Jeep Aiming For 1 Million Units Sold in 2014

by TTAC Staff

January 16th, 2014 12:45 PM

jeep aiming for 1 million units sold in 2014

Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne threw down the gauntlet for Jeep during an interview on Detroit’s WJR-AM at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, proclaiming that the Rubicon-rated brand will move 1 million units onto the trails and highways by the end of this year.

Global sales of the iconic off-road brand rose 4 percent in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year, topping out at a record 731,565 units moved. Though Marchionne is confident Jeep will make his stated sales goal, brand president Mike Manley is taking a more conservative stand, stating that the figure might come by 2015 rather than 2014.

However, Manley believes the new Cherokee could bring the remaining 300,000 or so units to the table by the end of the year should the SUV do well at home and abroad. Sales of the Cherokee in the United States, in spite of its face, are 15 percent to 20 percent ahead of Chrysler’s expectations after only two months in the market; total U.S. sales account for 67 percent of Jeep’s overall global sales.

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Fiat has plans to build a subcompact Jeep in Italy for sale in Europe in 2014, with arrival in the U.S. due sometime in 2015. The parent automaker also plans to expand production in America, as well as in China and Brazil.

#Cherokee #ChryslerGroupLLC #Fiat #GlobalSales #Goals #Jeep #MikeManley #SergioMarchionne

Comments

Join the conversation

7 of 21 comments

Azmtbkr81 on Jan 16, 2014

Can Jeep really be considered an off-road brand any longer? With only a single unique model Sergio has watered Jeep down so much it's really nothing more than an exercise in badge engineering at this point.

Like Reply
- See 1 previous
- MLS on Jan 16, 2014
  
  You misunderstand the term "badge engineering." None of Jeep's models qualify, and the brand has more off-road cred than any other save for, perhaps, Land Rover.
  
  Like
- Azmtbkr81 on Jan 16, 2014
  
  @MLS Maybe badge engineering is a little strong but the majority of Jeep's vehicles are warmed-over compact FWD cars with no more off-road capability than the average Subaru. Jeep has only 2 models I would ever consider taking on an easy off-road trail and one of those only just.
  
  Like
MLS on Jan 16, 2014

I thought the staff bots were supposed to steer clear of snark like "in spite of its face" in purely news posts?

Like Reply
Art Vandelay on Jan 16, 2014

Call me crazy, but I'd take a look at a Patriot with the Cherokee's drive train. Maybe even a smaller motor coupled to that transmission and dual range set up. Assuming of course the price didn't get too silly along the way.

Like Reply
- Rudiger on Jan 17, 2014
  
  Chrysler is in a unique position with Jeep. They have a solid, loyal core that will continue to buy ancient appearing products like the Wrangler. In fact, that stodgy appearance of the Wrangler actually plays well with the new stuff, because the perception is there's still the solid, traditional Jeep mechanicals underneath even the most outré styling. If they can afford it, doing the futuristic styling with new models, yet keeping the simple, two-box Patriot around by restricting incremental updates to the interior and drivetrain, could be a successful long-term strategy which covers all the SUV bases.
  
  Like
Tstag on Jan 17, 2014

I wonder how profitable Jeep is at existing margins and volumes? Land Rovers strength is that they make high margins on volume of 350000 per annum. They will add at least another 200000 to that over the next 5 years so will do roughly half of Jeeps volumes but I suspect at much higher margins.

Like Reply