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The Detroit News ran a story today claiming that Michael Manley, head of the Jeep brand, confirmed a Jeep pickup will be produced. However, careful reading of the quote given by the brand’s top executive reveals nothing but a hedge.
“Sergio [Marchionne, FCA CEO] and I work very, very closely on the Jeep product portfolio, and both of us have been a fan of a potential Wrangler pickup”, stated Manley to The Detroit News. “For me, there is a historical place in our lineup for it.”
TTAC reached out to Jeep today, but was given no comment.
49 Comments on “NAIAS 2016: Jeep Boss Says He and Marchionne Want Jeep Pickup...”
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Isn’t a Scrambler a breakfast entree at Perkins?
Mmmmmmm Perkins.
Thank you for showing more respect to the old names than FCA does and not showing a Comanche. I like Comanches, too, but that’s no Wrangler pickup.
Uh that’s not a Comanche. That is a Scrambler ie CJ (Wrangler) pickup :/
Did they say it was a Comanche?
http://comancheclub.com/topic/28113-blue88comanche-pioneer-4×4/
About 6 months ago, FCA product development started a big effort to start feasibility studies for a Wrangler based pickup. Imagine my surprise when one of our suppliers mentioned that he already had one. It seems that MOPAR makes a kit to convert a 4 door wrangler into a 2 door pickup. You can watch a video of a team of guys doing this in 1 hour. I suspect it would take the average guy perhaps a day.
It’s very cleverly done. I have a lot of respect for MOPAR. Inside FCA, they are the guys who do things, while everyone else studies how to do things.
Searching for the kit you mentioned revealed a regular cottage industry based on converting Wranglers to pickups. If FCA, with its resources, doesn’t put this pickup on the market it’s because they simply don’t want to.
The problem with this kit is the price. 4 door Wranglers aren’t cheap to start with, and the kit is several thousand dollars more + labor.
My point was that if small companies can come up with conversions then FCA should easily be able to produce them in quantity.
Small companies that sell a kit to hack into your Jeep don’t have the legal liability that FCA does. Seeing that you lose the roll bars, I’d imagine that Mopar kit doesn’t even come in the ballpark of meeting the NHTSA roof strength requirements. As long as they throw some disclaimer on it, Mopar can offer an official kit like this, but making it off the showroom floor will be more difficult.
The Wrangler is exempt from roof crush requirements since it is considered a convertible. That’s why Mopar can sell the kit.
@Relton – You convert a Wrangler Unlimited into a 2 door pickup wit ha box large enough for a spare tire and a cooler of beer. I’ve seen one at my local FCA dealer. It took forever to sell.
My hometown Chrysler dealer’s had one they haven’t managed to sell for over two years. Granted, they’re asking $46k CDN (and probably aren’t willing to budge much), but I’m still not banking on the internet making true on their desire for a Jeep pickup.
Maymar – that is basically what happened in my town. The FCA Principal liked toys and had it built. It sat forever. Even the Ram Runner truck he built sat forever.
Was it an AEV?
Collins Brothers Jeep in Dallas has quite a few Wrangler pickups on their lot ready to go right now.
Yeah, those conversion ones at something like $70,000?
I do hope the Wrangler chassis is stretched at least 6″-12″ for the pickup, with a couple of inches of lift added to aid in ramp over.
If FCA want to sell lots of them, FCA must look to the global market and supply a 2.8 VM diesel version, with a 6spd manual. A Wrangler pickup on the global market has to be much cheaper than any Japanese/EU pickup to sell as well. The Wrangler lacks much refinement that is expected this day and age, even in developing nations.
FCA should also concentrate on a single cab Wrangler pickup as well.
I wish Jeep luck with a Wrangler pickup, but make them reliable!
Big Al from Oz – the chassis would have to be stretched more than that to give it at least a 5 1/2 foot box.
Will be an interesting spin on the midsize pickup. It’ll occupy a nice niche much like the Wrangler does in the SUV segment.
I worked for a dealership that sold Jeeps back in the early 80’s, when the Scrambler was in current production. I don’t recall all that many of them going out the door, the CJ-7 was the biggest seller where we were. Because of its length, it wasn’t all that wonderful off road, at least not in the woods where we were, and its bed was small so it wasn’t all that much of a truck either. That may be what is keeping Jeep from wanting to go through the process of building another truck.
Hey, if they’re going to bring back a Jeep pickup, how about the FC-170?
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ar5wBJ6A4Vw/maxresdefault.jpg
As awesome as forward control vehicles are, they’re a big no-no in the US except for commercial trucks.
