Would FCA ditch the two door?

A couple of weeks back, FCA released an update on its business plan. In covering the plan, the Detroit Free Press noted that Jeep is moving the production of the Wrangler to a plant in Toledo that makes Cherokees currently.

I noticed that page 17 lists some notes on regulatory compliance with emissions standards, and lists only the 4-door Wrangler. The Cherokee is closer in size to the four-door, so it would make sense that the 4D Wrangler be made there, but is it possible that FCA is getting ready to ditch the 2D altogether? The 4D outsells the 2D by a decent margin, so what if the rumors that the 2D will get some extra length to add the longer drive train are wrong and Jeep is just planning to drop the 2-door?

I have no idea, but I really doubt they will drop the 2 door. It may not sell 'as well' as the Unlimited, but they still sell a metric shit ton of them. It's Jeeps heritage, I just can't see them going away from that.

What part of Chrysler do you work for? You seem to like to post about it a lot.

OverlanderJK said:

What part of Chrysler do you work for? You seem to like to post about it a lot.

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I'm actually a communications consultant. I help non-profits and trade associations with issue advocacy in DC. I used to do campaign work, but got really tired of electing candidates that didn't end up doing what I thought they would.

My interest in FCA is just as a long-time Jeep owner. I'm really interested in the next-gen Wrangler because I'm handing off the JKUR to my son in a couple of years. I plan to buy a restored CJ-7, but they are climbing rapidly in price. Since I may end up looking at the JL, I'd like to know it's going to be worth it. So I have been reading a lot about the JL rumors, changes that FCA is making, etc. Some of the things they are doing seem awesome (diesel engine, keeping the solid axle and not IFS), but some of the rumors bother me (no soft top).

When people got worked up about IFS, they very quickly nipped that in the bud and confirmed the axle. When people said they wanted a diesel, FCA confirmed the diesel and hybrid options. Yet they have not said a single thing about the rumor they are ditching the soft top.

Because I do communication work, I know that big organizations (like candidates) often say one thing and do another. They also tend to say different things to different people. For instance, corporations are more honest with investors than with customers. It's amazing how often they'll make claims in ads and interviews that don't at all match what they post in financials. So I was reading their business plan update and happened to notice there is no mention of the 2-door. That may just be because the 2-door and 4-door have largely the same emissions problem, but then I would think they would just say "Wrangler" and not specify "Four Door Wrangler". It seems odd to me that they feel the need to specifically call out the four door that and I wondered why.

Hope that explains where I am coming from, and thanks for commenting on the thread.

AllAmericanInfidel said:

I have no idea, but I really doubt they will drop the 2 door. It may not sell 'as well' as the Unlimited, but they still sell a metric shit ton of them. It's Jeeps heritage, I just can't see them going away from that.

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It would kill Jeep for the diehards, but I don't know that it would kill it for the soccer moms and Europeans. That business plan projects they will sell more Renegades than Wranglers, so that tells me their attention span may be on a different set of customers. The Wrangler hybrid also seems like a play that isn't designed for their core customers. Hybrids typically engage at very low speeds (such as you would use on rough terrain), so the idea of a hybrid makes little sense to me in a vehicle that will be spending it's time on trails and crawling rocks. It makes a lot more sense when you sell it to suburbanites who only drive it to the mall and back.

Maybe they're making the hybrid to reach a different consumer segment, but the minute the Wrangler customer base gets that diluted, there is less and less reason to listen to people that hang out on forums talking about our favorite mods.

NerfHerder said:

It would kill Jeep for the diehards, but I don't know that it would kill it for the soccer moms and Europeans. That business plan projects they will sell more Renegades than Wranglers, so that tells me their attention span may be on a different set of customers. The Wrangler hybrid also seems like a play that isn't designed for their core customers. Hybrids typically engage at very low speeds (such as you would use on rough terrain), so the idea of a hybrid makes little sense to me in a vehicle that will be spending it's time on trails and crawling rocks. It makes a lot more sense when you sell it to suburbanites who only drive it to the mall and back.

Maybe they're making the hybrid to reach a different consumer segment, but the minute the Wrangler customer base gets that diluted, there is less and less reason to listen to people that hang out on forums talking about our favorite mods.

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And they are still selling a butt load of 2 doors.

I heard something about this. Basically, the four door with its longer wheelbase will have a tougher time meeting emissions standards in certain areas (like California) due to legislation coming into force around that time. That's why they're looking at introducing more fuel and emmissions friendly versions of the 4 door. The 2 door doesn't have the same problem.

I'll see if I can find the article...

Wardell said:

I heard something about this. Basically, the four door with its longer wheelbase will have a tougher time meeting emissions standards in certain areas (like California) due to legislation coming into force around that time. That's why they're looking at introducing more fuel and emmissions friendly versions of the 4 door. The 2 door doesn't have the same problem.

I'll see if I can find the article...

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Thanks. I'd love to see it. The federal standards apply to both. I'm not aware of state regulations. I'll look that up.

I would be very surprised if they got rid of the 2 door.
They sell every wrangler made, that's why you never see any incentives on wranglers.
IMO...They just make too much money on them to stop making them.
Then there's the heritage, runs deep.

JK Battery MOD

NerfHerder said:

It would kill Jeep for the diehards, but I don't know that it would kill it for the soccer moms and Europeans. That business plan projects they will sell more Renegades than Wranglers, so that tells me their attention span may be on a different set of customers. The Wrangler hybrid also seems like a play that isn't designed for their core customers. Hybrids typically engage at very low speeds (such as you would use on rough terrain), so the idea of a hybrid makes little sense to me in a vehicle that will be spending it's time on trails and crawling rocks. It makes a lot more sense when you sell it to suburbanites who only drive it to the mall and back.

Maybe they're making the hybrid to reach a different consumer segment, but the minute the Wrangler customer base gets that diluted, there is less and less reason to listen to people that hang out on forums talking about our favorite mods.

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Lol can you imagine! How to mod you hybrid jeep, Yeah for sure don't touch the orange 480 volt wire bro!

I am actually very excited for the JL and I'll tell you why...

First off, it's a wrangler. That almost guarantees that it will be cooler than 99% of other vehicles on the road. I know some of the concept pictures that have come out so far have been pretty heinous, but the truth is that we haven't seen anything official yet. I can't imagine that it will look that much different from the JK. But the real reason I'm excited for it is that once the JL comes out, I can pick up that there diesel or hybrid to save a little cash at the pump and then turn around spend 50x more on turning my former daily driver JKU into a true trail beast! Hell, maybe I can even tow it to Moab with my incredibly torquey diesel or hybrid JL