The Jeep Grand Cherokee is great, but is it park-it-outside-my-Martha's-Vineyard-summer-house great? Perhaps not, which is possibly why Jeep has decided to bring back its ultimate suburban status symbols, the Wagoneer. Here's everything we know about the long-rumored return of Jeep's most luxurious model. It's Coming Soon Back in 2016, then-Jeep boss (now Fiat Chrysler CEO) Mike Manley confirmed that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer names would stage a comeback as two distinct high-end models. Since then, Jeep hasn't said much about the Wagoneer's fate, until mid-August 2020, when the company broke its silence with two tantalizing teaser images in a tweet: This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Pictured is an exterior badge that would seem to spell out "Wagoneer" (only the last three letters are visible) with an American flag, and an engine start-stop button. Not a whole lot, but this does mark our first official look at the long-anticipated model. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. A week later, the company dropped another two-picture teaser on Twitter (above), showing off part of what seems to be the Wagoneer's big shiny grille, along with what looks to be the upcoming SUV's rotary shift knob. We have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of these small teases in the lead up to the truck's actual reveal. Production Was Rumored to Start in 2021 Last year, FCA announced a $4.5 billion investment in various Michigan plants, and as part of that, confirmed that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer would go into production in early 2021. Of course, a lot has changed since then, and we wouldn't be surprised if the COVID shutdown and its economic impacts have delayed FCA's plans. When we asked recently, Jeep was not able to provide details on production timing. In any case, the Wagoneer models are set to be built at FCA's Warren, Michigan plant, which currently builds the last-gen Ram 1500 Classic. The plant will get a $1.5 billion investment to retool for these Jeep siblings, and an FCA spokesperson confirms that the 1500 Classic and new Wagoneer will share a production line. About that "Wagoneer" vs "Grand Wagoneer" thing Right from the start, Jeep has committed to two models within the Wagoneer family: regular, and Grand. Back in 2016, Manley told Road & Track, "[Y]ou could imagine the use of Wagoneer to denote a really premium vehicle, and Grand Wagoneer takes it to the very next level." Jeep seemed to confirm this with another teaser tweet from early August, pondering the definition of "Grand": This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Body-on-Frame Construction and a Ram Chassis Our colleagues at Car and Driver, writing about Jeep's recent Twitter teases, report that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are expected to share a platform with the Ram 1500 pickup. Both GM and Ford offer pickup-based full-size SUVs, so that sort of thing makes sense for the Wagoneer. Additionally, Car and Driver speculates that the Grand Wagoneer badge will be reserved for an extended-wheelbase variant—think Suburban vs Tahoe. A Plug-In Hybrid Is Coming In its 2018 capital markets presentation, Jeep said that it intends to offer a plug-in hybrid variant for every vehicle it sells. That includes the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Right now, the only plug-in hybrid FCA offers is the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, which makes 260 hp from an Atkinson-cycle V-6 and two electric motors. It's unclear whether the Wagoneer would get a similar setup, or something totally different. Jeep A 717-HP Supercharged V-8 Is a Possibility Last year, we uncovered a document from transmission supplier ZF that indicated a Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk with a supercharged Hellcat V-8 could be on its way. At one point, ZF was working on a high-torque version of its venerable 8-speed automatic for the Wagoneer. This transmission, known internally as ZF-8HP95X, is currently used only in the Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Of course, this document could simply indicate that, at one point, a Grand Wagoneer Hellcat was being tested, with no intention of production. We can dream, though. It Will Be Expensive Speaking to Auto Express back in 2016, Mike Manley said the top-spec Grand Wagoneer could cost up to $140,000. That's serious coin for a Jeep. That signals the company's ambitions to compete with ultra-luxury SUVs like the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The two Americans in that group can get to around $100,000, while an AMG GLS63 stickers around $130,000 and the Range Rover can exceed $200,000. We'll keep updating this post as we learn more about Jeep's plans for the return of the Wagoneer. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Jeep has confirmed that it will begin selling its upcoming Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer full-size SUVs in 2021, but you’ll be able to buy an all-new full-size utility vehicle from the brand starting next year. The news comes as part of Fiat Chrysler’s announcement that it will be spending $4.5 billion to create a new Detroit assembly plant and update several existing facilities, creating 6,500 jobs. The yet-to-be-named large three-row SUV will be manufactured at the current Mack Avenue Engine Complex in Detroit, which is being converted into vehicle assembly facility. Details on the new model have not been released, but it is in the same size class as the next-generation Grand Cherokee, which will be built alongside it the following year, suggesting that two will be closely related. Jeep currently builds and sells a three-row SUV in China called the Grand Commander, but it is a size segment smaller than the American-made model. Meanwhile, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are set to be built at the Warren, Mich., assembly plant that currently produces the Ram 1500 Classic. The last-generation pickup is offered as a lower-priced alternative to the all-new Ram 1500, and the automaker said it will continue its production indefinitely thanks to strong demand. The truck-based SUVs are being designed to compete with the likes of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, and top models could carry prices above $100,000. The investments will also allow for the addition of at least plug-in hybrid versions of various Jeep models, including the Wagoneers, and possible fully-electric vehicles. Jeep’s most recent five-year plan called for up to 10 plug-in hybrids