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Thousands
to Hit the Road this Summer for Special, New Jeep® Vacation
Destination
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Auburn
Hills, Mich. - Camp Jeep®, one of the nation's largest
and best attended annual vehicle ownership gatherings, moves to
a new, centralized location within one-day's drive of 50 percent
of the U.S. population. Camp Jeep 2002 will be held at The White's
Bar W Ranch, in the Ozark Mountains, near Branson, Mo., from Thursday,
July 25 through Saturday, July 27.
"Camp
Jeep has been out West and back East and this year we're
setting up Camp in the Midwest," said Jeff Bell, Vice President
of Marketing Communications, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. "With
so many more families planning to drive versus fly to their summer
vacation destinations this year, Camp Jeep 2002's Midwest location
is the perfect spot for Jeep® family members everywhere."
One
of the most popular highlights of the event are the Jeep 101 courses,
designed to teach owners basic off-highway driving and safety skills,
and to demonstrate capabilities of the Jeep Liberty, Grand Cherokee
and Wrangler.
Participants
are paired with experienced guides as they negotiate steep downhill
grades and encounter large rocks, log-crossings, sand and other
off-highway obstacles. Once
they've
mastered the Jeep vehicle's capabilities, they can hit various levels
of 4x4 trails in their own vehicles.
Owners
can also visit the Engineering Village and participate in roundtable
discussions with Jeep engineers, and other Jeep owners to learn
more about what distinguishes a Jeep brand vehicle from any other
four-wheel vehicle in the world.
"Those
who experience Camp Jeep learn more about what their vehicles can
do, get a real taste for the past, present and future of the Jeep
brand, and, in the process, bond with other owners from all over
the country with similar interests and lifestyles," added Lou
Bitonti, Senior Manager, Global Corporate Events.
Camp
Jeep is one of several owner-loyalty programs created by the Jeep
Division of DaimlerChrysler. Jeep Jamborees, which began in the
1950s, are the original off-highway vacation. From the Maine Mountains
to the famed Rubicon Trail, approximately 7,000 owners participate
in the more than 30 Jamborees held each year. The excellent response
to Camp Jeep led to the spin-off of Jeep 101. Jeep 101 driving courses
are offered in cities across the nation to provide owners and prospective
owners basic skills of safe, yet adventurous off-road driving.
In
addition to its breathtaking new locale, Camp Jeep 2002 will highlight
new extreme sporting activities, popular lifestyle and family activities
and daily live performances by top musicians, including a patriotic
concert and fireworks extravaganza. Guests will be among the first
to drive the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and experience its extreme
off-road capability.
A
new hybrid sports arena will be dedicated to extreme sports such
as skate boarding, mountain boarding, mountain and BMX biking. Attendees
will have a chance to not only participate in extreme sporting activities,
but will have the unique opportunity to see live demonstrations
and receive guided instruction from professional, well known, Olympic-caliber
athletes in each field.
This
year, over 10,000 participants are expected to attend Camp Jeep,
driving approximately 3,000 Jeep vehicles.
"It's
really amazing to see thousands of people come together who share
a common passion," said Bitonti. "In fact, many Camp Jeep
participants have been coming since the very first event eight years
ago and are eager to see us in the Ozarks."
To
date, approximately 45,000 people from 48 states have attended Camp
Jeep. From 1995-1998, Camp Jeep was held in Camp Hale, Colo. From
1999-2001, Camp Jeep was located at Oak Ridge Estate in Nelson County,
Va. Since its inception, participation in the event has expanded
from 614 registered vehicles in 1995 to 2,300 in 2001. Each year
the event has sold out.
Jeep
owners can register for Camp Jeep on the web at www.jeep.com (enter
keyword campjeep) or by calling 1-800-789-JEEP. Registration is
$295 per Jeep vehicle and includes participation in all Camp Jeep
activities.
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