No coupes: Jeep will remain authentic

Forget about Jeep following the lead of its luxury SUV rivals and building 4x4 sports coupes and convertibles as part of its dramatic model expansion, the brand’s global design chief has declared.

Mark Allen told motoring.com.au at this week’s Grand Cherokee Trailhawk launch in Nevada that building authentic Jeeps was key to protecting the off-road specialist’s image and therefore its international sales popularity.

“The danger for the brand right now is it is highly successful so give me more, more, more and shovel in more of the profits for the company and then you start sliding down hill [and] you start slapping Jeep on whatever,” he said.

Allen admitted defining the boundaries for Jeep was something being internally debated and discussed and he said off-road “authenticity” was key.

“Renegade can off-road up to a point, the Cherokee can do better than that, certainly this [Grand Cherokee Trailhawk] can. Top of the heap is Wrangler Rubicon (pictured) and no-one beats that.

“It can’t be a car that is styled like Jeep but has no off-road chops. Whether or not you use it or need it, you walked into my dealership so you better be expecting that.”

Jeep’s most direct rival Land Rover/Range Rover has enjoyed success in the 4x4 coupe segment and has one of the few 4x4 convertibles to grace the market, based on the Evoque.

Other luxury SUV makers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW (and soon Audi) have also got into the coupe segment with models such as the Benz GLC and BMW X6. None of the Germans, however, have attempted a convertible as yet.

And Allen made it clear Jeep won’t be going in that direction.

“I will probably sit that one out and watch it happen,” he said. “They [Land Rover] will probably sell a few but it’s a niche within a niche wrapped within a niche.”

Then asked if sporty coupe SUVs were an obvious way for Jeep to expand its line-up Allen said: “I don’t think it is obvious … If you are expecting that from me, you are going to be disappointed.

Allen has overseen the recent introduction of the Renegade, the Compass -- which we drove in Brazil ahead of its LA motor show launch in September -- the next-generation Grand Cherokee and the seven-seater that will spin from the same architecture expected to be dubbed Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer. A sub-Renegade entry-level model is also said to be under consideration.

While unwilling to even acknowledge the existence of the seven-seater, which has been scooped in photography leaked from a dealer event, Allen was willing to discuss the theoretical concept of stretching the brand’s pricing range as high as $US140,000, a price mooted by CEO Mike Manley for a top of the range Grand Wagoneer.

“To take a brand that has that sort of bandwidth -- to go from a lowly model whatever to $US140,000 -- few brands can do that. Volkswagen tried that with Phaeton.

“I think we can do it. The market right now is incredible for everything SUVs and that’s all we make. It’s sort of a hole we need to fill too.”

Allen has also overseen the development of the Wrangler ute, which will go on sale in late 2017 as part of the next generation of the most historically significant Jeep.

The ute has been a long mooted addition to the Wrangler line-up and is expected to sell well in Australia

“I think you guys would like it, although it doesn’t have a tray bed,” Allen told motoring.com.au.

“It just makes sense for us, although it’s not without its challenges … Packaging mostly.”

While indicating that the Wrangler ute will head down the more premium end of the 4x4 ute segment initially, Allen said working ute spin-offs like a cab-chassis were possible.

“I don’t know, but if it makes sense we will do it I would expect.”

Allen was more open about the overall styling direction of the next Wrangler, which he confirmed was staying true to its Willys Jeep ancestry.

“The next Wrangler is going to look like this Wrangler, it’s tradition right down the line.

“Wrangler has got a look and feel and got to be Wrangler.

“We have an important step in the process called theme selection and that’s when we put all the themes out in front and I say theme selection happened in 1941 for the Wrangler.

“So we stay the line and I don’t want to be the one that screws that up.”

By contrast, he revealed the look of the next Grand Cherokee could change dramatically from the current WK, which has been the most successful generation ever.

“What we are doing behind the scenes right now is kind of questioning everything about it and I am not afraid of that. It’s fine.

“Although Jeep can be very traditional, you will be left behind if you are just that guy staying there. So we will probably be a lot more progressive than some people are even comfortable with.

“But that’s fine. I’d rather that than trying to defend something we keep doing over and over.”