Jeep planning a luxury SUV

[haven]

Bloomberg is reporting that Jeep plans to introduce a luxury model to compete with Range Rover. The new model will be different than the Grand Wagoneer, a version of the Grand Cherokee stretched to provide three rows of seating.

The Grand Cherokee is due for a redesign in 2017, and Grand Wagoneer should appear in 2018. So I expect the new luxury model will appear after these two models.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...odel-to-take-on-mercedes-suvs-and-range-rover

 

[lysol]

My wife likes the old Grand Wagoneers, but this new one looks like it's rumoring to be a 3rd-row seat SUV (aka soccer-mom mobile). So there will be a "another" model above that? I'm confused. I wonder what's pushing that aspect. I mean Jeep does for some ODD reason have the SRT Grand Cherokee, so I guess it wouldn't be out of place for Jeep to also add a high-end luxury 4x4 to their lineup. I'm guessing it would be pushing $80-90k???

 

[goin camping]

The wife has a Grand Cherokee diesel Overland. It is a whole lot more luxurios than the Lincoln it replaced. So this is just a longer version of that.

 

[SDDiver5]

The new model GC's are crazy expensive for a small SUV. Wonder the price tag on this new model...

 

[Judoka]

Get what you pay for

You know I believe you get what you pay for. I can tell you that after selling Jeep for several years now Jeeps and cars in general are getting better. Often the greatest improvements are the things we don't see. Having a huge touchscreen display capable of giving you real-time fuel prices and movie listings anywhere you travel any time is very appealing. However, when you are driving your truck to work in the winter and hit a patch of ice on the road or misjudge a corner and the back end breaks free you really have to appreciate the Stability Control and Rollover Mitigation System on FCA vehicles as it corrects your mistake faster than you can get your foot to the brake pedal ! That is not from a sales person's perspective. That actually happened to me and that was all it took to realize that the prices that we are getting for cars these days might be a bit more justified. The best part is that we can still engage four-wheel and tackle brutal terrain with the same vehicle that at the push of a button allows you to enter a destination into the Navigation System audibly in one complete sentence just like talking to a person....ON THE GO! Exciting times indeed

 

[Comanche Scott]

Whoa! In that picture it even looks like a Range Rover...

oh wait...

I'm a huge fan of the Grand Cherokee. Have been since the WJ. With the diesel option it's extremely versatile. But it *seems* to me that people buy Mercs and Rovers as a status symbol. I'm not sure Jeep will fit that mold, the world has changed since the days of the Grand Wagoneer being the country club vehicle of choice.
I sincerely hope to be proved wrong, as buying American is a big thing for me personally. Go Jeep! :beer:

 

[Dake21]

So... if Jeep is now following Land Rover strategy, does that mean Land Rover wins the Jeep vs Land Rover argument? :elkgrin:
Sigh. Just another too expensive to afford 4x4.

 

[Septu]

I thought the GC was the luxury SUV... ?

 

[MTSN]

Maybe that's one of the reasons R&D expense has been so high lately shrinking margins when sales are booming. I hope Jeep does well and continues making vehicles people want (oh and keep solid axles under the Wrangler please! ).

 

[lysol]

I thought the GC was the luxury SUV... ?

It currently is the luxury SUV, but it sounds like Fiat-Chrysler wants to open up to another niche of buyers. Toyota currently does this with the Land Cruiser, which I think should be branded a Lexus. Jeep however doesn't have a luxury sister company like other manufacturers have (i.e. Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, Honda/Acura) so they probably want to raise the bar. I think with the type of people buying the Grand Cherokee's, there is room for more profit higher up, but that is my feeling and not based on any statistics lol...

 

[proper4wd]

Most Range Rovers roll off the lot at $110k+. Is Jeep really going after that market? Poor decision.

 

[Yarjammer]

I am astonished at all of the players entering the ultra-luxury SUV market. I had no idea that there were that many people seeking $100k+ SUVs... someone is going to lose out. If I am found myself in a position to purchase one of these I think I would be more inclined to pursue a more prestigious marque than Jeep since anyone can make an SUV that can drive to the country estate or ski-resort or soccer practice. Jeep is really going to lose on this one. I simply cannot envision any design form in line with the corporate identity as not turning out as ugly and pointless as the Ford Flex.

 

[HRPINDC]

Stupid move! It seems that Jeep doesn't know its customer base that well. I completely agree with Yarjammer. If I'm dropping $100k, I'm getting a Mercedes or a Land Rover, not a Jeep. Grand Cherokees are very nice, I don't know why anyone would need something more luxurious than that. The third row seat would be huge on a GC, but not at $100k. At least the American taxpayer won't be called upon to bail them out again.

 

[EMrider]

Having been burned twice with POS MB vehicles I won't be buying one of those again.

I am sure that any Jeep in this category will be priced very competitively versus LR or MB. Expensive in absolute terms, but competitive on a relative basis.

The margins are big in this UL category and I wish Jeep well.

That said, I do get the sense that Jeep is offering too many models. Lack of focus usually bites companies hard at some point.

R

 

[MTSN]

For those who think this product won't work, I'd suggest Jeep's target market is not exclusively North America. For example, in China Buick and Cadillac are extremely desirable names because of the American association. The Chinese also buy around 4 million more new cars every day than we do in the US, so the market is vastly larger there. I think an American brand name (there is no such thing as a truly American car any more IMO) like Jeep selling a Range Rover-esque lux SUV will do quite well over there. LR has done better reliability wise since Tata bought them in 2008, but I can easily picture Jeep building a more reliable RR competitor.