Where is the New Wrangler Going to be Produced?

Posted on May 23, 2015 by baysideadmin

The Wall Street Journal maps out the long road it has been to keep the Wrangler production at the Toledo plant. Sergio Marchionne has been keeping the people at the Toledo Assembly Plant on edge with his comments about what to expect from the 2017 Jeep Wrangler. He said that the new Jeep will be making use of aluminum to have better fuel efficiency but the new Wrangler will not have an all-aluminum body.

This is a change from his comments back in October that the new Wrangler would be having an aluminum body. Using that material would mean the Jeep would have to be built elsewhere, taking the Wrangler away from the Toledo plant for the first time in many years.

“We’ve run the numbers and we’ve simulated the mileage,” Mr. Marchionne is quoted as saying. “But because of the difference in costs, not just in materials but the actual assembly process, I think we can do almost as well without aluminum.”

This may be the sign that Marchionne is keeping the Wrangler still in Toledo, something he said he wanted to do. The plant and local city officials have been working hard to convince the company to keep the Wrangler there as well. They’ve bought up additional land for the auto maker to use if any additional building for the plant needed to happen.

While Marchionne hasn’t said for sure one way or the other, it is clear that Toledo will be fighting until the end to hold onto that Wrangler production.

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Jeep Versus Range Rover

Posted on May 13, 2015 by baysideadmin

It looks like Jeep is gearing up to take on the Range Rover.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is quoted by Bloomberg Business as having said as much at the opening of a Alfa Romeo and Maserati dealership near Toronto the other week.

“When I see a Range Rover on the street, my blood boils, because we should be able to do a thing like that, and we will.”

Jeep seems poised to be able to take on some risks at the moment. It has been one of the most successful brands under the Chrysler umbrella. Since 2009, the global sales have gone up more than fourfold according to the article. The demand for Jeeps on a local and global scale are at a high for the company.

Bloomberg spoke with a dealership owner who definitely wants Jeep to pursue the goal of having a direct competitor to the Range Rover. “You put Jeep on the front of anything right now and you’re OK,” he said.

Despite the uphill struggle that Jeep would have to position itself against Range Rover, Jack Nerad, an analyst at KBB.com, thinks it may be possible. “But Jeep is unique. There’s really no substitute for it in the market and that puts them in a pretty good position. There’s a lot of opportunity there.”

Do you think it is time for Jeep to compete with Range Rover?

Jeep Cherokee Beats Sales Expectations

Posted on June 17, 2014 by baysideadmin

The Jeep Cherokee was something of an underdog when you think about it. When the new design was first revealed for it, the response was very mean. Change is something that does not come without criticism and changing something as time-old and iconic as the Jeep look will get people angry. However, innovation has to come from somewhere. The question always was if the gambit would pay off for Jeep with the Cherokee and looking at the sales so far, it seems like Jeep has certainly come out the winner.

The Toledo Blade has the sales figures for the Cherokee so far. In the first few months of the year, Jeep has sold 67,095 Cherokees. In comparison to the Jeep Liberty, the vehicle the Cherokee replaced, that’s the Liberty’s full year of sales in 2011. In short, that’s way better than what was expected.

The Cherokee still has a ways to go before it wins everyone over but it seems to be really appreciated by new buyers. Those who are approaching the Cherokee with an open mind tend to walk away impressed. That’s not to say it hasn’t converted some of the more skeptical people. The article quotes one such person who is still unsure on the design but can still love the capability.

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