Ironically, despite how good Jeeps are at going up steep grades and how many of them are being sold these days, the brand is going downhill. Why?
It’s picking up speed and nothing is stopping it, not even poor quality scores – that’s why.
Last year, global Jeep sales exceeded the 1 million mark for the first time ever, thanks to a 39-percent increase in worldwide sales. According to BloombergBusiness, when October industry sales are reported tomorrow, “the industry may show a 10 percent jump in car and light-truck deliveries, to 1.41 million, the average of four analyst estimates. The annualized rate, adjusted for seasonal trends, will probably be 17.7 million, the average of 13 estimates.” TrueCar is predicting a whopping 31-percent spike for Jeep. By 2018, Jeep should be selling 1.9 million vehicles a year globally – or more.
That’s in the face of readers of Consumer Reports ranking Jeep the second-least-reliable brand in the U.S. and Jeep scoring below the industry average in J.D. Power’s 2015 survey that recorded problems in the first 90 days of ownership. Jeep came in third from the bottom in J.D. Power’s vehicle dependability study, which examines longer-term quality issues.
If the feedback a Philadelphia-adjacent Jeep dealership has received is any indication, it seems what Jeep owners tell their friends and family members who are in the market for one of the off-roaders has more influence than formal evaluations. Apparently, what those people have been saying is “Just buy one.”
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.
