Rumors: No Wrangler no more, GM wanting to buy Jeep & Baby Navigator?

[donkey boy]

Here some rumors found at Dead Link Removed

It’s a cluster of rumors this week: First off, the Wrangler, discontinued? The scuttlebutt is that it will be replaced by a spinoff of the new Jeep Liberty and the old Jeep Icon concept. It’ll still resemble a Wrangler; it just won’t be a Wrangler. We’re also hearing that plans for an all-new Grand with three rows of seating (and an all-new name: Grand Wagoneer) are on hold, as is a revamp of the two-rowed Grand.

GM is said to be eyeballing Jeep. Sure, ownership seems laughable until you remember that DaimlerChrysler is laying off around 26,000 employees over the next three years, and its stock prices are fairly ugly right now. DC is also said to be in discussions with Deutsche Bank AG and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. for tips on how to avoid a takeover bid.

DaimlerChrysler and GM are in a heated battle over a grille. The one in question? It’s on GM’s 2002 Hummer H2. DC says the H2’s seven-slot deal looks a heck of a lot like Jeep’s seven-slot deal, which is trademarked. GM is yelling that DC wants to set back the H2’s debut, while Jeep is hollering that the grille will make people think the H2 is a Jeep product. Of course, if GM buys Jeep, then we can all chock one up to foreshadowing.

Coming in 2002 as a 2003 model: a new ute from Lincoln that’s be built off the Ford Explorer platform but be a tad larger and have its own unique look. Also on the way is a downsize Navigator.

 

[Stephen]

Let me see if I can clarify those for you Michael.

Yes there is talk about replacing the Wrangler, but I dont know any specifics on this.

GM is eyeballing Jeep in a big way.

And the Lincoln Explorer ute is in the works.

Pretty good rumors.

 

[rpenner54]

If Jeep replaces the wrangler with anything that is not in the exact same class jeep will die. Therefore that is probably why its not such a bad idea for GM to buy them out. The new wrangler is what saved Jeep here the past few years otherwise they would've been dying off here really soon.

 

[Tim K]

If Jeep's 7 slot grille is SOOO Important and is a "Symbol that Jeep is recognized by".....then why do so many jeeps have an 8 slot grille????? Look around on your next drive....there are a ton of cherokees with 8 slot factory grilles. Just today I saw some on early 90's "Classic style" cherokees, as well as on some late 90's "grand cherokee" style vehicles.

So again....if the 7 slot grille is such a powerful symbol.....why didn't they use it on all of their vehicles? It would be like Ford making trucks without the blue oval....

 

[Chief]

Hey...

Originally posted by Stephen
Let me see if I can clarify those for you Michael.

Yes there is talk about replacing the Wrangler, but I dont know any specifics on this.

GM is eyeballing Jeep in a big way.

And the Lincoln Explorer ute is in the works.

Pretty good rumors.

Remember me mentioning this a while ago in ANC? How Chrysler may need to be selling Jeep to another shareholder? That was several months ago...can I hear a "who is da man!?"

 

[Stephen]

Well...I kinda remember that

 

[mrsteve]

If the Grand Cherokee is renamed the Grand Wagoneer it won't be an all new name. The Grand Wagoneer was around long before what we see as the Grand Cherokee today. The first generation Grand Cherokees were called Grand Wagoneers in 1993 I believe. They had fake wood paneling just like the old Grand Wagoneers. The old Grand Wagoneers were made from 1988-1991 and had a 5.9 liter V8, a major gas guzzler. They were probably the most luxuorious american SUV in its time. I always loved the look of them.

Steve

 

[Peter Weber]

Here is what they looked like.

http://canoffroad.net/grand/

I don't know who's got it for sale. I just did a search for Grand Wagoneer and this came up. Since the pictures are pretty good, I thought I'd post the link.

 

[Peter Weber]

Looks like reviving the Grand Wagoneer has been in the works for a while:

http://www.detnews.com/menu/stories/56203.htm

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July 16, 1996

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Chrysler to resume Grand Wagoneer as full-size sport-ute
By Dave Phillips / The Detroit News The Detroit News
Chrysler Corp. may dust off the legendary Grand Wagoneer name and pin it on a new upscale, full-size sport-utility vehicle planned to challenge big competitors like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition.
Jumbo sport-utility vehicles are the hottest-selling thing on four wheels right now, with sales of Tahoes, Suburbans, Ford Broncos and GMC Yukons up a combined 47 percent this year. But Chrysler hasn't offered one since Jeep Grand Wagoneer production ended in Toledo four years ago.

Now, Chrysler suppliers say the company is soliciting quotes for all sorts of creature comforts for a big Jeep, including automatic-dimming mirrors, heated leather seats and satellite navigation systems.

The vehicle, according to preliminary company plans, will be built in Newark, Del., and will feature a V-8 engine. Company officials declined to comment, but analysts and dealers believe the vehicle will be a bona fide hit.

"Jeep is the most recognizable sport-utility brand worldwide but it's under-leveraged with just three models," said John Casesa, an analyst with Schroder Wertheim & Co. in New York. "Grand Wagoneer enjoys a cult following around the world."

It may debut in early 1999 as a 2000 model, sources say. That's when new plants in Detroit and Kokomo, Ind. will allow Chrysler to overcome a shortage of V-8 engines and rear-drive truck transmissions.

Chrysler's internal code name for the vehicle -- "SR" -- is the same one it used before dropping the model in favor of Jeep's current flagship, the Grand Cherokee. Analyst George Peterson of AutoPacific Inc. in California says Chrysler expects to sell 20,000 to 30,000 Grand Wagoneers.

Chrysler idled its Newark, Del., assembly plant this month for about 12 months to prepare for a new full-size Dodge sport-utility vehicle

The original Wagoneer debuted in the fall of 1962, kicking off the sport-utility wagon market. American Motors Corp. (AMC) billed it as a "carryall" wagon and it quickly gained a following among wealthy suburbanites. Chrysler purchased AMC in 1987.

Grand Wagoneer sales topped out at 23,776 in 1978, but the model was dropped in 1991 because of low sales, meager profits and Chrysler's reluctance to spend millions to meet new safety and environmental regulations.




Copyright 1996, The Detroit News