- Thread starter
- #1
By now we know that Jeep will build a pickup. What remains unknown is whether the Jeep pickup will be a Wrangler JL variant or be offered as a standalone model with a different badge.
New comments by Jeep design chief Mark Allen allude to Jeep's dilemma:
New comments by Jeep design chief Mark Allen allude to Jeep's dilemma:
Next-gen Wrangler ready to rock but ute spin-off in flux
Jeepās all-important fourth-generation Wrangler has already been secretly shown to North American dealers at a top-secret conference in Las Vegas recently, but itās the ute version thatās piquing the interest of the brandās Australian importer.
Especially so if Jeepās first ute develops into a one-tonne light-commercial vehicle to rival the likes of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux ā which looks increasingly likely.
During an interview at the Jeep Renegade national launch in Far North Queensland, Jeepās head of design Mark Allen said: āYouāre not going to be terribly surprised by it [the new Wrangler].ā
But the ute?
āItās [design] is less stable. Itās not really a project yet. We hope it to be. Thereās been planning on it,ā confirmed Allen.
He also revealed that development of the Wrangler utility ā or pick-up truck in American parlance ā is fluid, and wouldnāt confirm whether it would be based on the Wrangler SUV or another platform.
āThatās some of the homework weāre doing right now. How much desire is there, is it a pick-up truck or a Wrangler variant? Thatās the line,ā said Allen.
That means the Jeep ute could be based on the new Wrangler or something like the just-released Fiat Toro, which is believed to be based on the new Jeep Renegadeās platform and will be a direct rival for Renaultās compact Oroch dual-cab, or it could be a full-size one-tonner in the same vein as the Toyota HiLux.
The former two options would see the Jeep variant become a ālifestyleā ute aimed at the US market, not unlike Hyundaiās Santa Cruz, while the latter would make it a rival for mid-size US pick-ups like the Toyota Tacoma, but Allen wouldnāt be drawn on which was more likely.
āItās something we all desire and have for a long time. Iāve never been shy about that. Itās just not ready for prime time yet,ā he said.
Thereās clearly momentum within the company to deploy a new ute and itās something that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australiaās CEO, Pat Dougherty, is keenly aware of.
Jeep has a number of engines to draw upon from within the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, so sourcing the powertrain wonāt be an issue. However, finding a factory within which to build it could be problematic.
āWe sell every Wrangler we make, thereās no extra room at the plant, so thereās other issues beyond the vehicle itself. Thatās all gotta be sorted out,ā Allen said of the Toledo plant in Ohio, USA.
If Jeep did deploy a Toyota HiLux rival in Australia, as Renault and Mercedes-Benz will do in the next few years, it would significantly boost sales and profit for the importer.
Dougherty pointed out that the Wrangler is āthe icon of the Jeep brandā and that a Jeep ute ā no matter what its foundation ā would be high on the wish list.
āWeāve got a vehicle [Wrangler] thatās unique, that has exceeded its global demand for a number of years and as we get to the ute, if thereās an expansion in capacity it could result in something meaningful for us,ā said Dougherty.
http://www.motoring.com.au/jeep-plotting-hilux-rival-54595/
Sponsored