The first option on the table is to build a truck that’s essentially a long-wheelbase version of the next-generation Wrangler that’s fitted with a pickup bed, a design that was previewed in 2005 with the Gladiator concept (pictured). If Jeep goes that route, the yet-unnamed truck is expected to be a rugged, body-on-frame model that will share nearly all of its components with its SUV sibling. It will be cost-effective to build and highly profitable, but it might not reach a wide audience.
According to Australian website Motoring, the second option is to build a standalone truck that will likely be less rugged than the Wrangler and designed with more of an emphasis on play than on work. From there, Jeep could build a smaller truck like the Fiat Toro that was recently introduced in Brazil, or a slightly bigger model that would take on the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins and the Toyota Tacoma.
Regardless of what form Jeep’s truck takes, it needs to be a volume-focused model that’s capable of reaching a diverse audience all around the world, a task that’s easier said than done. Another obstacle standing in its way is that parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) hasn’t found the extra production capacity required to build a new Jeep model.
“We sell every Wrangler we make, there’s no extra room at the [Ohio] plant, so there are other issues beyond the vehicle itself,” explained Mike Allen, Jeep’s head of design.
The next Wrangler is scheduled to make its public debut at a major auto show in 2017 and it will land in showrooms as a 2018 model. If it’s given the green light for production, the truck could arrive before the decade draws to a close.
Déjà vu
The idea of a Jeep-branded truck is far from new. The CJ-8 that was introduced in 1981 was essentially a long-wheelbase version of the CJ-7 that was fitted with a pickup bed, which sounds a lot like the first option that company officials are considering.
Jeep also built a full-size truck called Gladiator from 1962 until 1988. It didn’t a spawn a direct successor, but the company continued to compete in the pickup segment until 1992 with a smaller model called Comanche that was based on the original Cherokee.
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