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Jeep brings duo of remixed Cherokee concepts to Beijing

China has become and important market for a number of American automakers, and even though Jeep's partnership with local automotive companies goes back decades, it has always faced stiff competition from other brands in the SUV segment. Hoping that the debut of the new Cherokee will revitalize interest in the brand, Jeep has brought a number of concepts to the China auto show in Beijing this week. First up is the Jeep Cherokee Sageland concept, whose design theme and colors were inspired by historical landmarks and scenery of the Shangri-La region, with the SUV's exterior painted in ivory tri-coat pearl with bronze grille collars.

Cash for clunkers plan revives trade fight

Import brand automakers and dealers warned on Thursday that a vehicle scrappage proposal before the Senate would violate trade agreements and could weaken the economy. The Senate could vote on the plan on Thursday, which would offer $10,000 to any moderate- or low-income consumer who trades in a car or truck that is at least 10 years old and buys a new one that is more fuel-efficient and "assembled in the United States." The trade-ins would be scrapped rather than resold. The U.S.-made mandate "smacks of the protectionism that led to the Great Depression," said Barbara Nocera, the top Washington lobbyist for Mazda North American Operations.

Grab the sunscreen for those summer drives

You can get sunburned while driving a convertible, but driving with the top up can also result in sun damage to the skin. New research from the University of Washington suggests that people in the United States are more likely to develop skin cancer, such as melanoma and merkel-cell carcinoma, on the left side of their bodies, likely as a result of the fact that the left arm receives more ultraviolet rays while driving. Studies by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology show that, when skin cancer shows up on one side of the body, 52 percent of melanoma cases and 53 percent of merkel-cell carcinomas occur on the left.