We’ve seen the thing driving around for almost a year now all draped up in black canvas. Or sometimes covered with quite a bit of cow-like camouflage. At times, spy cameras have caught the 2018 Jeep Wrangler with pieces of its covering peeled away to reveal redesigned tail lights here, or new windshield hinges and integrated grab handles there.
All the while we waited for the actual vehicle to appear.
Unfortunately, it sounds like we will be waiting a few more months if you want to believe Jeep head Mike Manley.
Speaking to UK-based publication Auto Express, Manley announced the redesigned Wrangler will get the full unveiling treatment during the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November.
“We’re going to see Wrangler this year,” Manley said. “With the LA Show dates shifting back, we’ve managed to coincide with that so you’ll see a new Wrangler on the 28th or 29th of November. It’ll be right on the cusp of production when it hits Los Angeles.”
He also teased a few other things about the vehicle, including the notion it will be ‘future proofed’ - meaning the platform will be ready for electric power, although not right away.
“Like everyone we have clearly defined plans for electrification of our vehicles,” Manley said. “As you get into the ‘20s it’s impossible to have a balanced fleet without a wide range of electrification. We have those plans and we have the technology. You’ll probably hear more about electrification towards the end of this year.”
Manley’s JL release announcement backs up what Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ CEO Sergio Marchionne said earlier this year about using the LA Auto Show to officially display the new Wrangler. At the time, though, many thought LA would just be a placeholder date – with FCA actually bringing out the vehicle earlier to generate more buying interest leading into production.
But then Moab came and went with no JL Wrangler, followed by Bantam and a few other shows, and it became clearer that a late fall/early winter announcement was actually in the cards for FCA. Some believed Las Vegas’ SEMA aftermarket parts show in early November could be a candidate, but Manley’s statement put the focus squarely on Los Angeles.
While the vehicle’s actual reveal time remained a mystery for much of this year, Manley made it clear the new model would not be a one to its legions of fans. Echoing comments he’s made in the past, Manley said the JL Wrangler will have a lot of exciting new bells and whistles, while retaining – at heart – the iconic Wrangler appearance.
“It’s definitely going to move the game along but you will absolutely know it’s a Wrangler – for sure,” he said. “If we did anything that departed from the Wrangler formula, I don’t think I’d be able to get out of the States.”
Some of those new designs, Manley offered, may have already been seen by those who took an interest in this year’s Jeep concept vehicles displayed in Moab this past April, as well as other Jeep events. Concepts like the Safari showed off what everyone believes will be the JL’s front end, complete with kinked front grille, indented headlights and venting spots behind the front fenders. The Switchback concept integrated LED technology into the head and tail lights that has also been confirmed on the JL by various spy photography. Some even believe the Switchback’s unique lower door configuration may make the jump to production as an option for the JL.
“The concepts absolutely point to the new car. Stuff you’ve seen at Moab you’ll be able to point to and see in the new car,” he said.
The 2018 Wrangler JL is currently scheduled to enter production November 13th at FCA’s Toledo, Ohio facility. Should that time frame remain intact, the first productions vehicles would reach dealership lots by mid to late December.
