Jeep has big plans in-store for 2014 -- from debuting an all-new vehicle to taking the brand global. MLive recently caught up with Jeep CEO and President Mike Manley, and talked with him about some of the most-anticipated news from Jeep in 2014.Watch video
DETROIT, MI- Jeep has big plans in-store for 2014 – from debuting an all-new vehicle to taking the brand global.
MLive recently caught up with Jeep CEO and President Mike Manley, and here are seven things from the interview that we felt all Jeep fans should know about this year:
7. Cherokee: Manley is “pleasantly surprised” by the popularity of Cherokee since the vehicle’s delayed launch last year. He said the sales -- topping 36,000 units from October-February -- were higher than he anticipated, but the vehicle “certainly deserves it,” he said.
“There’s nothing that Cherokee doesn’t compete and in many categories exceed against our competitors,” Manley said last month at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
After months of being delayed in the U.S., Cherokee launched in October. The vehicle is currently being rolled out around the globe – with shipping to China beginning last month and Europe beginning toward the end of the first-quarter.
Manley said Cherokee sales he wouldn’t be surprised if Cherokee sales hit 300,000 units in 2014.
6. 1 million vehicles: Those additional Cherokee models sold are expected to help the brand reach a historic sales volume goal of 1 million vehicles in 2014.
Jeep President and CEO Mike Manley during the debut of the 2014 Cherokee at the 2013 New York International Auto Show in March 2013.The goal was announced by Chrysler CEO and Chairman Sergio Marchionne during the Detroit auto show, and later confirmed by Manley.
“Whether we hit it or don’t hit it, the fact of the matter is it’s a great number for us to shoot for,” Manley said.
In 2013, Chrysler sold 731,565 Jeep vehicles across the globe, a 4 percent increase from the previous record of 701,626 from 2012.
If Cherokee sales can hit the 300,000 mark, that would take the brand to its 1 million milestone, but Manley said expect growth from all of Jeep’s vehicles this year.
Whether the brand hits 1 million or not, expect Marchionne to keep a close eye on Jeep, which he described as Chrysler’s best shot of globalization.
5. Jeep takes on the world: On top of hitting 1 million sales and keeping the brand’s die-hard fan base happy, another goal for Manley is to expand Jeep into a global brand.
Led by its new Fiat-Chrysler company and sales in China, expect to see more Jeeps being produced and imported to foreign markets.
“Our brand awareness is so strong in China that with localization, we should be able to grow our volume very rapidly and become a major player,” Manley said. “That’s one of the forward opportunities that we’ve got to unlock.”
Since 2012, Marchionne has said Chrysler is planning to produce Jeeps in China in “order to satisfy local market demand,” but it should only “ultimately help bolster the Jeep brand, and solidify the resilience of U.S. jobs.”
4. Wrangler: Although the company plans to produce some Jeeps in foreign markets, expect Wrangler production to stay in the U.S. “What’s important to us in terms of our brand message, particularly with Wrangler, is it’s authentic American,” Manley said. “We’re talking about an icon, a global icon in the automotive industry.”
Manley added that the next-generation Wrangler is already in the early stages of development with the main goals of working on powertrain options and lightweighting the vehicle without sacrificing capability.
But, as with previous models, expect the new Wrangler – still a “number of years out” – to look and perform like a Wrangler.
“Obviously, it’s not a blank sheet when it comes to Wrangler,” Manley said. “It has to look like a Wrangler. It has to perform like a Wrangler in terms of its capability. And that’s a blessing, but it also is something that is a key restraint for us.”
3. Aluminum: Manley said Jeep is looking into lightweighting its vehicles, including the Wrangler, with the use of aluminum and other materials.
Aluminum was a major discussion at the 2014 Detroit auto show, as Ford unveiled its next-generation F-150 with a nearly all-aluminum body.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Freedom edition (courtesy image)“There’s no doubt the use of aluminum, the use of high-strength steel – all of those are possible and we are capable of using in any of the vehicles,” Manley said. “What we need to do is just make sure we balance the use of those with the duty cycle our customers will put them through.”
2. Heritage: As long as Manley and Marchionne are overseeing Jeep, expect the brand’s heritage to continue being at the center of its new products.
Whether its Jeep’s iconic trapezoidal wheel arches or hidden “Easter eggs,” expect Jeep to remain Jeep.
One of the most recent examples was with the Cherokee. Although many initially criticized it for not looking "Jeep" enough, Chrysler offered a few surprises to Jeep enthusiasts.
1. A smaller Jeep: Later this year, Jeep will unveil an all-new vehicle for the B-segment, which is more commonly known in the U.S. as a subcompact or city vehicle.
The all-new vehicle is expected to first launch in Europe later this year, followed by the U.S. and other markets in 2015.
Manley says Jeep has a name for the vehicle, but it plans to keep that a surprise until closer to its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2014.
“We have a lot of experience of thinking out names and associations with the Jeep brand because we’ve been doing special editions more so than many other manufacturers,” he said. “In terms of when you think about a name, the options are huge.”
Manley would not specify if the brand plans to resurrect a name, like it did for the Cherokee.
The B-vehicle segment, also known as Supermini in Europe, is growing in popularity in the U.S.