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Holy Toledo: Jeep Wrangler-Based Pickup Is Happening!

Jeep Wrangler MOPAR JK-8 Independence conversion

AEV Jeep Wrangler Brute Double Cab conversion

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Frickin’ Fractal: Peugeot’s Newest Concept Features Big Audio Dynamite

Peugeot’s pushing its i-Cockpit infotainment system with the Fractal concept, but since we haven’t had Peugeots in the United States since before “infotainment” was a word, it’s a little lost on us. Regardless, the thing the system is wrapped in is pretty neat-looking—sort of an alt-Cooper Convertible with a hint of Gallic menace in place of Mini’s wide-eyed Anglo-whatsitness.

Powered by a 40-kWh battery pack pushing 101-hp electric motors at each axle, Peugeot claims the Fractal has a range of 280 miles. To maximize efficiency, it runs on narrow wheels, à la BMW i3. In an effort to cut down on wind noise, said wheels are 3D printed—the company says that the required design would be impossible to produce by conventional means.

The Fractal also is equipped with some manner of auditory walker/biker-warning system. We like to imagine it silently rolling up behind somebody and then parping out “La Marseillaise” via a demented calliope. Unfortunately, the reality is probably something more, um, pedestrian. To keep its owner in the loop, the Factal communicates with your Samsung Gear S smartwatch. We’re trying to think if we’ve ever met anybody wearing a Samsung Gear S smartwatch. We don’t think we have. Maybe they all went to Burning Man. Perhaps they’re now covered in weird desert bugs. Maybe the Gear S can help. We’re not sure.

Inside, the interior features black oak and copper trim, a holographic HUD, and Peugeot’s party piece, the Fractal’s 9.1.2 sound system. Developed in conjunction with Brazilian electronic musician Amon Tobin, the small car is packed with 13 speakers “featuring tactile bass systems” built into the back of each seat. PSA claims that “9.1.2 makes driving more instinctive by enriching information through the use of acoustics,” via “spacialization” and “dynamization” of sound. We were getting a little tired of the German penchant for “dynamism”, so we’re pleased to see the French bring “dynamization” into the lexicon in time for the Frankfurt auto show, where the Fractal will be unveiled.

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Frickin’ Fractal: Peugeot’s Newest Concept Features Big Audio Dynamite

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Video: Testing the Honda Fit's Navigation App

When we bought our long-term Honda Fit, we opted not to get navigation in order to keep our price down. However, a factorylike navigation system is available on all Fits using a smartphone and Honda navigation app. Watch the video to check out how it works.

Video produced by Cars.com Media Team

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Won’t Back Down: Sergio Marchionne Still Pushing for Fiat-Chrysler/GM Merger

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is still pushing for what he sees as an inevitable merger with General Motors, despite months of rejected meetings and ignored phone calls.

The man in the black sweater hit hard in a recent must-read interview with Automotive News, claiming that combining with the world’s second-largest automaker could generate $30 billion a year in revenue, or roughly $5 billion more than what both companies earn separately. Marchionne first proposed the idea in March through a direct e-mail to GM CEO Mary Barra. The GM executive said any meeting would be a “distraction” and that GM has been “merging with ourselves.”

“You may reject the deal but you can’t reject the discussion,” Marchionne said. “If you’re refusing to talk to me, and you have seen nothing, you either think you’re above it all, or you think the capital markets are full of schmucks that owe you something.” Marchionne said that while he has “obviously made some arbitrary assumptions about which architectures survive, which engines survive,” he has looked at every plant and car and has a lot of graphs proving his point.

“Look, the combined entity can make $30 billion a year in cash. Thirty. Just think about that [expletive] number,” he said.

GM has not publicly commented about the potential deal since Barra publicly commented on Marchionne’s overtures in May. Former GM chairman Bob Lutz has gone on record as the resident devil’s advocate within the industry, and he fully supports the merger. “I was always in favor of GM acquiring Chrysler, and I honestly think it would deserve a serious look now. You would get synergies . . . which would be massive,” he said. Lutz was at GM when it considered buying out Chrysler in 2008.

Marchionne has been hunting for a “partner” particularly to bolster Fiat, which itself merged with Chrysler shortly after the Detroit automaker filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Marchionne was the mastermind in that deal, grabbing company stock for next to nothing, shedding dealers, paying back Chrysler’s government loans, and infusing cash into Auburn Hills. But instead of propping up both companies, the resultant Fiat-Chrysler is lopsided. Chrysler and its American brands are soaring while Fiat and its Italian brands (save for Ferrari) slump overseas.

Fiat-Chrysler’s NYSE listing last fall failed to attract significant investment, and Marchionne—since announcing an aggressive five-year plan to boost sales 60 percent—is under pressure to grow while facing high pension costs in the U.S., fighting slim market share in Europe, and playing catch-up in China. The Ferrari IPO, expected to net several billion sometime this quarter, will help. But in Marchionne’s eyes, it’s not enough. “I tell you that you can make X billion more by being together, I guarantee you that I can carry half the market,” he said.

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