Great Wall Motors Does Want Jeep; Hasn't Done Much About It

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

In what is almost certainly going to be little more than a faint memory in the minds of devoted readers at AmericasJeepLovers.org, the potential relationship between Wang Fengying’s Great Wall Motors Co. and Sergio Marchionne’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has taken a turn for the less likely already.

It seems like years ago — no, wait, it seems like yesterday — that Great Wall Motors Co. publicly declared its viability as a suitor for FCA Jeep, the most important, highest-value, primary source of desirability within the FCA family. Jeep, you’ll recall, is likely worth substantially more on its own than the whole of FCA, Jeep included. This explains why it came as no surprise that Great Wall Motors or any other automaker would express an interest in purchasing Jeep from FCA. With huge global potential for a hugely popular brand that hasn’t yet tapped many open markets, Jeep has reach.

But does Great Wall even have the money? Would FCA even entertain the idea of selling off its most valuable component? And is there even any hope of negotiation?

Those were the questions yesterday. Today, Great Wall made clear that the company “had not made any progress so far” in acquiring the Jeep brand and hasn’t even spoken with FCA about the not-so-potential purchase.

With Jeep in the midst of major generational changeovers, U.S. sales have taken a dramatic downturn despite continued health in the SUV/crossover market in which Jeep should, theoretically, exert so much control. The second-generation Jeep Compass is replacing both the old Compass and the departing Patriot, and Jeep is determined to generate a greater share of the Compass’s sales outside the fleet network. The fast-approaching replacement of the JK-generation Jeep Wrangler also reduces demand as The Faithful await the possibility of a more alluring vehicle just around the corner. Jeep’s Cherokee, meanwhile, is aged and now facing strong competition from the Compass. This leaves the Grand Cherokee and Renegade, the two Jeeps which are not, surprisingly, faring the best in comparison with last year.

Nevertheless, Jeep sales are down 13 percent in the U.S. this year, a warning sign for any potential FCA suitor that considers the brand invincible. But the real reason would-be buyers of the Jeep brand, such as China’s Great Wall Motors, have such an interest in the seven-slat grille relates to the limited global exposure of the brand.

The U.S. market accounts for one-fifth of the global auto industry’s volume, yet Jeep only generates one-third of its sales outside of America. No wonder Great Wall is willing to publicly state its Jeep interest. Imagine how powerful Jeep could be if it sold vehicles in large numbers elsewhere.

Wanting Jeep, of course, doesn’t mean you can have Jeep.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.

Timothy Cain
Timothy Cain

More by Timothy Cain

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 20 comments
  • Whatnext Whatnext on Aug 23, 2017

    Can there be a more literal sign of China eclipsing the USA than the sale of the iconic Jeep brand to "Great Wall Motors"? As someone once said: Sad.

  • Vulpine Vulpine on Aug 23, 2017

    Isn't Great Wall the company that bought the Hummer name, thinking they were buying the rights to the vehicles, too?

  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
  • Oberkanone Expect 4Runner to combine best aspects of new Land Cruiser and new Tacoma and this is what I expect from 2025 4Runner.Toyota is REALLY on it's best game recently. Tacoma and Land Cruiser are examples of this.
  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
Next