In a move anounced by Chrysler the other day, Mopar (the high performance parts manufacturing wing of Daimler Chrysler), said that they are aiming to bring Jeep under the high performance umbrella.
DaimlerChrysler’s vice president of global service and parts, announced that Chrysler would like Mopar to tackle the off-road world the same way it conquered the drags strips in the 1960s.
It could be a smart move. With Jeep as part of the DaimlerChrysler Group, spreading the Mopar image to off-road enthusiasts would be a method of expanding the brand while remaining within the Chrysler family.
While not as popular as it was forty years ago, Mopar loyalists continue to devote themselves to the performance brand. Recently, Mopar has sponsored a Dodge Viper in the relatively new sport of drifting in an attempt to build a younger consumer base and Mopar parts have also been available for the outgoing Dodge Neon SRT4.
Camp Jeep® 2007, the annual three-day mix of off-road driving and other family-friendly outdoor activities, will be held July 26-28 at the Oak Ridge Estate in Nelson County, Va., near Charlottesville.
Details about specific events will be announced later, but will definitely include trails for 4-wheeling, vehicle displays, activities for all ages, food and musical entertainment, and the opportunity for owners to talk about the ins and outs of their vehicles with Jeep engineers.
Registration for Camp Jeep, which is open only to Jeep® vehicle owners, has been reduced by $100 from last year’s fees. Early bird registration is $245 per vehicle through March 31. After that, Camp Jeep registration is $295 per vehicle. Registration and additional information are available at www.jeep.com/campjeep.
“Camp Jeep is one of the premier owner-loyalty events in America, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful backdrop for this hugely popular event,” said John Plecha, Director – Jeep Marketing and Global Communications, Chrysler Group. “The last time Camp Jeep was held in Charlottesville in 2004, nearly 10,000 Jeep vehicle owners and their families attended, making it the best-attended Camp Jeep ever. The Jeep vehicle lineup has expanded since then. That, plus the lower registration fees, and we could set a new attendance record this year.”
Four Jeep vehicles had been introduced, but were not yet on sale, when Camp Jeep was held last year at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wis. New owners of the redesigned 2007 Jeep Wrangler 2-door, the all-new 2007 Wrangler Unlimited 4-door, the all-new 2007 Jeep Compass and the all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot will be driving those vehicles to Camp Jeep for the first time. They will be joined by owners driving other models in the Jeep family: the Jeep Liberty, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander. As in previous Camp Jeep events, owners are also expected to arrive with such Jeep heritage vehicles as CJs, Cherokees and Wagoneers.
This is the sixth time that Camp Jeep has been held at the Oak Ridge Estate. The first Camp Jeep was held in Camp Hale, Colo., in 1995.
Time have been slow here in I Want a Jeep land. It has finally gotten cold, but still no 4 wheeling fun. There’s just been too much to do. I truly feel sorry for my Rubicon, as I know that it is looking forward to a little mud.
The holiday season is over, thankfully. During this tumoltuous season, we had to replace the lower control arm on our Nissan Xterra.
More importantly, this holiday season, left me with little time to get out for adventures in the Rubicon. I am thankful that the holiday’s are over now, and things should return to normal for I Want a Jeep.
Here’s hoping that a huge snow storm hits the Northeast.
