Daily Archives: June 21, 2012
Jeep SUVs for 2012
We have just produced a new video showcasing the lineup of Jeep SUVs with some fun facts mixed in there about Jeep company. As with all the videos that we do here at ReviewItOnline.net, a lot of research went into the Jeep SUV video but we couldn’t include all of our research in the video. So below are some highlights of the Jeep Brand which you may or may not have known. Don’t forget to check out the Jeep SUV video as well on our Jeep SUV page.
If any company should be recognized as an icon of the American automobile industry, then it should be Jeep. Jeep has been part of American culture since its use in the second world war by the US. It has transported soldiers, families, equipment, materials, golf clubs, soccer balls and beach equipment all over the states over its more than 70 year history.
Jeep is the oldest SUV auto brand in the world. The first Jeep was produced in 1941 and it was used extensively by the US throughout the second world war. Thanks to its use in WWII, the Jeep has probably seen more parts of the world than any other man or object.
Nobody can verify the exact origin of the name Jeep. The most popular theory is that the vehicle was first called GP, short for Governmental Purposes or General Purpose. All things are shortened and slurred in the Army so legend has it that GIs just slurred the GP into a word sounding like Jeep.
Another theory behind its name is that soldiers loved this versatile vehicle and coined it Eugene the Jeep from the Popeye cartoon.
In the war, 640,000 Jeeps or 18% of all the vehicles with wheels used by the US military were Jeeps.
The Jeep is exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art as part of its collection from time to time. Along with the GI Pocket Stove produced by Coleman, the Jeep was touted as the most important piece of non-combat equipment ever developed.
Jeep is a popular brand, however, it seems to be the kiss of death for its owners. Ever since the Jeep brand was purchased by Kaiser Motors in 1953, every owner of the brand seems to have hit financial trouble.
Chrysler took over in 1987, which then merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998, which was then sold to a private equity group in 2007. Chrylser is now comes in a global strategic alliance with Fiat.
Jeep has been headquartered in Toledo, Ohio since its beginnings. Two streets near the original manufacturing plant are named Willys Parkway (Willys was the first owner and manufacturer of Jeep during the second world war) and Jeep Parkway.
Hummer and Jeep are fighting in court over the number of slots used in the radiator grills…. Seriously?
For you soccer fans out there (or football if you are in Europe), Jeep is a shirt sponsor of Juventus Footbal Club in Italy. The deal is worth $45 million.
Ford Motor Company Reports Significant Cuts to Energy Use
On June 15, 2012, the Ford Motor Company released its 13th annual Sustainability Report. The report, titled “Blueprint for Sustainability: Accelerating Ahead”, highlighted Ford’s achievements over the past 12 months in various social, economic and environmental issues.
The report outlines significant efforts by Ford in a number of areas including reducing carbon emissions by 8% since 2012, global facility energy efficiency by 10 % and water use per vehicle by 8 %. One the most notable achievements is the reduction in energy used to produce each vehicle in its manufacturing facilities by 22% over the last 6 years.
A car manufacturing plant uses huge amounts of energy and materials in producing its cars – heavy industrial machinery consumes thousands upon thousands of kilowatts on a daily basis, thousands of gallons of water is used in the manufacturing process (much of which is wasted), paint products, metal off cuts, just to name a few. To put electricity use into perspective, the average household in California and New York use between 562 kwh and 799 kwh of electricity per month. To manufacture a Ford car, Ford uses on average 2,778 kwh.
This is astonishing for a car and many people may be shocked at this figure but credit must be given to Ford. They are one of the few car companies that have been publicly reporting and documenting environmental initiatives in their annual Sustainability Report since 1999. Chrysler only released its first Sustainability Report last year (which also highlighted some significant achievements in sustainability) following on from Ford’s successful initiative.
The emphasis placed on sustainability by the big car companies is encouraging, and the public at large needs to be given due credit for this. Through political action, lobbying and buying more green products, we have created a political and consumer climate whereby polluters of the environment lose money and consumer confidence. Their products are shunned, they are heavily criticized in the media and we hunt them through class action suits whenever and wherever possible. The financial consequence of pollution is apparent and severe.
Big industry has never been a friend of the environment. A natural consequence of large manufacturing plants, be it in the automotive industry or any other big industry (arms, raw materials, pharmaceuticals), is high consumption of energy and production of manufacturing bi-products which in a lot of cases are damaging to the environment. Entire forests the size of small African countries have been destroyed and rivers polluted to sustain big industry. So, when an iconic American company places an emphasis on sustainability and publicly discloses its initiatives and results, due credit must be given.
We should applaud the automotive industry for their efforts in sustainability and ensure that this continues. Ultimately, it is up to us, the consumers, through our buying behavior that we can set the agenda for the big industry and shape the world that we live in for us and for our children.