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A strong argument could be made that Jeep NA missed the boat on the Commander. I guess internal polls or market research validate that decision, but 50,000 Commanders in a still developing region does say something.
Questions for followers for me needing your input.
1- Is Avenger replacing Renegade in NA ? No, Stellantis used an older platform on the Avenger, which is not US compliant. My guess is we might see Avenger styling themes in the future on a product.
2- Will there be both two row and three row Compasses next generation ? The next generation Compass will be built on the STLA Medium platform. Three row vehicles of that size are presently a hard sell in the USA.
3- Will Jeep give us a slightly longer, wider Cherokee with two and three row models and will this Cherokee be AWD only and offer a Hurricane V-6 option ?
__ I think the next Cherokee is to be built on the STLA Large platform, but that means a three row version competes with the Grand Cherokee. The Hurricane is an inline-6, Pentastar is the V-6.
4- Will the refreshed Grand Cherokee undergo a serious styling update ? Only after the new Toyota Land Cruiser has totally eaten into the Grand Cherokee three row sales.
5- Will the Wagoneer S offer ICE, hybrid and electric power ? Stellantis says no, but they have to say that. The STLA platforms are highly adaptable.
6- Ditto for the Recon on three engine options ? Ditto above.
7- Will they ever build and import Jeeps for NA from Brazil ? They have to deal with tight production capacity, trade restrictions and logistical concerns, probably not.
Needless to say, that’s what Mopar Willy would do. Sadly I’m usually misguided.
I’ve got to get some support on a few of these ideas, don’t you think ? Your heart is in the right place. I suspect the people in the ivory tower have lost contact with the men on the street. Management got cheap and kept on using the old non-compliant CMP platform, which hinders new product development for our market. They don't have to build smaller vehicles here, but they still need to sell some of them. My big fear is that the CDJR brands will fall into the same trap that Ford has. Ford used up nearly all their battery production building battery electrics, which are sitting around unsold on lots around the country. Meanwhile consumers are demanding hybrids, but Ford can't build enough because most of their battery production is sitting in those unsold electric vehicles. Stellantis seems to have missed that full sized pickup trucks are just a fad like the big van craze back in the 1970's was. They have put a lot of resources into electric drive while letting technology, like the eFlite in the Pacifica hybrid, get stale.
So what products get the 1.6 liter engine to be built in Dundee, MI ?
