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    Jeep Building In-House Customization Facility Near Wrangler/Gladiator Plant

    Jeep is reportedly planning to expand further into the world of factory customs by opening a dedicated facility near where it builds the Wrangler and Gladiator in Toledo, Ohio.
    According to the Toledo Blade, Jeep will build a customization facility on a complex of properties formerly owned by Textileather and MedCorp, the most recent of which shut down in 2013. Fiat Chrysler is paying $1 for the site and plans to build a new 250,000-square-foot facility on it. The new location will be operated by an unnamed supplier and employ over 300 people.

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    Jeep confirmed the sale to Autoblog but did not discuss further details on what exactly it plans to do inside. Considering its proximity to the Wrangler and Gladiator assembly complex, also in Toledo, it’s likely we’re about to see a lot more factory customs based on the two off-roaders coming in the near future. Since these are the most often customized models in Jeep’s lineup, it makes sense to see the company put such significant investment behind this.
    “The iconic Jeep brand has a special connection and history with Toledo and all of its residents,” FCA spokesman Kevin E. Frazier told the Toledo Blade over email. “We appreciate the city council’s consideration of this proposal and would like to thank the city of Toledo and the mayor’s office for all of their efforts. At this time, we have no further details to provide.”

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    Ford Fusion Leaked Images Show Wagon Shape, Wall-to-Wall Screens

    Leaked images of a camouflaged prototype seem to show a new version of the Ford Fusion with a station-wagon shape.
    This fuels the rumor that the Fusion nameplate will return on a new model that will be a Subaru Outback rival.
    Possibly called the Fusion Active, we expect this car to debut sometime in 2021.

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    The Ford Fusion is dead, long live the Ford Fusion. While the mid-size sedan as we know it is gone, it seems that there’s credence to the speculation about a new Fusion that will take a different form. If these leaked photos are to be believed, this is our first look at the next Fusion (called the Mondeo in other markets), which will be marketed in the U.S. as a lifted all-wheel-drive station wagon in the vein of the popular Subaru Outback.

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    We’re not sure where the camouflaged images originate from, but they’re circulating on various Instagram accounts and Chinese websites. A few important clues point to its identity as a Ford. The front grille looks like many other current Fords, and there’s a cutout perfectly shaped for the blue oval logo. And around back, this version has a clear station-wagon profile, with a small window aft of the C-pillar and a gently sloping rear hatch.
    The slim headlights create a much more futuristic face, and they’re connected by a metallic bar that runs across the width of the car. And the interior will benefit from a modern makeover as well, with a set of screens that stretches across the entire dashboard. We’ve seen big touchscreens from Ford, but nothing quite like this, as it almost looks like a single piece of glass that extends all the way onto the passenger’s side of the dashboard.
    While these photos don’t reveal the car’s height or body cladding, we’re expecting the Fusion to have a lifted suspension and black plastic cladding to give it an SUV-esque stance. It will likely have standard all-wheel drive to best compete with the Outback.
    Ford has yet to say anything official about the new Fusion, but we expect it to arrive sooner rather than later. A debut sometime in 2021 isn’t out of the question, meaning the Fusion Active may go on sale by the time the 2022 model year rolls around.
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    See—and Hear—the New Subaru BRZ Super GT Race Car

    Subaru revealed its second-gen BRZ Super GT race car during a motorsport fan appreciation live stream.
    Super GT is the top level of racing in Japan, and everything from the Toyota Prius to European GT3 cars from Audi and BMW race in it.
    The 2022 Subaru BRZ road car is powered by a 228-hp 2.4-liter flat-four and will go on sale in the U.S. in fall 2021.
    The 2022 Subaru BRZ sticks to the purist sports-car formula with a naturally aspirated engine, a standard manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive. Like the first-generation sports car, the second-gen BRZ will race in Japan’s Super GT GT300 series. The new race car was revealed during a Subaru Motorsport fan appreciation live stream. If you’re here just to see and listen to the new race car, we’ll help you out: it’s shown in the video below at 1:54:47.
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    Super GT is the top level of grand-touring auto racing in Japan, and it’s split between two groups: GT500 and GT300. In the GT300 series, where the cars are less powerful, Japanese automakers race everything from the Toyota Prius to the Subaru BRZ. GT3 cars from European manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz also participate.
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    A naturally aspirated 228-hp 2.4-liter flat-four powers the 2022 BRZ, while the Super GT car should use an upgraded and more powerful four-cylinder engine. Subaru didn’t share many details on the new race car’s powertrain, though Car and Driver has reached out to the automaker for more information. The previous-gen road cars were powered by a 2.0-liter unit that produced 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque, although the first-gen BRZ GT300 car used the EJ20 engine from the Subaru Legacy.

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    The new race car’s bodywork looks similar to the previous-gen’s, huge wing and all, but it also sports the 2022 BRZ’s chunkier headlights and sleeker taillights. The new road car is only just over an inch longer and half an inch lower than the first-gen car. It’ll go on sale in the U.S. in the fall of next year, and pricing is expected to start around $30,000.
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    GM Recalls 2019–2021 Trucks, SUVs over Front Seatbelt Defect

    General Motors is recalling 624,216 of its 2019–2021 trucks and SUVs to fix a problem with the front center seatbelt bracket.
    Included are 2019–2021 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020–2021 Silverado/Sierra 2500 and 3500 pickups, as well as 2021 Chevrolet Suburban (pictured) and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL SUVs.
    The problem affects vehicles with the 40/20/40 split-folding front bench seats, not those with front bucket seats, according to the NHTSA defect report.
    General Motors has announced a recall for 624,216 trucks and SUVs with split-bench front seats from the 2019 through 2021 model years. According to the report filed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the problem is improperly installed seatbelt brackets in the center of the front row. It could cause a person sitting in the center of the front row to be incompletely restrained, which could lead to injury in case of hard braking or a crash, NHTSA said.

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    The problem affects 2019–2021 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, 2020–2021 Silverado and Sierra 2500/3500 pickups, and 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL SUVs. The issue does not affect 2019 Silverado and Sierra Limited models built on the previous-generation platform, GM siad.
    The defect report states that occupants of the vehicles could hear a rattling noise from the center seat or console area, or they could notice that the center seatbelt in front has become loose or even detached. GM will begin notifying owners on February 1 and will inspect and reassemble seatbelt brackets that are improperly installed.
    Meanwhile, owners of Chevrolet and GMC trucks or SUVs from the affected model years can check the NHTSA recalls website to see if their vehicle is included in the recall.
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