AEV quits the JK

[AggieOE]

You also have to remember that most of AEV's sales go to vehicles that are new or nearly new, not old used vehicles. AEV's sales drop off significantly after a platform is replaced because dealers install a good portion of their product on new vehicles. There are SO MANY lift companies offering cheaper lifts and cheaper accessories than AEV can produce that most people opt for something else for their older well used vehicle.

Yeah, this news doesn't surprise me. If I remember right, even prime auto manufacturers discontinue parts after a while and rely on the aftermarket to support them.
I do hope they'll retain some inventory though for more extreme conditions, specifically those people in collisions needing replacement parts, even if it is only a few people.

 

[Jupiter58]

So they stopped making a particular front and rear bumper and a heat retention hood for the jk and that is considered stopping all support for the jk?
I counted about 24 items on page 1 of 3 for the jk on their website other than the ones mentioned. All of them more popular then the ones mentioned.

 

[DRAX]

Billiebob, how old is the JK now? I think you left a digit off your age.

So many assumptions being made when all they've said they're stopping production of are 3 products/parts...

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[donaldj]

This is standard engineering practice. End of Life (EOL) notices are the mark of a good company that knows how to manage its resources and inventory.

No company can go forever stocking parts for everything, at least not without infinite warehouse space and resources. Stuff like bumpers and hoods are about as un-friendly to efficient warehousing as it gets, and retaining the tooling, fixturing, etc. is nearly as bad.

Good to see someone who understands actual engineering and manufacturing practices.

Any company spends $ on R&D to make a product. It is ridiculous to think they'll just shelve the product after a time for no reason. The longer it is kept on market, the more return on their R&D investment they make.

This is BALANCED by dwindling demand and warehouse costs. At some point, they aren't selling at the rate needed to support manufacturing a full lot. At some point, they can project how long it will take to sell out a full lot if it is built. And most importantly, they can project how much manhour it will cost now, how warehouse cost will be to store a lot of these, and determine it is no longer worth their investment to run that lot. So, they do a last time build/buy with the numbers they've forecasted.

This is GOOD engineering, it's GOOD manufacturing, and it's GOOD logistics. If they were smart, they'd sell their design for their post-end-of-life product to some other firms willing to pay the warehouse costs to store a low-demand product, or willing to pay the extra manufacturing costs for a smaller run.

Relegating this to the emotionalism of "ThEy dOnT suPpOrT aN oLdeR mOdeL! TheY doNt cAre aBoUt uS!" is ridiculous.

 

[Herbie]

If they were smart, they'd sell their design for their post-end-of-life product to some other firms willing to pay the warehouse costs to store a low-demand product, or willing to pay the extra manufacturing costs for a smaller run.

The other thing about an EOL notice is that if they have a dealer customer (like, say, Offroad Warehouse), the EOL is the trigger for that dealer to do their own analysis on predicted sales and warehousing costs. If ORW thinks that it's worth it to order and store another thousand units to have on hand against future demand, THIS is the time to place that order.

An EOL doesn't say "these are no longer available", an EOL says "these will no longer be manufactured after [this date], so get yours while the getting is good".

 

[Dan Grec]

I know people were upset about the EOL for the JK bumper, but AEV have been working hard on a replacement.

Just announced - JL bumper compatible for the JK:




Their notes are:
• Same innovative design features as our Front Bumper for JL
• Recovery points are carried over from the current JK Front Bumper
• Compatible with our JK Front Skid Plate
• Requires a new/unique JK Winch Mount
• Requires factory JL Fog Lights
• Also available in a short corner (RX) configuration
• Final price TBD —will be comparable to our JL Front Bumper
• ETA Spring '23

I think it looks awesome, and I'd get one in a heartbeat... except I already have the AEV JK bumper on my Africa Jeep and there's absolutely no reason to replace it.

-Dan

 

[Jpfan]

I’m glad to see AEV has come out with a replacement for the JK, however I still prefer the original AEV design for the JK - particularly because the JL style bumper partially obscures the turn signals.

I wonder what the weight difference is, that could certainly be a big benefit of the JL style bumper.

 

[shays4me]

It is a nice looking bumper compared to most on the market. I will have to say though that I prefer the original design personally. It just flows with the Jeep so well.

 

[AggieOE]

I know people were upset about the EOL for the JK bumper, but AEV have been working hard on a replacement.

Just announced - JL bumper compatible for the JK:

Their notes are:
• Same innovative design features as our Front Bumper for JL
• Recovery points are carried over from the current JK Front Bumper
• Compatible with our JK Front Skid Plate
• Requires a new/unique JK Winch Mount
• Requires factory JL Fog Lights
• Also available in a short corner (RX) configuration
• Final price TBD —will be comparable to our JL Front Bumper
• ETA Spring '23

I think it looks awesome, and I'd get one in a heartbeat... except I already have the AEV JK bumper on my Africa Jeep and there's absolutely no reason to replace it.

-Dan

This is a good find. Compatibility Brackets sound like they'll have a good ROI.

 

[ramblinChet]

One important consideration is the fact that AEV are currently designing and testing parts and systems for vehicles that will only become available years from now. They are working so far ahead of the curve you would not believe it to be possible. This stands in stark contrast to most other companies who are reactive and rush to design products as soon as they "have a brand new vehicle in our garage being used to design parts right now!!!"

If you are not happy with AEV, spend your money elsewhere. If you think your idea is really that good, line up some investors and go for it. Me, I'll spend my time adventuring and exploring...and not worrying about support for decades old vehicles.

 

[Dan Grec]

The JL Bumper is now available for the JK, and I think it looks fantastic.

https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/ex-rx-front-bumper-jk-wrangler/#select-front-bumper

I think it's pretty impressive they were able to design the bumper for the JL and also have it backwards compatible with the JK.

Also really cool you can get stubby or full width for the JK version, some that was never possible on the original JK bumper.



-Dan

 

[Todd780]

I'm actually more surprised this thread still exists.
I thought the OP grenaded all his threads....

 

[toddz69]

I'm actually more surprised this thread still exists.
I thought the OP grenaded all his threads....

This one must've slipped through somehow....

Todd Z.

 

[toddz69]

The JL Bumper is now available for the JK, and I think it looks fantastic.

https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/ex-rx-front-bumper-jk-wrangler/#select-front-bumper

I think it's pretty impressive they were able to design the bumper for the JL and also have it backwards compatible with the JK.

Also really cool you can get stubby or full width for the JK version, some that was never possible on the original JK bumper.

View attachment 797714

-Dan

Got my PR email on this yesterday as well - I'm very pleased with how it looks too! And coming out with something for a JK at this point....so unlike AEV of them to do that!

Todd Z.

 

[Todd780]

Got my PR email on this yesterday as well - I'm very pleased with how it looks too! And coming out with something for a JK at this point....so unlike AEV of them to do that!

Todd Z.

Agreed. Not sure why they do that. I bet if they started making the highline kit for the TJ's again, they'd sell a pile of them.