Mystery Jeep in Patent Filing Gets Everyone's Hopes Up

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles isn’t talking about future products, so all we’re left with is some drawings from a design patent and an undecided jury. Still, the images are intriguing, as they show a seven-seat utility vehicle a vaguely familiar face.

Jeep’s mystery vehicle could be one of two planned models, one of which could make FCA big bucks in the United States. At least, once it figures out how to build the thing.

The patent, filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office and discovered by AutoGuide, looks like a potential next-generation Grand Cherokee. However, there’s a problem. The Grand Cherokee will remain a two-row SUV when it debuts in either 2018 or 2019, but the vehicle in the images clearly has space for three rows.

Could the vehicle in the images be the company’s planned Grand Wagoneer? It’s possible, as the front fascia appears somewhat similar to that of a Wagoneer we’ve seen teased in the past, with some key differences. It certainly looks like a stretched Grand Cherokee, which was FCA’s original plan for the model — at least until recently. In January, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne claimed the upcoming range-topper would adopt body-on-frame architecture.

If that’s truly the case, the Grand Wagoneer will likely borrow the frame of the next-generation Ram 1500.

The vehicle in the patent filing certainly looks like a unibody model, which leads to the more likely possibility it’s an overseas model we’ll never see. Jeep plans to market a production version of the Yunta seven-seat crossover concept in China.

Right now, FCA’s main goal is keeping the tight schedule of the next-generation Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500, both of which will start production within the next near. Luxury can wait.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]