Shannon Gordinier
Gordinier Group’s off-road course-building entity, Dirt Designs, headed to Owasso, Oklahoma to design and construct a test drive track at the new Jim Glover Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat Dealership.
Providing a controlled track that specifically demonstrates Trail Rated attributes (such as traction, articulation, maneuverability, and ground clearance) flat-out works for a Jeep dealership. What better sales tool can you ask for, then to be able to take potential buyers out to show them what a Jeep vehicle can actually do? Furthermore, many Jeep customers (and also owners) aren’t familiar with how to engage such features as Hill Descent Control, Electronic-Locking Axles, Sway-Bar Disconnect, Selec Terrain, and Selec Speed. With each course build, Gordinier Group/Dirt Designs bakes in a day of staff training so that we can get the dealership sales crew up to speed on how to properly/safely drive and instruct drivers in an off-road setting.
Dirt Designs typically designs custom dealership courses to accommodate the entire Jeep lineup, including Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Renegade, and Compass. The Jim Glover track has a couple of bonus ‘Rubicon Only’ turn-offs for the guests interested in Wrangler Rubicon (and pushing the limits a bit).
June 5-7
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles hosted 250 of its top fleet customers and others at its national fleet preview at the Motor City Casino in Detroit.
Attendees listened to a presentation of the lineup and were able to ride along in the vehicles with Gordinier Group drivers. This was a special opportunity – not only was the Camp Jeep mobile off-road course on site (stocked with new Jeep Compass), but there was also a street drive featuring rides in Dodge Hellcat Charger/Challenger, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the rest of the FCA lineup. It’s not every day that event guests get to take a ride in vehicles boasting 707 horsepower (and 200+ mph top speed)!
Gordinier Group Product Specialists were also on tap to socialize the new Pacifica minivan and PHEV hybrid.
All in all, this was a fun event for both fleet guests and GG drivers alike.
* Images courtesy of FCA Media
Pacifica – FCA Fleet Preview
Alfa Romeo Giulia – FCA Fleet Preview
Pacifica – FCA Fleet Preview
Jeep Compass, staircase – FCA Fleet Preview
Jeep Compass, staircase – FCA Fleet Preview
Jeep Compass, Mtn – FCA Fleet Preview
Jeep Compass, breakover – FCA Fleet Preview
Jeep Compass, Mtn – FCA Fleet Preview
April 14-23
New Compass – 2017 NYIAS
Guests of the 2017 New York International Auto Show Camp Jeep track were treated to a special treat this year, getting the opportunity to ride in the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass before it was available to the public.
The new Compass has been redesigned from the ground up, to combine Jeep’s unsurpassed 4×4 capabilities, with outstanding on-road driving dynamics and fuel-efficient powertrains. The Camp Jeep track featured Trailhawk Compass models, featuring the 2.4L Tigershark engine, mated to Jeep’s 9-speed automatic transmission. The new Compass had no problem conquering the 35-degree climb on the 18′ Jeep Mountain (or any of the other extreme course obstacles for that matter).
The Compass Trailhawks were joined on track at NYIAS by the usual off-road dawgs – Wrangler Rubicon, Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Cherokee Trailhawk, and Renegade Trailhawk.
As usual, the NYIAS show delivered, setting new attendance records at Camp Jeep.
Another great finale for the end of the 2017 winter auto show season.
2017 was a monumental year for FCA experiential marketing at the Chicago Auto Show! Not only did the automaker roll out a gigantic new build for Ram called the Ram Truck Territory (built by partner George P. Johnson Co.), but it also offered guests the ultra-popular Camp Jeep track and the City Drive, a showcase of FCA’s Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat brands.
All 3 of these tracks gave guests the opportunity to ride in the newest vehicles offered by FCA, with Gordinier Group drivers behind the wheel. Tasked with delivering detailed information about each vehicle while piloting guests up over and through technical obstacles, the GG drivers made countless positive impressions on CAS guests. All 3 tracks operated at full capacity, bell-to-bell, for 10 days, setting a new record for registered guests at an auto show ride and drive.
Below, you will see a brief time-lapse video from a static location on each of the 3 tracks:
Ram Truck Territory-
This track consisted of specific turn-offs for each model Ram truck: a load-leveling demo for 1500, torque-wall pull for 2500 and max weight towing demo for 3500.
Camp Jeep –
The Camp Jeep track is always a crowd favorite in Chicago. This is no surprise, given the infusion of massive amounts of organic material (dirt, boulders, mulch) alongside the mobile properties that make Camp Jeep a thrilling ride that shows off the brand’s off-road prowess. The track features an 18-foot tall, pass-through mountain, staircase, Trail Rated pass, side-hill traverse, breakover and several other challenging obstacles.
https://youtu.be/6BBcU4EYKBc
City Drive –
The 2017 CAS City Drive track gave customers the chance to experience a ride in 2017 FCA vehicles such as Chrysler 300 and Pacifica, Dodge Charger and Challenger, or Fiat 500 and Spider 124. The track featured an ambient sound zone, Pacifica walkaround lab, vehicle info center, and everyone’s favorite, the acceleration/braking strip,