Concepts hint at look of Jeep Wrangler pickup

Brent Snavely | Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — Jeep enthusiasts who have long clamored for a pickup may soon get their wish.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to produce a Wrangler-based pickup and build it at the company's Toledo Assembly Complex, according to a person familiar with the automaker's plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. The truck wouldn't be sold for several years.

What would a Wrangler pickup look like? That's unclear at this point, but the automaker has shown a variety of interesting concepts over the years such as the Wrangler Red Rock Responder shown in March and the Jeep Gladiator it showed back in 2005.

News of a Wrangler pickup also would be the latest in a string of developments in the small to midsize pickup segment that has been ignored by many automakers.

General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in 2014. Toyota is in the process of launching its redesigned Toyota Tacoma, and Ford may bring the Ranger — a midsize truck it sells around the globe — to the U.S.

Fiat Chrysler, which has less cash for niche products than its main rivals, has been eagerly eyeing a midsize truck for years but feared the market would be too small.

But adapting the iconic Wrangler into a pickup gives the automaker a way to leverage the Jeep brand and enter the hot pickup truck market. Fiat Chrysler hopes a Jeep pickup could appeal to Jeep fans and people looking to haul outdoor equipment as the automaker strives to expand its global sales to 1.8 million by 2018 from just over 1 million last year.

News of Fiat Chrysler's decision to move forward with a Wrangler-based pickup was first reported by Automotive News and has been studied for years by the automaker.

Jeep CEO Mike Manley hinted in March that a Wrangler pickup could eventually become part of the Jeep lineup after the next-generation model is launched.

"I am a huge fan of a pickup truck in the Jeep brand. Not just because of the history — it has been part of our history over the years — but also because it is one of the top subjects of topics that we have for discussion with our customers," Manley said at the time.

Manley made those comments the same day the automaker unveiled a concept called the Wrangler Red Rock Responder. That beefy Wrangler pickup was one of seven customized Jeep concepts the company took to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, in April.

It remains unclear what the automaker has in mind for a production version of a Wrangler pickup. But Responder showed how creative the automaker can be.

Jeep said the Red Rock Responder concept is a support vehicle "built to traverse the world's harshest terrain with premium off-road equipment to respond to any vehicle emergency with spare parts and tools stored in the built-in drawers and compartments of the cargo box."

It included 37-inch tires, a lift jack, fire extinguisher and roadside accessory kit. It was equipped with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine mated to an automatic transmission.

The automaker plans to move production of the Wrangler from its Toledo South assembly plant to its Toledo North assembly plant and move production of the Jeep Cherokee to a plant in another state.

The two Toledo plants, which are adjacent to each other, are collectively known as the Toledo Assembly Complex. The automaker plans to make the Wrangler pickup in the Toledo South portion of the complex.

The next-generation Wrangler is scheduled to be introduced in 2017 and the Wrangler pickup would come after that.

Fiat Chrysler, which ended production of the midsize Dodge Dakota in 2011, has always kept a close eye on the midsize pickup truck market.

The automaker showed a concept called the Dodge M80 in 2002 and another one called the Dodge Rampage in 2006. Chrysler also talked about plans for a compact pickup in November 2009 when it revealed its five-year plan.

Back in 2005, the automaker showed a Wrangler pickup concept called Gladiator. The Gladiator featured a rear-hinged back door on the passenger side, a side-mounted spare tire and an 8-foot cargo bed. The automaker also teased Jeep enthusiasts with the Wrangler JT concept at the Easter Jeep Easter Safari in Moab in 2009.