FPV hangs tough

John Mellor’s
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Jeep ute tip
Wrangler-bred ute, Fiat/Ram-based pick-up on agenda
By HAITHAM RAZAGUI
JEEP looks increasingly likely to offer
a ute version of its next-generation
Wrangler, which is set to hit the market
in 2014 or 2015.
And parent company Fiat-Chrysler is
also considering a separate and smaller
Toyota HiLux rival based on combined
know-how from van specialist Fiat
Professional and US truck brand Ram.
Given the current Wrangler is priced
from $32,000 (plus ORCs), a ute version
would provide Australian tradies,
weekend warriors and enthusiasts with
a more affordable alternative to the
similarly rugged and iconic Land Rover
Defender (single-cab from $48,190)
or Toyota 70 Series LandCruiser (cabchassis
from $58,540).
Speaking to Australian journalists
last week about the likelihood of
right-hand-drive Ram trucks reaching
production, global Jeep brand president
and CEO Mike Manley – on his fi rst
visit to Australia – indicated that a Jeep
ute was more likely.
“Everything Jeep makes comes in
right-hand drive, so when I think about
the future, a right-hand-drive Jeep pick-up
could probably have more potential than
the Ram we understand today,” he said.
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Hinting at a potential HiLux
competitor that would be sold under
the Fiat Professional or Ram brands
depending on market, Mr Manley said
Fiat-Chrysler is working on “very
versatile” next-generation commercial
vehicle platforms.
“I can see an opportunity in the
future for a pick-up on a platform that
has enough global volume to be able
to say we can have a global pick-up
in this segment – left-hand drive and
right-hand drive – because we’ve got a
platform versatile enough to make it –
and I’m not talking about a Wrangler.”
While a HiLux rival could be
several years away, Mr Manley said a
decision on the Wrangler ute – which
was previewed by the 2005 Gladiator
concept – would be made in “the short-
to medium-term future”.
“We are now thinking of when it
would be viable to offer a pick-up
(version) of the Wrangler and it would
probably be next generation ... in three
years, maybe four,” he said.
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Aug 15, 2012 Page 13
All-new baby Jeep SUV
will be no softie: Manley
By HAITHAM RAZAGUI
JEEP’S promised baby SUV will be
fi t for the Australian Outback – if not
the Rubicon Trail – when it arrives in
2015, despite sharing its underpinnings
with an Italian commuter car.
The sub-Patriot B-segment Jeep will
count among its rivals the Skoda Yeti,
Subaru XV and Holden’s upcoming
Trax, but the American SUV specialist
is promising a rugged variant with
class-leading off-road ability.
In an interview with Australian
journalists last week, global Jeep brand
president and CEO Mike Manley said
there would be at least one variant that
would meet Jeep’s traditional ‘Trail
Rated’ standard.
“The Jeep brand in terms of its equity
around the world is too precious for us
to weaken it with a product that is not
a Jeep,” he said. “There has to be one
version that is Trail Rated, absolutely.
“If we can’t make it a Jeep, we won’t
make it – that is the rule.”
Jeep’s Trail Rated certifi cation
system is based on a vehicle’s traction,
ground clearance, manoeuvrability,
wheel articulation and water-fording
abilities.
As an entrant to a rapidly growing
segment, the new sub-compact SUV
is likely to become Jeep’s biggest
seller globally.
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE
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