Jeep® & AM General Team Up To Build Jeep Gladiator XMT Concept:
Military Purpose Truck, Could See Production...
The Jeep® brand and its former sibling AM General announced on a joint project for a new light tactical concept vehicle based on the Jeep® Gladiator at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) in Washington D.C., yesterday. The Jeep Gladiator Extreme Military-Grade Truck (XMT) by AM General is the first phase of a collaboration that reunites two companies whose histories trace back to World War II. The Gladiator XMT takes the Jeep pickup’s class-leading capabilities and uses AM General’s knowledge in the world of light-weight military trucks, and creates a truck that meets the global needs of customers around the world.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and introduce the Jeep Gladiator Extreme Military-Grade Truck at AUSA,” said AM General President and CEO Andy Hove. “This new venture gives us an opportunity to showcase our expertise in light tactical vehicles and help FCA maximize the Gladiator’s global reach and potentially enter new military markets.”
With the all-new 2020 Jeep® Gladiator and its best-in-class ratings of towing capacity (7,650 lbs.) and payload capacity (1,600 lbs.), the mid-size pickup creates the ideal platform to develop an Extreme Military-Grade vehicle.
“The Jeep brand has an important military heritage, so we couldn’t be happier that AM General expressed interest in creating the Gladiator XMT,” said Jim Morrison, Head of Jeep Brand – North America. “The all-new Jeep Gladiator boasts unmatched functionality, versatility and especially capability, including two advanced 4×4 systems, locking differentials, skid plates, tow hooks, and incredible approach, break-over, and departure angles – the perfect foundation for this ultra-capable military concept vehicle.
“We’re proud to partner with AM General, we look forward to gauging interest and gathering feedback on the Jeep Gladiator XMT, and we’re excited about potential future opportunities,” Morrison added.
With more than 100 years of experience in the defense industry, as well as a deep knowledge of the global military landscape, AM General has added more specialty parts and accessories to push the Gladiator’s off-road capability even further. This includes enhancing Gladiator’s off-road maneuverability. The Jeep Gladiator XMT has been up-fitted by AM General with both custom-built and commercially available military-grade parts to create an even more rugged truck that can traverse the toughest of terrains in adverse conditions and is ready to meet varied military customer requirements.
As with the iconic, proven and versatile Humvee, AM General can also apply its manufacturing and engineering expertise to convert the Gladiator XMT into mission-specific and purposeful light-weight tactical trucks based on customer requirements. Whether the need is to have a rugged personnel transport carrier or a command and control truck, the company has demonstrated through the Enhanced Tactical Kit (ETK) offerings on Humvee, its ability to deliver solutions that are customer-driven and cost-effective.
Pending feedback and interest in the military marketplace, production could begin in the second half of 2020. In addition to the gas model, Gladiator XMT would be offered to military customers as a diesel version.
Source: Jeep®
