Report: Jeep Confirms Shift Upscale With a Side of Electrification
Jeep has long been an iconic American namesake, building on its image as a brand for rugged off-roading. That said, Jeep has recently gone more upscale, and that trend continues into 2023.
That makes Jeep just the latest brand to try to portray itself as upscale while also improving the customer experience. Electrification is also a part of Jeep’s future.
All this includes Jeep’s move to have its own standalone dealerships, instead of being tethered to the Chrysler-Jeep namesake, as we recently reported.
As an example of the brand’s shift to being more upscale, the new Wagoneer has arrived sans the traditional Jeep logo. Jeep has ditched entry-level models in Australia, making the nearly $29,000 Compass its cheapest model. The new Wagoneer will be a hybrid by 2025 and the V8 is no more for the performance models. It’s all part of the combined shift towards being electrified and upmarket.
We’ve covered this strategy in pieces before, so consider this a more holistic look at Jeep’s brand strategy.
[Image: Jeep]
More by Steven Tobin
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Well, Jeep is definitely going upscale and saw it with my own eyes yesterday. I visited my sales-consultant daughter at her dealership yesterday and saw a Grand Wagoneer Obsidian (Unobtanium?) with a Monroney sticker of $107k and "market adjustment" of $15k for a total of $122k. Not electrified but a pretty good example of upscale marketing. It was sitting proudly just outside the front door of the Kia lobby in the multi-vehicle dealership store just behind a Grand Wagoneer Series III (a paltry $109k plus the $15k adjustment). I noted that the lesser Kia's and Hyundai's were pushed a respectful distance away to either side...
I'm seeing more of these lately, which is unfortunate because it is so ugly.
Everyone goes upscale because Chinese EV invasion is coming.
Wagoneer interior is gorgeous, the front end is fine - the rest of it is definitely distinctive, but in a Sarah Jessica Parker kinda way.... Check out prices on the new Grand Cherokee - they're definitely pushing the limits. Grand Cherokee buyers are extremely loyal to the brand, and they're banking on the willingness of buyers to step up because of the significant improvement in interior design and features. We're not in the market right now to replace our '20 GC Overland, but a new one is going to push $60, or $68k if we go with the e-hybrid variant. That's getting into very well equipped X5 territory....