Jeep's concept car onslaught

Jeep designers have taken the plunge into a creative whirlpool of activity resulting in seven concept cars for the 49th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.

Some of the cars are clearly little more than standard vehicles with added accessories available from the Mopar range.

But the brand's Wrangler-based concepts reveal a bit more depth.

The Jeep Chief is a Wrangler-based design that recreates the look of "the classic 1970s era full-size Jeep Cherokee", according to the company, and "evokes the west coast surfer lifestyle of sun and fun with a nod to nostalgic beach rides."

This particular concept, finished in Ocean Blue and white, with a Hawaiian-themed interior, probably wouldn't meet current safety standards anywhere in the world, but it certainly looks the part. Power is by the 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol V6 via a six-speed manual transmission.

The Jeep Wrangler Africa takes older punters back to 1960s-era four-wheel drives and could be a viable model for production. Finished in Desert Tan paint, the Wrangler Africa has an extended body and high roof to carry extra equipment. Featuring a 2.8-litre diesel and automatic transmission combo, the concept rides on 17-inch steel wheels in body colour suspended by a two-inch lift kit. As with the other concepts the Wrangler Africa also boasts a plethora of added kit, such as a high-clearance steel front bumper with winch, power step rock rails and Dana 44 axles front and rear.

Another retro-style concept is the Wrangler-based Staff Car, which recalls Jeep's World War II-era military background. Powered by the Pentastar V6 driving through a manual transmission to the Dana 44 axles, the Staff Car is finished in Sandstorm and features a stretched canvas roof. Jeep has removed the doors and B pillars for this concept, adding front and rear bumpers from the J8 commercial vehicle not available in right-hand drive markets. A built-in cooler replicates the look of an old artillery box and holds up to 85 cans of drink.

Described by Jeep as "a support vehicle purpose-built to traverse the world's harshest terrain" the Wrangler Red Rock Responder is finished in Vibrance Responder Red and inside features embroidered black and red Mopar Katzkin leather seats. The Pentastar V6 drives through an automatic transmission to Dana 60 axles.

As a recovery/rescue vehicle, the Red Rock Responder is fitted with side boxes that contain a high-lift jack, fire extinguisher, road side accessory kit, first aid kit, Snap-on tool soft bags, an air hose, a compressor and air reservoir.

The other three concepts are the Grand Cherokee Overlander, the Cherokee Canyon Trail and the Renegade Desert Hawk, all of which are basically accessorised packages based on standard production vehicles.

"Jeep is proud to be taking seven new eye-catching and extremely capable vehicles to the Easter Jeep Safari, where we expect to delight our most loyal enthusiasts," said Mike Manley, CEO for the Jeep Brand. 

"We go to this legendary event each year to showcase our latest Jeep production vehicles, as well as a variety of new ideas in our concept vehicles.  In doing so, we receive a tremendous amount of valuable feedback, while interacting with our customers in the Jeep brand's natural environment. We're especially looking forward to this year's Jeep Safari, as Renegade makes its official public debut on Moab's demanding trails."

The Easter Jeep Safari commences from March 28 and concludes April 5. It has been run every year since the inaugural get-together arranged by the Moab Chamber of Commerce in 1967. Since then it has gone from being a one-day trail ride to the current nine-day event.