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FCA Projects 2019 JL Sales Down from 2018

JL-Jeepster

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Well that's not yet enough data to get an accurate reading of JL sales...My 2 Cents:
1) Last year sales was incomplete as they started ACTUAL SALES towards mid 2018
2) A good number of people who bought JKs would have still likely bought a JL if the JK was not been offered or they bought their Jeep towards latter part of 2018 (after JL was available on lots).
3) The price hike is not substantial considering the improvements and the market trends.
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Xingpao

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I think FCA jumped the shark a bit on pricing for sahara and rubicon. I think offering some different colors amd packages could help, and fixing some of the issues wouldn't hurt either.

Swallowing the 50k price is rough, but add 10k in mods and it's pushing it given the steering and uconnect issues, plus the cheap plastic, etc. I just don't see soccer moms buying JL saharas in droves like they did the jku over the next few years.

Gladiator will also take a fair bite of sales.
 

HungryKen

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I would back off the doomsday prognastications here. There are several factors at play here.
1. First of all, there is a natural spike in first-year demand for any vehicle, especially vehicles which such strong followings as a Wrangler. There were many customers who had been in the market for a Jeep for a couple years, but were holding off until the new model was introduced so they could have the latest and greatest. Those people all bought 2018s, so of course there's not a line of people waiting to buy '19s like there was a year ago.
2. Jeep has shown a creative way to affect the average price utilizing special editions. It doesn't surprise me that the first JL SE was a premium trim (hell, I bought one). But notice they can also do this at the opposite end of the spectrum if they find demand waning due to price point. The JK Willy SE was enormously popular, and basically just a stylized Sport. They can introduce more affordable SE's, including potentially even one at a price point below the Sport. This allows them to meet customers' willingness to pay without discounting the already-introduced editions like Sahara's or Rubicon's.
3. The engine availability is also impacting purchasing criteria, and there are likely owners delaying purchases until it is released next year. There is a huge demand for electric vehicles in the US right now. Does that mean it's the right choice for every consumer? Of course not. But let's remember that one of the awesome things about Wranglers is that its the most configurable and customized vehicle on the road. It isn't designed to be a one-size-fits-all vehicle. I love the rumble of my Pentastar V6 and am willing to spend the GDP of a small African country on gasoline annually. But if someone else wants the acceleration and fuel economy of a electric Wrangler, nothing wrong with that. My Jeep doesn't need to be right for them, and their Jeep doesn't need to be right for me.
Just to add to your list, don’t forget about all the people that want to hold off on the first year and/or see all the reported problems that will most likely make them wait until everything levels out.
 

timn1984

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Except there was no "first year spike" for JL demand. It's initial sales were poor relative to JK.

FCA reported 240,000 Wrangler sales last year. They built 99,000 JK's for 2018.

That means JL sales were comparable to JK sales of 150k/yr from 2012-13, and not 2014-17 when they were selling almost 200k/yr.

FCA dropped the ball with the JL price hike. They were able to hide behind JK sales for 2018, but 2019 will be all JL. They've also tripled JL fleet sales to try and keep the sales numbers "up"
Right, the only reason there was a spike in JK sales was because it was cheaper, with the same add ons.... Lets be real here. People thought they were getting a deal when they bought the Lesser priced JK. Great marketing strategy..... Probably was a great deal.
 

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Jaym

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Except there was no "first year spike" for JL demand. It's initial sales were poor relative to JK.

FCA reported 240,000 Wrangler sales last year. They built 99,000 JK's for 2018.

That means JL sales were comparable to JK sales of 150k/yr from 2012-13, and not 2014-17 when they were selling almost 200k/yr.

FCA dropped the ball with the JL price hike. They were able to hide behind JK sales for 2018, but 2019 will be all JL. They've also tripled JL fleet sales to try and keep the sales numbers "up"
How many JL sales were there and how many JK sales were there? A lot of JKs are sitting on lots as the JL released.

Also, overall, the percent increase from sales of 2017 wranglers to 2018 was about 26% (from 190k to 240k). Sure, we need to still subtract the JK total sales but I don’t know if we have that number yet, some rolled into 2019 of that 90k you said were made.

In 2007, wrangler spiked about 50% from the TJ to the JK, from 80k to 119k sold respectively.

Still, total sales has risen which bets the question if the sales outpaced its competitors for both years? I don’t know the answer to that.
 

Muzzle of Bees

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Well, you forgot to add wind, water and sun to your list. Not sure if it was intentionally done or not.
 

se7en

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I think the JL actually did do exceptionally well on it's own. Seems like I remember reading articles and/or threads about Wranglers breaking monthly manufacturing records for like 4 months in a row, long after the JK was being built. That push was fueled by dealer/consumer demand.
 

SecondTJ

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How many JL sales were there and how many JK sales were there? A lot of JKs are sitting on lots as the JL released.

Also, overall, the percent increase from sales of 2017 wranglers to 2018 was about 26% (from 190k to 240k). Sure, we need to still subtract the JK total sales but I don’t know if we have that number yet, some rolled into 2019 of that 90k you said were made.

In 2007, wrangler spiked about 50% from the TJ to the JK, from 80k to 119k sold respectively.

Still, total sales has risen which bets the question if the sales outpaced its competitors for both years? I don’t know the answer to that.
FCA never reported the sales splits between JK & JL for 2018. They simply wanted the "glammer & glitz" of the combined sales numbers.

Exactly, subtracting JK sales from 2018 means JL underperformed.
 

TIDALWAVE

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It will be interesting to see the number of electric Jeeps that will be bought in northern/mountain states. Minnesota media has come out with stories about electric cars loosing at least 30% of their range just trying to warm up and keep warm when temps go below zero F. They recommend that electric cars be garaged and preheated, and batteries topped off for at least one hour before driving.
 

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californiajeeping

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It is probably due to multiple factors, not just one, including waiting for v1.0 issue to be resolved, wanting that 2020 number year vs 2019, which will have the perception of being older than it is when it is 2026 when trading it in and many other reasons. Same thing probably happened for 1999 vs 2000 and 2009 vs 2010.
 

Muzzle of Bees

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Yeah because those three combined are a grand total of 18%. His point is still valid. Most electricity comes from fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Yeah but it still counts. Nuclear is about 20% of US power.
 

Jaym

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FCA never reported the sales splits between JK & JL for 2018. They simply wanted the "glammer & glitz" of the combined sales numbers.

Exactly, subtracting JK sales from 2018 means JL underperformed.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around that if we don’t know the split. Sure, they wanted embellish by combining the numbers, but that doesn’t mean JL didn’t outpace JK year over year growth from 2008-2017.
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