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Jeep chief Manley talks hybrid Wrangler and JT pickup

CorpCow

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Interview by Autoblog with Jeep chief Mike Manley: http://www.autoblog.com/2017/01/13/...ias-2017-interview/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000015

Jeep could make a hybrid version of its iconic off-roader, the Wrangler, the head of the Jeep brand suggested in an interview with Autoblog.

Speaking this week on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, Jeep's global chief Mike Manley said "the hybridization could actually help Wrangler," noting it could improve torque distribution, a critical element for four-wheel drive vehicles.

Manley added, "Electrification, absolutely. I could see Wrangler being a form of electric." The Jeep boss didn't offer further details, though a hybrid Wrangler has been rumored for years.

The next-generation off-roader is due for the 2018 model year, which means a reveal is imminent. Hybrid technology would likely be used to assist the Wrangler's performance and efficiency, rather than as a total fuel-economy play. The next-gen Wrangler is expected to have LED lights, updated and more aerodynamic design, and greater use of aluminum. A turbo four-cylinder gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and an eight-speed automatic transmission are also among the powertrain rumors, though the diesel may be in jeopardy after the EPA accused FCA US of installing emission-control software on its EcoDiesels.

Despite the changes, this new Jeep will be instantly recognizable as a Wrangler, Manley told us. "It's the icon of our brand."

Also heartening for enthusiasts, the Wrangler is getting a pickup variant built alongside the utility vehicle in Toledo, OH. Manley wouldn't speculate on a name, though it has a long list of historic choices. Jeep used "Comanche" on a Cherokee-based pickup from 1986-92 and had the Gladiator/J-Series for a larger truck from 1963-87. "Of course we could go back to one of the record books [for a name]," Manley said.
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Sport11

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With FCA having possible diesel issues going forward, the case for a hybrid Wrangler is stronger than before IMO and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it moved up in timeline.
 

SteveC

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Yep it looks like the big sites are still catching up on the news. Definitely can see at least the mild hybrid timing moved up.
 

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Davos77

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I can see the appeal that a hybrid Jeep with its instant torque and better MPG but how practical would it be for trail and off road use? When you go off road you break things and repairs have to happen on the trail. I don't think the average wrencher would be able to fix issues with a hybrid powertrain.
 

Dackel

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I can see the appeal that a hybrid Jeep with its instant torque and better MPG but how practical would it be for trail and off road use? When you go off road you break things and repairs have to happen on the trail. I don't think the average wrencher would be able to fix issues with a hybrid powertrain.
There's the regular gas and diesel models for those owners who will be off road a lot. Most Wranglers sold are used to daily drive on roads and highways though so being stranded shouldn't an issue for most people.

I know one thing tho I would 't want go off roading in high water with a hybrid or electric powerplant. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
 

scramboleer

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There's the regular gas and diesel models for those owners who will be off road a lot. Most Wranglers sold are used to daily drive on roads and highways though so being stranded shouldn't an issue for most people.

I know one thing tho I would 't want go off roading in high water with a hybrid or electric powerplant. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I’ve seen a good test video from one of the chief engineers of the GM EV1 (fully electric car from the mid-1990s). As part of the safety testing, he filled a swimming pool full of salt water, submerged the electric car, and the turned it on - all with the astonished fire officials standing on the edge of the swimming pool.
 

Matt The Hammer

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Electric Jeep? Again?

e_jeep.jpg


Honestly I'd love an electric Jeep. The current Wranglers are so large though. Imagine a CJ-5 with today's electric drive train? Would go 100 miles between charges easily.
 

The Great Grape Ape

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I’d like to see them start with just a real Hybrid first, before going all electric.

The range issue remains with all Electric, likely for some ime to come despite large improvements in the field, but a true 50-100KW Hybrid would be a very desirable powertrain IMO.

ZF offers 50KW in essentially the same space as the regular ZF-8 (the electric engine takes the space of the Torque Converter, and a plug-in 90KW version for just a few inches more. I think that would be a great match for the Wrangler, not just for the Jeepers off-raoding, but the mall crawler soccer mims trying to save the world.. while looking cool/outdoorsy, and the DD guy who navigates traffic M-F, and the traills S&S. It might also get a few more delivery vehicle orders if the powerplant were added to both the JL and JT, at the very least a reasonably good fit for letter-carrier/postal vehicle use the Wrangler currently does.
 

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badtux

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The "mild hybrid" he was talking about was likely the 2.0L Hurricane engine with the BSG (Belt-driven Starter-Generator) system, which will likely provide around 5-10% improvement in city mpg if the Silverado experience is reasonable precedent. At some point there might be a "real" Wrangler hybrid, the problem though is that the weight, drivetrain drag, and aerodynamic drag of the Wrangler really precludes exceptional mpg. You won't get any better highway mileage out of a "real" hybrid, for example, because aerodynamic drag is the primary cause of poor mpg there.
 

The Great Grape Ape

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badtux

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No, I’m not talking BSG.

A real Hybrid (HEV) and Plug-in (PHEV) has already been in the cards/plans since 2014, and they separately detail the BSG and real Hybrid (HEV) in the Wrangl
And you basically just used three charts and a bunch of words to say what I said, which is that there may be eventually a "full" hybrid Wrangler (not the BSG), but the "mild" hybrid is the BSG. It appears from your chart that if a full hybrid Wrangler ever occurs (which depends on a lot of things, such as whether it actually produces sufficient gains in city fuel economy to make it worthwhile), it will be somewhere around 2022 or so. But then, the Pacifica Hybrid came out well before it was supposed to according to your charts, so who knows? It all depends on where FCA thinks they can get the most fuel economy credits, probably. The Wrangler pumps a *lot* of volume so a tiny amount there makes a big difference, so... (shrug).
 

The Great Grape Ape

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Oh, so you were just repeating what we already knew and was already officially stated as FCA’s intentions.

Thanks for that, it needed repeating as much as it needed clarification with charts and links. :like:
 

badtux

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Oh, so you were just repeating what we already knew and was already officially stated as FCA’s intentions.
FCA has changed their mind so often and moved things up / delayed things so often (mostly delay things, as they deal with their truly horrifying amount of debt) that nobody knows when -- or if -- they'll ever do things that are actually on their published timelines. The JL was supposed to launch for the 2017 model year according to their timelines from six years ago. Yeah, that didn't happen.

Most we can say right now is that we will have a mild hybrid (BSG) by spring, when the 2.0L starts shipping, and who knows when -- or if -- a full hybrid will arrive?
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