“how about the FC-170”
I’m in love.
how many people here have owned scramblers? I love them, but they suck. There’s literally ZERO room for anything in the cab. two people and a bag lunch can’t fit comfortably. There’s literally zero room for anything in the bed. the tire over the tailgate is a pain in rear every time you want something out of the bed, and the tire on the roll bar kills the bed.
IF Jeep is serious, then a Wrangler based pick-up has to have an extra cab, and it has to be able to carry a full sheet of plywood with the tailgate down. PERIOD. Otherwise don’t bother.
Are you sure you meant “literally zero room”? Because the specs I’m looking at now say the CJ-8 had 30.4 cubic feet of load space (61.5″ x 55.8″ x 16.4″, minus the wheelwells). No, it’s not much compared to even a short bed compact pickup of the time, but 30.4 > 0.
Also, given that a sheet of plywood is 48″ wide, the old Scrambler could carry one (although I don’t know if it could fit between the wheel wells).
Otherwise, I agree completely with your assessment.
I once had a Hot Wheels Jeep Scrambler. It was silver, with Goodyear rubber wheels. It was awesome!
I had a black one with huge plastic “tires” and tiny chrome “wheels”.
I envy you.
I also remember having a Ferrari 308 in silver with those rubber wheels, a Dodge Rampage 2.2 (with the yellow ATV in the back), the Baja Beetle, Path Beater/Surf Patrol, and both black and yellow El Rey Specials (each casting wearing a different name)…
Alas, all of those, along with my entire die-cast collection, were lost to a flood in 1998. :(
Depending on where you look, the approach of a Wrangler-based pickup is not so questionable. Reportedly Marccione himself spoke to reporters at the NAIAS and confirmed a coming Jeep pickup, though nothing more. As such, we’ll have to wait and see. Some people believe it will be something like the big Brute Double Cab from American Expedition Vehicles while others think it will be something more along the lines of the Gladiator concept. If it is the bigger version, Jeep will have the advantage of building it cheaper as they won’t have to “cut and extend” an existing frame but rather order a pre-built extended frame requiring far less labor to manufacture and assemble. Remember, AEV has to take the body off the frame before they can even start the mod, so there’s a lot more labor involved as a result. AEV may lose out on the Brute mods, but they’ll still be able to perform engine and chassis mods for special-purpose and custom rigs. I will expect the Jeep-manufactured model to run $5-$10K more than the equivalent Wrangler, assuming they run similar trim packages such as Sport, Sport-X, Sahara and Rubicon.
My personal pick? Forget the single cab; nearly every OEM has decided to drop that for all but their commercial fleets. But I also don’t have any need or desire for a full 4-door version like the Brute, either; I’d be far, far happier with an extended cab like the Gladiator concept.
And yes, I do know this thing will be much bigger than the size pickup truck I really want. The cost alone raises the hair on the back of my neck as I expect this thing to exceed $40K even for a more basic model. If the Santa Cruz or some other more truly compact rig comes out with an at least acceptable AWD package at a decent price, the Jeep is going to take a lot of thought to beat them out. I’ll be forced to either compromise on size or compromise on ability and I’m not a fan of either compromise.
I can’t wait for the Power Wheels Barbie version… Jammin’ Jeep Pickup!
I’d bet on a extended cab/6′ bed like the Gladiator concept, a crew cab/5′ bed because that’s what the majority of midsize pickups are, and probably a crew cab/6′ bed.
@Drzhivago138 – agreed.
@Vulpine – as you have pointed out, regular cab trucks are all but dead except for fleets. It has to be an extended cab minimum and definitely a crew cab to sell.
Regular cabs are snatched up by retail/private cheapskates and pickup bottom feeders, likely more than fleets. Obviously fleets are hardly limiting themselves to regular cabs, when regular cabs are an option.
Regular cabs are dead because midsize pickup OEMs can’t make money off of them. There’s not enough meat left on the bone by high-end midsize pickup sales to offset the loss-leader regular cabs.
We’re 18 months out from a recession in the US, China has hit the wall and the global economy is catching the sniffles. Oil dropped through $30 a barrel today (and closed just above). RBOB short contract is under $1.10. I was off about 6 months in my predictions on TTAC, but otherwise nailed it.
FCA is going to need a lot more than Jeep and RAM and in the next 24 months, or they could be in huge trouble.
I agree with your analysis but I believe that in the US the effects of this global recession will not nearly be as severe as elsewhere in the world. Europe and Asia are going to be hit hardest, I think.
I also believe that in the US we will experience a continuation of the current profit-recession, and that the new normal in America will be “full-employment at 62% labor participation.”
People will continue to buy new cars and trucks as long as the borrowed money will remain cheap and the repayment terms will remain 7+ years. The price of oil should go even lower unless the unrest in the Middle East extends to the destruction of the Saudi oil fields and those of Iran.
