By Jamie Barrie H ow much longer will Jeep keep everyone in suspense? Flashback to the 2005 North American International Auto Show and Jeep revealed a prototype with great anticipa- tion by many. It featured a new Jeep truck that, at the time, resur- rected the Gladiator name. A Jeep model that is more well known in Australia than North America. After a long exhausting wait Jeep confirmed earlier this year that there will be a Jeep Wrangler Pickup offered in what they described as a late 2017 lineup. That would also be the timeline for the new generation Wranglers which are long overdue. The details are scarce. A Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has been caught by the ever present spy cameras at a test track and with the cover off the rear it has the appearance of a double cab pickup truck. So what segment will the new truck be in? The official word from Fiat Chrysler is it will not compete head to head with the hugely popular Dodge RAM. That is the only confirmed specification to date however there is a widely circulated buzz that this new Jeep truck may include a diesel version. That would certainly make it unique in the mid-size or the half ton full size class.
Comanche line. Jeep produced trucks officially from 1942 to 1997 with small niche production by AMC that was farmed out to other compa- nies. Australia has a close affinity with all Jeep brands especially the early trucks. Many models were manufactured there and the Jeep truck image has become an iconic part of the Australian outback. The burning question with the new Jeep truck remains will it be a compact truck or can Jeep beef it up enough to reach full-size status? Compact and midsize is where Fiat Chrysler the parent company lacks a presence. Since dumping the Dodge Dakota in 2011 they have not been a player. In 2014 they sought out an agreement with Mitsubishi to collab- orate on and market the next generation L200 globally. Well “globally” turned into Europe and Latin American with no production date in sight. The subcompact and midsize market is wide open in North America since Ford ditched the Ranger. GM, Toyota and Nissan are the only players and their products are still moving well despite premium pricing. Ford still makes a redesigned Mazda cousin pickup with the Ranger name. You can buy it in every market except North America. Industry insiders speculate Ford will be forced to bring this model to NA to quiet dealer com- plaints about the absence of a mid-size alternative to the F150. Fiat Chrysler may be hearing the same noise and is hoping the Jeep Wrangler truck will be just what they need.
Many new generation truck shoppers only dimly remember that Jeep had a long running line of pickups. The most popular was the
Regardless, it would appear the long wait will soon be over for die hard Jeep truck enthusiasts when the Wrangler Trucks hit the sales lot.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS • JUNE 2016
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