FCA Cop Out: Looming Jeep Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer Are Just Fancy Grand Cherokees
If you were expecting Jeep’s upcoming Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to be range-topping standalone models, think again.
According to Automotive News, the new additions to the lineup will simply be upscale versions of the next-generation Grand Cherokee. Consider your retro-tinged dreams squashed.
Speaking at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Chelsea Proving Grounds, Jeep brand chief Mike Manley said that the two names were more trim designations than models:
“The Wagoneer name represents, historically, the pinnacle of premium for the Jeep world,” he said. “But in the same way as you may have an Overland and a Summit, you have different trim levels. So you could imagine the use of Wagoneer to denote a really premium vehicle, and Grand Wagoneer takes it to the very next level. If you were to use that as your naming strategy, that’s exactly how I would use the trims.
Forget the blunt-nosed full-sizer that impressed buyers before the term “SUV” was even coined — the upcoming Wagoneer could just as easily have been called the Grand Cherokee Ultra-Lux. (LX Plus?)
Jeep, also known as FCA’s money tree, is currently busy
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Disappointing, but ultimately not surprising.
There has been a recent development since this article was posted to this site. Today, a Jeep spokesman has confirmed that while the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be based on the Grand Cherokee platform, they will be separate models, as opposed to being merely trim levels of the Grand Cherokee itself. The full story can be found in the following articles: Autoblog: Jeep Wagoneers will be separate from Grand Cherokee line http://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/06/jeep-wagoneers-separate-grand-cherokee-line/ Motor Authority (Update: Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to be standalone models) http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1104846_update-jeep-wagoneer-and-grand-wagoneer-to-be-standalone-models