Jeep will add three new models by 2020. While we anticipated both the Wrangler pickup and this year?s confirmation that a new Grand Wagoneer is coming, Jeep CEO Mike Manley confirmed to us that the Grand Wagoneer will be longer and ride on a longer wheelbase than the Wagoneer, making it effectively two models.
Both large SUVs are based in part on the Ram truck?s body-on-frame chassis?and together they will cover the $60,000-to-$100,000 bracket. Fully loaded examples of the Grand Wagoneer, Jeep?s first three-row full-size SUV since the 2010 Commander, will sell against the Range Rover and the Cadillac Escalade.
?It’s a place we?ve been, we walked away from it, now we?re going to be strong again,” said Manley, referring to the original 1984?1991 Grand Wagoneer and its upmarket position alongside contemporary Range Rovers. It?s not entirely beyond unrealistic, either, given that a fully loaded 2017 Grand Cherokee SRT currently exceeds $80,000. Entry-level models will naturally pit against the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Ford Expedition, with the Grand name denoting a larger body on a longer wheelbase. Despite the almost complete market shift from truck-based SUVs to car-based crossovers, Manley said he doesn?t want the Wagoneer models to become another niche. Combined U.S. sales of large luxury SUVs and crossovers grew 14 percent in 2016, according to data from WardsAuto. Even Toyota?s outdated Land Cruiser jumped 38 percent last year, although Manley is looking to se...