The Jeep logo has a new CEO and is about to regain market share and sales for off-road specialists. Antonio Filosa took over as managing director for North America in November after a few years of poor sales for the logo.
In her previous role, Filosa Chief Operating Officer of Stellantis South America. Prior to that, he held positions in Italy, England and Brazil at Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. It’s a time when you overlook Jeep wapassns, but it starts with one of Filosa’s specialties.
He brought local reporters to Detroit, eager to share his vision for Jeep’s long-term in the U. S. market, where electrification is at a critical point and off-road use is becoming commonplace.
Filosa had an important influence during his tenure in Brazil. For the past five years, Filosa led the team that purchased online a Jeep plant in northeastern Brazil, as well as 17 additional supplier plants for three Jeep models: Renegade, Compass. and Commander.
During the same period, Jeep’s market share in the country increased from 1 percent to 20 percent. It is now the most popular SUV logo in the country, which is Jeep’s second-largest market in North America.
Instead of tackling an emerging market, Filosa called for expanding an existing market.
“The logo is in transition; We want to gain market penetration and percentage because that’s not where this logo deserves to be. And Jeep is also in a technological transition. Because it is moving towards electrification while maintaining the freedom of choice of its products. consumer. And that transition launches a new technology, in this case, BEVs and a new nameplate, Jeep Avenger in Europe,” Filosa said at a news conference in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
“We have the best-selling SUV in the U. S. and, like Jeep, we own those markets and own more than 50% of the market share in the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) industry. It’s a very solid foundation to start building this vehicle transition. “
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe has been the best-selling PHEV in the U. S. It has been in the U. S. since the 2021 quarter and remained the best-selling PHEV in 2023.
“Jeep has made significant strides in its electrification efforts, although it lags behind its competition in the all-electric space. Its 4xe PHEV technology has proven to be a sensible way forward for the brand. Jeep’s 4xe models have not only been popular in the market, but they are successful for the brand, which is notable because at most all non-Tesla electric vehicles are being promoted at a loss right now,” Paul Waatti, director of industry research at AutoPacific.
“Inflation has been a very negative blow to families. We had to do something. So, in the newest version, we’ve cut costs and increased 90% of our cars in volume,” Filosa said.
The Jeep Compass costs $2,500 less than its original price, which now starts at $27,495. The Jeep Grand Cherokee saw a decrease in quantity, with the Laredo trim getting a $2,325 discount.
Wrangler consumers will get more bang for their buck this year for the same price, adding the Uconnect 5 formula with 12. 3-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, first- and second-row side curtain airbags, a premium comfortable roof, a new tool panel and grille. Both the Wrangler and Gladiator (discounted at $1,700) come with adaptive cruise and forward collision caution on Sport S trims and above.
The price cut will be of no use if consumers are aware of the new measures and what they can now get in a vehicle.
“We also understood that we needed to increase our effectiveness in marketing and media spend and we are in the process of creating a logo and team committed to the quality of our cars, as well as the pricing and commercial power of our logos,” said Filosa. .
Like SRT, Stellantis introduced Wagoneer as its own standalone brand. By 2024, that has changed.
“We’re turning the Wagoneer strategy and merging the Grand Wagoneer and the Wagoneer into a Jeep. This is very vital to us. We’ve read your articles. We learned that the history of the Wagoneer was not a very fluid story. So we’re going to start calling them Jeep Wagoneer and Jeep Grand Wagoneer and, in my opinion, we’ve done that from the beginning,” Filosa said.
“Considering that Jeep is among the most ambitious logos in the industry and that its brand has incredibly strong logo value, the decision to separate Wagoneer as a standalone premium sub-logo is a rare misstep for the company,” Waatti said.
The electric Wagoneer will arrive first, later this year, followed by an electric Jeep Recon Bronco Sport. Recon will be available in 2025.
During his media appearance, Filosa showed the assembled press the roadmap of Jeep products for the next few years and told the media that five more product launches would remain between the Recon and the Wagoneer S. He said it would be a combination of new and even date plates, but gave a few more details.
Don’t turn away unwavering customers
Filosa also talked about the importance of unwavering Jeeps with those new cars. He said his comments are critical of how they use their cars on and off the road. Jeep also asks about common issues, owner complaints, and features they’d like to improve. see in the future.
“Our community is simply a privilege for us. The way we see other people interact with the logo. People love it, they embrace it. Because they love Jeep, they’re committed to the logo and they’re passionate about the cars, the history and the message as we are,” he said.
Jake Lingeman is the editor-in-chief of the Autos team at Newsweek. In the past he worked for Autoweek, The Detroit News, Bring a Trailer and CarBuzz, covering all spaces of the automotive industry. Jake is an alumnus of Wayne State University.