If you were planning on laying down a deposit on a HEMI V8-powered Jeep Gladiator dual-cab 4x4 ute we’ve bad news. The iconic US off-road brand has all but ruled out both V8-powered (and single-cab) variants of the much awaited Wrangler-based pick-up any time soon.
With the new Jeep Wrangler JL based Gladiator readying to head Down Under, Australian journalists gathered for the unveiling of the 2019 Jeep Moab Easter Safari concepts in Detroit were keen to know if some of the hardware on show was a chance for production and export.
But as excited as enthusiast buyers may be for the chance of owning a Hellcat or HEMI V8-powered version of the Gladiator, Jeep Brand North Amercia head, Tim Kuniskis, says the business case simply doesn’t stack up. And the same goes for single-cab body styles.
“It is just a concept,” Kuniskis said, referencing the Brilliant Blue J6 Gladiator concept unveiled for the 2019 Moab Easter Jeep Safari.
“Now that doesn’t mean we’re not going to gauge interest from it, but it is just a concept,” he added.
Kuniskis said that Jeep and parent FCA had run the sums on other body styles of the Gladiator, but that a lack of practicality meant buyers were few and far between.
Like the Australian market, US buyers prefer dual-cab 4WD utes or pick-ups for the added flexibility offered. Single-cab buyers amount for less than 20 per cent of customers in the USA – and many of those are fleet vehicles.
Recreational buyers were the key drivers for Jeep to produce the Gladiator, Kuniskis said. He points to the availability of RAM 1500 and other workhorse models as better suited to trade and agricultural buyers.
“The thing that precludes us from doing it is, that if you look at the segment, the segment is four-door, five-foot-bed vehicles. That’s where the segment is,” he emphasised.
“So if you look at the segment and you displace it down to two-door versions, the segment is tiny… It’s hard to make a business case out of it.”
Profitability appears to be what holds Jeep back from a V8-powered Gladiator too. Kuniskis said that maintaining a profitable business model meant “nice-to-have variants” would have to remain just that as the brand strives to keep itself in the black.
“We sold over a million cars in North America last year at the highest transaction price in every one of the segments it competes in, so it’s serious business,” Kuniskis said.
“I spent time previously in Dodge, and everybody always asks me that question: When are you putting a Hellcat in it?” he continued.
“It fits. You guys all know it fits. It fits like a glove. The problem is: it fits like a glove.”
Kuniskis went on to explain that safety issues meant the Hellcat V8’s tight fit was an issue from a legislative standpoint. Safety, in spite of a lower than anticipated safety score in markets including Australia, is a priority for the Jeep brand. Thus the ‘glove-like’ fit of the 707hp V8 means it simply won’t make production.
“The reason that’s a problem is you now have no air space around the engine – and the whole external structure of the vehicle – so you have no crush space. So you have nothing that can be used to absorb energy in a crash,” he explained.
“It’s not a problem to put it in, other than emissions and fuel economy and things like that. It’s not a problem to put it in there, except it would never pass any crash test,” Kuniskis stated.
Kuniskis did, however, hint that modification of the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine offered in Wrangler and Gladiator models stateside was a distinct possibility.
“But you’ve got the two-litre turbo that offers significantly more torque than the three six [3.6 litre V6 petrol], so that opens up some opportunities for us,” he smiled.
Jeep has never put a Moab Easter Safari concept model into production per se, but Kuniskis says it has taken learnings from its concepts for use in production vehicles.
Jeep has been involved in the Safari for 16 of the event’s 53-year history. This year is the first all six concepts have be based around a pick-up style vehicle.