Dedicated Jeep Showrooms Are Coming

[EU_Wrangler]

They could better establish dedicated Jeep workshops with real mechanics.
This will boost sales even more than a fancy showroom IMHO

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[aldo98229]

There are key differences between owning a Jeep and a Harley, though. People expect their Jeeps to start every morning and run flawlessly day in and day out; take them to work, and their family to the mall, and bring them back home in total safety. And do it no matter the weather conditions.

Harleys are toys; Jeeps aren’t. At least not for the vast majority of Jeep owners.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Beat me to it.

Milwaukee's rebranding is a resounding success story. It's not surprising that Stellantis would want to recreate the boutique aesthetic that works so well for Harley-Davidson...and BMW and Triumph, come to that. I've experience with all three of those marques, and with the right sales staff in place, its easy to understand how such a business plan can remain not just sustainable, but markedly profitable.

With the foregoing in mind, I'm hoping it works out for Jeep.

Agreed, there are some parallels to H-D. Both have strong brand loyalty, both have large customer bases that are modification driven, have events, clubs, etc.

However, where H-D dealers have embraced the modification market, Jeep has more or less just tolerated it. When you go into a Jeep dealership and it looks like a H-D dealership, then they will have made that leap.

 

[roaniecowpony]

There are key differences between owning a Jeep and a Harley, though. People expect their Jeeps to start every morning and run flawlessly day in and day out; take them to work, and their family to the mall, and bring them back home in total safety. And do it no matter the weather conditions.

Harleys are toys; Jeeps aren’t. At least not for the vast majority of Jeep owners.

That's a good point. But many Jeep owners are in the dual "transportation/weekend toy" crowd. Jeep dealers have an opportunity to be the best place to get your jeep modified (for those that pay for modification labor), in addition to OEM service. As these vehicles get more sophisticated, it puts factory trained/equipped dealer service providers in an advantageous position, if they leverage it in a way that jeep enthusiasts find fair and competitive.

I have no love for dealership service in general. I can recall my wife paying $500 for a single backup sensor when she had an extended warranty. It was criminal. But, they can turn that image around like H-D dealers around here have done.

 

[aldo98229]

That's a good point. But many Jeep owners are in the dual "transportation/weekend toy" crowd. Jeep dealers have an opportunity to be the best place to get your jeep modified (for those that pay for modification labor), in addition to OEM service. As these vehicles get more sophisticated, it puts factory trained/equipped dealer service providers in an advantageous position, if they leverage it in a way that jeep enthusiasts find fair and competitive.

I have no love for dealership service in general. I can recall my wife paying $500 for a single backup sensor when she had an extended warranty. It was criminal. But, they can turn that image around like H-D dealers around here have done.

Perhaps. But it’s gone in the exact opposite direction. As Jeeps become more complex, dealers are becoming more reluctant to touch modified Jeeps, warranty or not.

No doubt FCA/Stellantis is partly to blame for this, as it‘s been making it increasingly harder for dealers to process warranty claims, while paying them less for the work.

In the end, Stellantis has to make up its mind whether Jeep is a “premium” brand or it isn’t. Right now it likes to think of Jeep as premium when is time to charge more money, but not when it is time to deliver on all the promises made and the responsibilities that come along with those higher prices.

Opening new showrooms fixes none of this.

 

[jjvincent]

The standalone dealers worked great for Hummer and Fiat........

 

[jjvincent]

They could better establish dedicated Jeep workshops with real mechanics.
This will boost sales even more than a fancy showroom IMHO

That's never going to happen. It'll be the same guys that still have to flat rate everything. Then when the Jeep side gets slow, they will be working on used cars. Then what they tap that out, they'll be working on Ram and Chrysler.

 

[aldo98229]

Call me skeptic, but the reason I don’t believe in any of this is because I’ve seen these “initiatives” come and go before.

When I bought my 2005 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Chrysler sent me this official certificate thanking me for my fine purchase, calling me a discriminating buyer, and promising me an “elevated” customer experience. Back then Daimler wanted to elevate Chrysler into premium-mass territory, just like Stellantis now wants to do with Jeep.

But they turned out to be empty promises. There was nothing “elevated” about my dealership experience. Don’t get me wrong, the car was absolutely phenomenal; but fighting with the dealer wasn’t.

Similarly, this initiative is just the flavor of the week. Eventually, those executives will move on and nothing will change. And the few dealers that “invested” in separate facilities will be left holding the bag. This’s how it’s been for 100+ years...

 

[Powelligator]

Jeep will never have a minivan.

I used to think that Porsche would never have a four door sedan or an SUV, yet here we are.

Also, the Jeep Patriot and Compass are indications that some product planners in the past have been thinking of expanding the brand name. Doesn't Harley offer an electric motorcycle now? Times change...

 

[JLUW75]

Be certain this is meant to cater more to Wagoneer customers than anything else in the Jeep portfolio.

yeah, you get pampered more so you can drop $100K on a jeep but would this new showroom help with the crappy service department and incompetent techs they have? To be able to get these higher-end customers AND retain them long-term, Jeep needs to upgrade a little more than just the furniture! smh...

 

[Wkaz]

Gotta get real jeep people to run the show. Bring back customer service, treat customers as if it were your jeep maybe even a co-op. Dealer sponsored wheeling outings (Think REI) where every customer has a say in board members. Quality service after the sale builds loyalty and sometimes even customers.

 

[mwilk012]

I used to think that Porsche would never have a four door sedan or an SUV, yet here we are.

Also, the Jeep Patriot and Compass are indications that some product planners in the past have been thinking of expanding the brand name. Doesn't Harley offer an electric motorcycle now? Times change...

Those are still SUV’s no matter how ugly. The Chrysler Pacifica is unmatched in the CJDR lineup. Dodge seems to want to push to performance styles vehicles only, and likely all electric.

 

[Sital]

I drove by one of these dedicated showrooms yesterday at the closest dealership to me. Unfortunately, that dealership has never gotten great reviews and the one time I went there 4 years ago with my daughter, both of us thought the sales person was sleazy, so we bought elsewhere. While that dealership has since been sold and is under new management and gets much better reviews, I doubt I'll be going to their dedicated showroom since I'm happy with my current dealership.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Another thing Jeep needs to do is a major increase in the quality control of the build, paint and fit/finish. Loose fuses/relays, poor paint coverage and factory flaws, etc need to be addressed so they don’t have to be corrected after the fact, or not at all. Good enough isn’t going to cut it if this is the direction Jeep wants to go.

 

[GrayHawk20]

I think Jeep can stand on it's own. Jeep is moving up market and there is a lifestyle element to the jeep brand. It needs it's own showroom apart from other brands. I just hope they can change the overall dealer experience to go along with a stand alone store.

Agreed. Jeep (Mostly Wrangler) is doesnt need much to sell it. The name speaks for itself. IMO

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