecture. There’s a sameness everywhere that I look.
This new Cherokee is a step away from that default design, but it’s sinfully ugly. Moreover, it has way too much chrome and sparkle up from to rightfully be called a Jeep. Too my eye, the sweet spot for modern auto design was the early to mid 1990s. I can’t recall a post 1997 car that I consider attractive (and not retro) with the exception of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.