FCA's burgeoning Jeep lineup will add two new models a year through 2022: a pint-size model, a three-row crossover, a Wrangler-based pickup truck, and a range-topping Grand Wagoneer, the automaker said at a presentation to investors and the media Friday.
Jeep also plans to offer a model capable of Level 3 autonomy—a self-driving Jeep that can motivate itself with no driver intervention for short distances—by 2021.
MORE: Google's self-driving car tech could become available in FCA vehicles
Though FCA was light on details, Jeep brand CEO Mike Manley confirmed at the conference in Balocco, Italy, that the new three-row vehicle will compete in the mid-size SUV segment and that the small crossover SUV will slot in below the company's current entry-level model, the Jeep Renegade. Manley didn't say what the new models will be called, where they will be built, or when they will go on sale.
The Wrangler-based pickup is due next year, while the revived Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer flagship models (likely based on the Ram 1500 truck) are due in 2022.
Manley said that the Jeep lineup will add 10 plug-in vehicles and four fully electric models by 2022 and that electrified versions of every Jeep nameplate will be available by 2021. Currently, the only electrified Jeep is a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Manley didn't say if the fully electric versions of the Jeep vehicles will be sold in the U.S., however.
Hawkish on the Jeep brand
Manley indicated that Jeep will grow its "Hawk" variants aimed at enthusiasts—the off-road Trailhawk, the high-power, on-road Trackhawk, and the desert-oriented Deserthawk. While the executive was light on details, his presentation showed a Deserthawk version of the Jeep Cherokee. Currently, only a Renegade Deserthawk exists and it's merely an appearance package with unique wheel designs and badging.
Deserthawk may be a bid to grow the Jeep brand in the Middle East, where dune-bashing is practically a national sport.
This growth could nearly double number of Jeep-branded models available in dealerships in just a few years—and the automaker said Friday that it plans to make some of those vehicles available through its first car subscription plan in the U.S.
While Manley didn't expand much on the subscription plan, which will be called Jeep Wave, he did indicate that the program will have three tiers—Good, Better, Best—and that like setups from Volvo and Porsche, it will include insurance for the vehicles.
Manley also indicated that the automaker will dabble in car-sharing in the Northeastern U.S. next year with a trial program involving Jeep Wranglers and "Hawk" versions of its vehicles.
Comments
Post a Comment