On top of all of this we have a Giant, oversized, overpriced Jeep SUV called the Wagoneer that doesn't live up to its name AT ALL!
Am I the only one here who has actually spent a decent amount of time driving the Jeep Wagoneer? As a Mopar enthusiast my immediate first reaction was that this feels like a Ram station wagon. You know what, that's a good thing. Stellantis botched the new electronics and U-connect on the Wagoneer at the same time they switched from the V8 to the Hurricane 6. The Hurricane 6 is nowhere as smooth as the Hemi was because the Hemi had the eTorque BSG setup and the Hurricane 6 uses a very clunky start/stop setup. The short wheelbase Wagoneer never felt giant to me, the long wheelbase one is giant, but it isn't any worse than any full size pickup.
... the 3.6L V6 is not perfect, but it was a tried and true powertrain that worked. Granted I would have wanted to see Stellantis change the head design and get rid of the integrated exhaust manifold so the car would sound better at least ...
The integrated exhaust manifold is for both emissions and noise control. The Pentastar V6 was and is primarily a bread and butter engine like the 383-B engine was back in its day. Changing the head design would be counterproductive and never return the ROI.
Jeep Cherokee should have just been a stripped down version of the regular length Grand Cherokee with a regular 3.6L V6.
The KM Cherokee is going directly into the hottest segment of the auto market. It has a drive-train design that is rapidly becoming the top configuration in that class.
Get rid of the Recon, Get rid of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and focus on the Wrangler Unlimited (drop the 2-door) and keep the Gladiator but give it a bigger, better bed.
I don't know what the Recon will show up with for power. I do know that the Recon is a global product offered in all a markets. If it is introduced with a pure battery electric drive that will please the socialist regimes in countries with those kinds of governments. If the people in Auburn Hills can figure out how to place a range extender under the hood of the Recon they will have a hit on their hands. Jeep is making money on the two door Wrangler and you want to drop it. I suspect despite the sudden drop in sales after the initial rollout, there is still an opportunity with the Wagoneer and Grand W. These models share much with the Ram 1500 and there is still a possibility of a REV option for the Grand.
From there, just get rid of Chrysler all together because it's literally a dead brand anyway.
The indecision over the focus of what the Chrysler brand should be has been destructive for the marque. FCA and then Stellantis should have stayed the course of making Chrysler the people mover brand. Being moved has more than one meaning, it can be physically moved as in the case of a minivan or emotionally moved as in the case of the various 300 sedans over the decades or the late 1990s LeBaron convertible.
Lee Iacocca in his autobiography has a chapter titled "The Day the Shaw left Town". In that chapter Mr Iacocca details the dramatic and rapid shift in the auto market just as he steps up to helm of
Auburn Hills, er Highland Park. Are the legacy Chrysler Corporation brands prepared for the next black swan event?
Politics goes back and forth, but there is a major cultural shift happening in North America. Maybe there is some market space for people movers and family haulers. The ramifications of this cultural shift are another thread, but now is not the time to run Stellantis from an Ivory Tower in some other country.