Yahoo Autos FCA's All-Truck Strategy Has Somehow Delayed the $140,000 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Fiat-Chrysler has been unusually open about its plans to revive the Jeep Grand Wagoneer name. Brand chief Mike Manley revealed in July that the SUV maker would dust off the badge, last used in 1991 on the woodie shown above, for an all-new product; in September, Manley hinted that the upcoming luxury SUV could demand as much as $140,000 for a fully-loaded model.
But now, the Grand Wagoneer's return is apparently on hold-because FCA is making a big push to build more SUVs. Huh?
Automotive News brings us the perplexing turn of events that's apparently put the Grand Wagoneer on FCA's very-back burner. The ultra-luxury three-row SUV is intended to be based on the platform of the upcoming redesigned Grand Cherokee, and has been part of FCA's plans for Jeep since 2014.
But as Automotive News explains, FCA is caught in the middle of a major North American production revamp in an effort to erase nearly $7 billion in net debt. The automaker's strategy is to build more Jeep SUVs and Ram pickup trucks in North America, shifting slower-selling sedans and passenger vehicles to other production facilities worldwide.
The problem is platforms: Ram pickups are body-on-frame designs, while every Jeep product save for the Wrangler is unibody. The Grand Wagoneer was initially planned for production at FCA's Warren assembly plant, currently a body-on-frame facility that would require a complete retooling. And FCA is already deep in the expenses of revamping two US-based plants, Sterling Heights and Toledo, to transition from unibody to body-on-frame production.
In other words, FCA likely had to delay the production of its big-dollar SUV due to how much money it's spending to build more pickups. And the automaker's current unibody SUV plant, which produces platform-sharing Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos, is already completely maxed out.
When reached by Road & Track, an FCA spokesperson declined to comment.
We can only hope that this all-trucks-all-the-time strategy keeps FCA in the money. A high-luxury Jeep to take on Range Rover would be a delightful thing.
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