Jeep subcompact due in 2013, Grand Wagoneer scheduled for 2014
Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne, as I’m sure you’ve observed, is planning some big things for Dodge and Chrysler and all of the other brands he is now the head of. These efforts can be seen with Jeep, as the American maker now owned by Fiat has just announced that they’ll be introducing a new subcompact and will be reintroducing the Grand Wagoneer nameplate.
Let’s start off with the subcompact. Back in 2009, Jeep’s planning chief Joseph Veltry worked one some plans for a subcompact Jeep built on a Fiat platform. Using logical deduction, we could guess that the platform would be related to the soft off-roader Fiat Panda. Then just recently this past April, Jeep’s CEO Michael Manley confirmed the subcompact model for 2013 as a 2014 car. Word has it that the new subcompact Jeep is specifically designed for the North American market and will be built in Toluca Mexico, where Chrysler currently builds the Fiat 500 and the Dodge Journey.
Next is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Marchionne himself announced that they’ll be making a seven-seater Grand Wagoneer for 2013. It would be the biggest Jeep ever built to date and would most likely be built on the Dodge Durango platform. It will also be the most expensive vehicle Jeep will produce. It’s pegged for a launch date somewhere in 2014.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: Automotive News
