So, turns out, reports of its rise were, um, greatly exaggerated.
The it, here, is Jeep's long-awaited pickup truck. And the exaggeration was Fiat Chrysler Automobile's report last year calling for production to begin in 2018.
Jeep head Mike Manley announced last week that the company's new Wrangler-based truck now is targeted for a fall 2019 production window. Speaking during an automotive press conference to introduce the company's new Compass vehicle, Manley stated they are pushing back truck production to make sure the next-generation Wrangler doesn't run into problems. That vehicle is slated to appear this November.
"The key thing for me is to make sure the new Wrangler is fully up and running," Manley said.
The as-yet-unnamed Jeep truck would be the company's first foray into the pickup market in 25 years, and originally was targeted for a 2017 release when FCA announced the vehicle back in January 2016. That timeline was altered later last year when the automaker signaled it now expected the truck in production by the end of 2018.
Despite the pickup delay, Manley promised the new Wrangler JL is still on target for November production. FCA has not provided an official debut date yet, but more and more spy photos are appearing to provide talking points for anxious fans.
Jeep's new truck will be based directly on architecture from Wrangler.
FCA said in January that it is investing $1 billion into factories in Ohio and Michigan to modernize production lines in anticipation of these new Jeep vehicles. It plans to build the current Wrangler JK, and new Wrangler JL, side-by-side until March 2018. The JK line is then scheduled for retooling in order to produce the pickup. Manley did not say how the new 2019 truck production date would affect this plan.
Jeep originally built truck vehicles for decades, beginning in 1947 through 1992, under such iconic names as Willys-Overland, Gladiator, Commando, Scrambler and Comanche. Both Manley and FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne are reportedly debating on bringing one of those historical names back for the new truck.
However, Cox Automotive executive Rebecca Lindland, speaking to The Detroit News said that could prove problematic.
"The issue they're going to find with (using a name like) Comanche is, quite frankly, political correctness. It is going to be seen as offensive," she said. "The trick with bringing a nameplate back is understanding the current culture when you're reintroducing this."
Manley did say he expects the Jeep truck to have a heavy North American footprint, and several industry forecasters are predicting between 40-60 thousand sold during the vehicle's initial model year. No pricing or trim level information is yet available.
