The Monroe Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Superstore will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Jeep by hosting a birthday party at the dealership in Monroe on Sept. 20 from 3 to 8 p.m.

The “Down & Dirty” Jeep 70th Anniversary Celebration will feature a pair of “all new refreshed” 2011 Jeep models built in this area, including one 2011 Jeep Wrangler made in Toledo, and a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee made in Detroit.

“This isn’t any red carpet event as other dealers may have. It’s going to be a fun down-home event so there’s no need to dress up for this premiere,” said Ralph Mahalak Jr., co-owner of the Monroe Superstore Chrysler dealership.

The introduction of the 2011 Jeep models marks the 70th anniversary of the Jeep that was first produced at the former Willys-Overland plant in Toledo in 1941. The former Chrysler Jeep plant on Jeep Parkway was demolished several years ago after the company built the Jeep Assembly Complex in North Toledo where the Liberty and Wrangler models are now produced.

The Monroe Superstore will showcase the 2011 Jeep Wrangler’s new color-keyed hardtop and leather seating available on the Rubicon models as well as the new Jeep Off-Road Camper Trailer, Mahalak said.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers three models, with the Laredo, Limited and Overland, and features a new dual-pane panoramic sunroof, and a 3.6-Liter V-6 engine built in Trenton, Mich. It also sells 4-wheel drive and front-wheel drive Jeeps equipped with fuel-efficient GEMA engines built in Dundee, Mich.

The Monroe Superstore is expecting delivery of five 2011 Grand Cherokees and five 2011 Wranglers for “sold orders” already placed by customers, Mahalak said.

“Although the new Jeeps are more upscale, they are still as rugged and capable as their predecessors. The original Jeep was built out of necessity, but today’s Jeeps are built for adventure, utility and recreation and are as unique as their owners. We invite everyone to bring their Jeeps to the celebration.”

Visitors will have the opportunity to test drive 2011 Jeep models on the 18-obstacle Jeep Off-Road Course at the dealership, check out the first Jeep Off-road Camper, see a vintage World War II Jeep display and view Jeeps from every decade, Mahalak said.

“This celebration will be all local, all patriotic and all-American just like the Jeep,” he said.

The dealership will serve local food and beverage products including Vernors ginger ale, Absopure bottled water, Better Made potato chips and Monroe’s original Coney Dogs made by the Dearborn Sausage Company. It will also serve Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its original recipe fried chicken this year, and feature entertainment by local disc jockey “DJ Dave.”

The Monroe Superstore will award prizes of Jeep apparel and gear with Plymouth Whalers OHL hockey tickets for the “Most Off-Road Jeep,” “Dirtiest Jeep,” “Most Vintage Jeep,” and the “Wildest Jeep.”

Mahalak said the dealership has decorated the showroom with popular Jeep ad slogan,s such as “Only in a Jeep,” “It’s a Jeep Thing,” “150 Hills per Gallon,” and “My Jeep won a war — your Honda cuts my grass.”

The Monroe Superstore recently received an award from Chrysler Group LLC for being named the first Great Lakes Region “MOPAR Accessories Flagship Dealer” in recognition of being No. 1 in sales of Jeep and MOPAR accessories.

Tags: Jeep, Monroe Dodge, Ralph Mahalak Jr.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2010 at 5:06 pm and is filed under Nuts and Bolts, Wheels.
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Customers who trade in their  clunkers might just walk away from a Chrysler dealership paying to to about $10,000 less than usual for a new vehicle with the help of trade-in deals and rebates.

President Barack Obama set aside $1 dollars for a “cash for clunkers” program that would give anyone who returns their old, fuel-inefficient cars about $3,500 to $4,500, allowing the program to run for at least a few months.

“This is focused on less fuel-efficient cars,” said Ralph Mahalak Jr., co-owner and sales director at the Monroe Chrysler Dodge-Jeep SuperStore. “You turn in your old ‘93 Dodge pick-up truck and turn it into me and we sell it to a scrap yard. They’re going to scrap it, so we take less fuel-efficient vehicles out of the market place; so it will be better for the environment.”

Mahalak Jr. said that he speculates the billion-dollar budget will run out within the next few weeks.

With an average of $4,000 given for every “clunker,” only about 250,000 people could take advantage of the deal, he said. He already has 10 people at his store who have signed up for cash for clunkers, he said.

“If every store is like my store, the program will be over in a matter of days,” he said. “Customers better do this sooner rather than later if they want to be one of the first 250,000 nationally. It’s a game of musical chairs, and right now you really don’t want to be left without a chair when the music stops.”

Until July 31, customers can also get a $3,500 to $5,500 rebate at Mahalak’s store or any Chrysler dealership, with a lifetime unlimited mileage warranty, without any down payment, he said. Everyone is eligible for this, even if they don’t turn in a clunker.

“It’s going to be wild credits,” Mahalak Jr. said.

Tags: car sales, Chrysler, Monroe Dodge

This entry was posted on Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Wheels.
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