and four electrics by 2022. JEEP GLADIATOR PICKUP READY FOR BATTLE:<doc-sep>Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to invest US$4.5 billion to produce new Jeep models and boost Ram truck output, as it banks on selling more high-margin sport utility vehicles even as U.S. sales lose steam and a slew of rival offerings hit the market. The Italian-American automaker is putting US$1.6 billion into its Mack Avenue engine plant in Detroit to produce the next-generation Grand Cherokee, and a new full-size three-row Jeep with an optional plug-in hybrid engine, CEO Mike Manley said on a call with reporters. It’s also spending US$1.5 billion on its Warren, Michigan, truck plant to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer nameplates in early 2021, and continue production of its Ram 1500 Classic truck through this year. [Editor’s note: the two new models are expected to compete in the premium SUV space against rivals like Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz, with Manley once quoting Grand Wagoneer price tags topping out around US$140,000.] Those models will hit the market at a time when crosstown rivals General Motors and Ford are relaunching storied models including the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer. An unexpected sales slowdown for Jeep’s iconic Wrangler already is stoking concern that the American SUV boom fueling Detroit automakers’ profit growth is reaching its limits. Manley downplayed these concerns on a call with reporters, saying that entering segments where the company doesn’t have an offering — such as with the three-row SUV and the Grand Wagoneer — will allow Fiat Chrysler to keep growing. “Even if we see mitigation in the industry in the coming years, entering white space” will expand the addressable market, the CEO said. “Notwithstanding the fact that the industry is going to be, in total, slightly down year-over-year, the economic indicators as we see them are still strong.” Fiat Chrysler was the only one of Detroit’s three automakers to increase sales in a flat U.S. market last year, thanks to record deliveries for its Jeep and Ram brands. The company is trying to build on that momentum in 2019 with redesigned heavy-duty Ram trucks and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup being introduced in the first half of the year.<doc-sep>Four Jeep plug-in hybrids will be introduced beginning as early as 2021. The Ram 1500 Classic will continue past 2019 due to high demand. Jeep’s first three-row SUVs in years will begin production in 2020. Jeep will introduce at least two new plug-in hybrids by 2021, along with an all-new Grand Cherokee and full-size Grand Wagoneer, as the SUV maker expands manufacturing to support the largest lineup in its history. The first new three-row Jeep is an unnamed model built alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee that will begin production in 2020. The Ram 1500–based Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will start production in early 2021, the company said, with a new Grand Cherokee (based off the Alfa Romeo platform underpinning the Stelvio) arriving in the first half of 2021. Jeep will introduce plug-in hybrid versions of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models first, followed by two more hybrid models. Fully electric Jeep battery EVs will follow. Fiat Chrysler confirmed a $4.5 billion investment to build a brand-new assembly plant within the Detroit city limits and to expand and retool five of its current Michigan plants. The expansion, of which at least $2.5 billion hinges on an unspecified amount of city and state tax incentives, will spur Jeep’s first dip into fully battery-electric vehicles as it relishes in record sales. Last year, Jeep sold 973,227 vehicles, its highest ever and a 17-percent gain over 2017. Jeep remains a cash cow for FCA as it struggles to meet demand for the new Wrangler. FCA said it plans to add at least 6500 jobs. While controversial in 2016 when late CEO Sergio Marchionne announced FCA was killing production of the Chrysler 200 and Dodge 200, the automaker now has plenty of room for these new Jeep vehicles—so much so that it’s continuing to build the Ram 1500 Classic that’s based on the previous-generation model. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
It's been a little quiet lately on the Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer news front. The last thing we heard about these new luxury trucks was that they'd arrive before 2022, a tidbit from Fiat Chrysler's (FCA's) Capital Markets day presentation. Today, FCA announced it's investing $4.5 billion in Michigan plants for Ram and Jeep production, and confirmed the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer would begin production in early 2021. Pictured above: a 1991 Grand Wagoneer. FCA will invest $1.5 billion into retooling its Warren Truck plant in Warren, Michigan to get ready for the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Right now, that plant builds the last-gen Ram 1500 (sold as the Ram 1500 Classic) and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Previously, FCA announced that it would move Ram Heavy Duty production to Warren, but with this new Jeep news, the automaker said that it'd continue building the HD in Saltillo, Mexico instead. For Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer production, 1400 jobs will be added to the Warren plant. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be Jeep's entry into a market currently occupied by the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7, and the Range Rover. Back in 2016, then-Jeep-CEO (and current FCA boss) Mike Manley said the Grand Wagoneer might cost up to $140,000—well into Range Rover territory. It's unclear whether the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will ride on a modified version of the next-generation Grand Cherokee's unibody platform, or a body-on-frame Ram platform. We do know for certain that both will be offered as plug-in hybrids—a tidbit that was confirmed at FCA's capital markets day presentation last year, and referenced in today's announcement. Elsewhere in the announcement, Jeep confirmed the next Grand Cherokee and an as-of-yet-unnamed three-row SUV will be built at the Mack Avenue plant in Detroit, which currently makes FCA's Pentastar V-6. The three-row SUV will begin production by the end of 2020, while the next-gen Grand Cherokee will start production in mid-2021. The new Grand Cherokee will also be built at FCA's Jefferson North Assembly Plant, where the current model and Dodge Durango are made.