In 2015, Sergio Marchionne, then head of Fiat Chrysler, was quoted as saying, “When I see a Range Rover on the street, it makes my blood boil, because we can do anything like that. We’ve seen Jeep pursue this purpose for years, through the Grand Cherokee and the Wagoneer. The brand’s quest to advance in the luxury segment culminates with the ultra-sleek, all-electric Wagoneer S, which is scheduled to launch this year. Interestingly, we also saw a drop in the brand’s sales. Are we sure you know what you’re doing?
I’m not saying that Stellantis is incapable of building beautiful luxury cars. I just don’t know how many other people need a Range Rover-style Jeep (and with the price of Range Rover). be a lot. Business Insider reported a drop in Jeep sales of about 30% between 2018 and 2022. Seat supplier Forvia stopped running with the logo last summer because it couldn’t make money, according to Crain’s Detroit Business. And a Bloomberg headline from a few months ago explained what many other articles pointed out: “The shift from Jeeps to $100,000 SUVs risks leaving unflinching buyers behind. “
With the enduring popularity of square 4x4s, Jeep’s well-established off-road credibility, and Stellantis’ vast organization of engineers, I’d like the logo to focus on anything that can work well: a vehicle with the vibe of a Rivian. and the look of a classic Jeep, without gimmicks, at a more attractive price.
The Jeep Recon concept comes pretty close to that dream, and Jeep’s online page still says it’s “coming in 2024. “But instead of getting more main points, due to this nagging obsession with adapting America’s Range Rover, we get This Luxury Wagoneer S is Jeep’s new intention. And it looks like empty calories.
A new press release has just been published on this topic, highlighting, you guessed it, the vehicle’s stupid and fast 0-60 mph run in 3. 5 seconds and its incredible screen area. The same promotional themes you tend to hear with each and every new EV release. The Wagoneer S doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look like anything other than the best mode of transportation to get from a cut-and-paste McMansions community to Buffalo Wild Wings.
Our own News Editor Adam Ismail’s close with somebody who works at a Jeep store slinging cars. My colleague paraphrased one of the salesman’s recent complaints: “We get so many people coming in wanting something like the Cherokee, but we have nothing to offer them anymore.” The Compass is still too small for many buyers, and for those who would entertain one, the much newer Chevy Trax is almost $6,000 less expensive.
Meanwhile, the Grand Wagoneer looks like a cool animated movie of its own, the Renegade has been left to rot on the vine, and even Wranglers are being propelled into higher-than-mass value levels with ridiculous list values. The Wagoneer S turns out to be the embodiment of that premium drive that Marchionne has been craving for so many years, and which is gradually fading from the sight and minds of Jeep’s unwavering major Wrangler buyers.
Today, Jeep could (and should!) be making a statement about electrification and ruggedness being compatible—oneness with nature, green off-roading, adventure without the climate guilt, whatever—by putting something like the Recon into production first, or dropping an electric Wrangler, which has been teased endlessly through concepts and the 4xe plug-in hybrid. Instead, we get another anodyne jellybean that’s going to get lost in PF Chang’s parking lots, at a time when public interest in those seems to be waning.
I don’t need to look down on those who worked hard to bring the Wagoneer S to life, and I know that creating any car is the effort or choice of a single person. But I’m not sure Jeep will return to its relevance.
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