Jeeps, as capable as they are off-road, occasionally get stuck.
However, sometimes a little back-and-forth rocking action can eventually free them up. After the will they?/won’t they? of whether or not Jeep will make the next Wrangler out of aluminum, we have an answer, via Automotive News: Yes, but not all of it. The body will continue to be steel, but certain parts attached to it – possibly the hood, doors, and tailgate – will be aluminum. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said, “I think we can get very close” to producing the benefits of an all-aluminum body with such a setup. That would allow Jeep to save money not only on materials, but on assembly costs.
However, according to the Detroit Free Press, production costs as a whole are something that are keeping Jeep from moving forward and answering the question: Will the brand keep Wrangler manufacturing in Toledo, Ohio?
Of course, the city and the state are trying to make the automaker say, “Yes.” They’ve thrown incentives at Jeep and even set aside 100 acres of land next to the Toledo plant, which cranked out more than 240,000 Wranglers in 2014.
Those don’t appear to be enough, though. Jeep wants to sell 350,000 of the iconic vehicles globally, but it’s stuck in what appears to be a no-win situation. It can’t afford to shut down the Toledo facility while it’s retooled for the next-generation Wrangler and building a new, larger plant in Toledo carries its own financial downsides. Despite Toledo’s attempts to sweeten the deal for Jeep, it appears as if it will be cheaper for the manufacturer to use another FCA plant for Wrangler production.
Marchionne is trying to do right by the dedicated employees at the Wrangler facility, though. “I will do everything I can to keep it in Toledo,” he said.
We should hear Marchionne’s final decision by the end of this summer.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
