Wrangler to be Ohio exclusive; possible Cherokee rename
Posted on November 16th, 2011 • by DaveAdmin
http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2011/11/wrangler-to-be-ohio-exclusive-possible-cherokee-renameAt today’s event in Toledo, Ohio, Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the Jeep Wrangler would never be built outside Toledo. Larry Vellequette of Automotive News quoted the Chrysler Group CEO as saying, “These are things that are unthinkable — to assemble a Wrangler somewhere else.”
Marchionne’s statement came after Jeep CEO Mike Manley said that Chrysler was considering the production of Jeeps in China, including Compass, Patriot, or Wrangler.
The recently built Toledo Supplier Park, where Wrangler is made, currently operates on two shifts, and can only make around 160,000 Wranglers per year. Expanding the plant would be costly as it was not designed with expansion in mind.
JeepNewsNow also quoted Marchionne as suggesting that the Jeep Cherokee name could return, replacing Liberty. The Liberty was designed as a next-generation Cherokee and is still sold under that name outside North America.