Wait a minute. What? Jeep Wagoneer? Where did that come from?
So here’s a question for you to ponder: What’s a Jeep Wagoneer?
In the middle of a lengthy yet remarkably detail free conference call on Wednesday about Fiat Chrysler’s plans to “realign” its North American production plan, CEO Sergio Marchionne dropped this little nugget:
“I think it’s important for us to have found a home for the Grand Wagoneer family -- both the Grand Wagoneer and the Wagoneer -- in whatever shape they come, and that we find that space without creating additional production capacity.”
An admirable concept, to be sure, and congratulations on the accomplishment.
But again, what’s a Jeep Wagoneer?
I know what it was. Depending on the era and stated simply, the original Wagoneer was the luxury version of the Jeep SUVs that preceded the introduction of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
But my question is: in a Jeep lineup that now luxes-up to the Grand Cherokee Summit and/or the Grand Cherokee SRT (if you don’t mind buying the extra gas), and with a three row Grand Wagoneer on the way, what’s a Wagoneer?
Is it a three-row Grand Wagoneer, but decontented so it doesn’t come close to the Grand’s prospective $100,000 pricetag? Maybe. But that would be a pretty shallow repackaging of the current Dodge Durango -- itself a three-row crossover that shares a platform and a factory with the Grand Cherokee.
Maybe a new Jeep Wagoneer would be a three-row body-on-frame SUV, as opposed to Grand Wagoneer’s future unibody construction, which it will share with the next generation Grand Cherokee. It’s an interesting idea -- maybe based off of a Ram 1500 frame like the Jeep Gladiator pickup was -- but somehow I doubt that’s what Marchionne and Jeep head Mike Manley are thinking, as cool as I think such a beastly Jeep would be.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess what it’s not -- a Grand Cherokee with woody side panels. I really hope I’m right on that.
I did ask the official comment folks at FCA (they’re nice folks, really; I don’t envy the “circus parade sweeper” job they have to do sometimes) for an official comment on what it was that their boss might have been referencing when he mentioned the Wagoneer. The response was the standard “We don’t talk about future product.”
Fair enough. It’s never a good career move to explain what the boss was saying.
But what I do know is this: there’s a Wrangler-based pickup on the way, and of course, the Grand Wagoneer, and now apparently a Jeep Wagoneer, too, whatever that is. And a replacement for the Compass and Patriot, and a redesigned Wrangler in 2017 -- with a hybrid version and a diesel to boot -- and a redesigned Grand Cherokee in 2018.
There are lots and lots of Jeeps on the way, a whole jamboree full, which is good, because that Jeep badge has been unstoppable for the last several years, and FCA may as well cash in while times are good.
It’s like 1999 all over again. Seriously, what could go wrong?
You can reach Larry P. Vellequette at lvellequette@crain.com.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20160127/BLOG06/160129870/wait-a-minute-what-jeep-wagoneer-where-did-that-come-from
