Jeep Want You to Think About Size
Frankly, who isn’t thinking about size? We could all use some more.
We’re talking about generous passenger and cargo volume, right? Surely. In that area, Jeep suggests it has your future size needs covered.
— Jeep (@Jeep) August 10, 2020
Oh, what could Jeep be referring to here? Hmmm. While there exists two potential explanations for this tweet, the more likely of the two is the Grand Wagoneer scheduled for production in the second quarter of 2021, rather than the next-generation Grand Cherokee slated for a Q3 2021 build.
It looks like a product reveal, or at least the reveal of a timeline for that reveal, is imminent. And about time! The returning Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer are products Jeep really should have had on the market by now, if the popularity of other full-size domestic SUVs tell us anything.
When it appears, the duo will battle General Motors’s new-for-2021 full-sizers, as well as Ford’s Expedition and Lincoln’s flagship Navigator. There’s a lot of volume in that segment, and profit, too, if Jeep plays its product cards right. The current-generation Ram 1500 that underpins these future models is a good point to start from.
If the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer prove too hulking for a consumer’s tastes, Jeep plans to start production of a three-row, Grand Cherokee-based model in the first quarter of 2021, too. The name of that product remains an unknown.
Normally, an automaker going extra-heavy in a certain size class could be accused of being reckless, but Jeep already has the lower triers of driving well covered. With these products, it’s just covering the bases, plugging any white space it can find in its portfolio.
[Image: Chris Tonn/TTAC]
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Jeep needs to bring the original CJ back. The Roxor proved there's a demand for a true, SMALL, off-road Jeep.
The old Grand Wagoneer wasn’t as large as something like a suburban, and that was a good thing. It did have big block engines and a lot of mass. They’ll screw it up. It will have massive touch screens littered with information you don’t give a damn about. What it needs is a bench front seat with plaid upholstery, minimal gauges and 5 miles of wood trim inside and out and all the way down both sides. That and very boxy proportions, as vertical a windshield as possible and zero concessions to aerodynamics. That would sell.
When I see Jeep Wrangler owners in their fully dressed angry eyed trucks navigating not much more than a speed bump at the mall I guess they can only think about size.
Seems like they are going to purposely mess up the grand Cherokee. It’s either going to be shrunk and/or made soccer mom safe. FCA knows how to sell masculinity and they won’t let you have it for $45k if you’re willing to pay $60k+.