This could very well be the new reality for the majority of the tax-paying working class but otherwise has no effect on people of the welfare class or those with money.
I would forecast an even greater divide between the haves and have-nots in America, and even bigger Lottery jackpots in the future because of all the anxiety of the have-nots.
Completely agree. China is in for the reality check that Bertel said would happen in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011…
OK, enough picking on the former EIC.
Europe has a lot of issues, but I believe the US economy is more fundamentally sound then some portray it. There are definitely problems, but I don’t see this as 2008.
The major issue the US is facing is globalization and technology are ending gray color jobs. The era of working for US Steel, or Ford, or GM, or Boeing on just a high school education, working there for life, owning a house, putting kids through college, and a nice pension at the end are over. People are raging against this reality, but this is the new order – ready or not here it comes.
The bigger question is further down the road, say 20 years from now. I’ve said many times if the guy building the Toyota can’t afford the Toyota eventually the wheels of the economy completely fall off.
The price of oil should see a lot of resistance at the $27-$28 level because it is inflation adjusted historic lows. Adjusting for inflation, the new supreme basement is around $26 a barrel (which would translate to about $11 in 1986). If the US dollar devalues, then the basement moves lower of course.
Gordon Chang also wrote a well-reviewed book on the upcoming implosion of China. Worth reading if you’re so inclined. I bought it then donated it to a military Base Library after reading it.
Europe’s issues, especially those of Germany’s refugee dilemma, and the financial/economic woes of Portugal are the reasons my wife and I have delayed our trip to Europe. We had planned on spending at least six months in Europe including the Holidays but things got really bad after the Paris shootings.
The new reality got to America at the end of 2008, IMO. My kids turned out OK, have decent jobs, job security and/or money in the bank.
And I have been doing my best to make sure that the grandkids who I helped raise in my household got off to a good start, without debt, and a leg up on their competition.
I doubt I’ll be around in another 20 years so I’ve got to make every penny count now.
In the Spring, March/April 2016, when the Refineries shut down for maintenance and retooling for Summer gasoline, I think we’ll see a further dip in the price of oil.
Some analysts see a bottom in the low twenties after which it will probably hover in the range you indicated.
But I think that there will be more job layoffs ahead, not only in the oil industry, but also in the related and supporting industries.
The upcoming election in Nov 2016 will determine if we, the people, choose more of the same, or try a different approach.
I believe there are more Americans worse off now then there were in 2008.
I think there would be a demand for this truck. Have any of you priced used Scramblers or for that matter Subaru Bajas ?
The prices are through the roof for good examples.
Insane resale comes from higher demand for clean/used, than new. Especially when the OEM and dealer hardly budge on MSRP with very limited rebates etc.
Too many frustrated, potential niche buyers of low volume specialties, end up thinking, “F it, I’ll wait for a clean/used”.
“Especially when the OEM and dealer hardly budge on MSRP with very limited rebates etc.”
The discerning buyers will do their due diligence and shop around on the internet. For Wranglers and Grand Cherokees I recommend Perkins in Colo Sprgs, CO, Mark’s Casa in Albuquerque, NM, Viva in El Paso, TX, and Avondale outside of Phoenix, AZ.
I know people who actually bought there, including myself, and they don’t dance around. They deal. Both new AND used.
Where is FCA’s replacement for the Dakota? With the Colorado mid-sizer selling fairly well (MT Truck of the year) and Ford planning a Ranger replacement they ought to come up with one, rebadge the Fiat 700 or just build this Jeep (Scrambler) Pickup.
Fiat Strada/Ram 700 isn’t a proper mid-size pickup, it’s more of a compact trucklet. But I could see Jeep filling in FCA’s mid-size pickup hole and the Ram 700 being below that.
I’m expecting this truck to be a Dakota in Jeep’s clothing.
If it really comes to pass, I hope it will be a Wrangler conversion like the ones that American Expeditionary Vehicle (AEV) used to make.
Land Rovers all new Defender pick up could be in the US within 4 years. I bet both Jeep and Land Rover see big sales in this.
It really depends on the price point for the Jeep. But if priced right, Ski Lodge owners may finally retire all those old Subi Bajas and Brats.
The Wrangler is exempt from the roof crush standards because it’s a convertible. It could be sold, legally, with no roll bar whatsoever.
The MOPAR conversion keeps the roll bar over the front seats. The rear half is a bolt-on part, easily removable.
BTW, I really like the Jeepster Commando!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/1971_Jeepster_Commando_SC-1_pickup_orange_b-Cecil'10.jpg