Will Jeep Survive in a Fiat World?
Jeep parent company Chrysler LLC filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy today, and is in final talks to close a deal that will give a large percentage of ownership to Fiat. All Chrysler assembly plants are in an idle state until these talks conclude, which may take 30 to 60 days.
As the world waits we question the fates of Dodge and Jeep. Each has its redeeming qualities, along with plenty of negatives.
Why Jeep Needs To Go
For the past several years Jeep has been struck with the dull design bug. Upgrades of vehicles like the Liberty, Commander, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler didn’t evolve much in the style department. During a time when gas prices throughout North America were at their highest, Jeep continued pumping out huge SUV’s and all wheel drive vehicles, sucking up gallons of fuel at every pump of the brake, and accelerator. Jeep became an uninspired brand, largely due to funding – without cash you can’t afford good design talent, apparently.
Why Jeep Needs To Stay
With the ongoing evolution of Electric Vehicles (EV for short) Jeep is making strides with their Wrangler Sport and Commander EV’s electric cars. These rides are just an automotive test for the time being, but one day we may be fighting over electricity, not oil. Chrysler as a whole may also benefit from Fiat in design – who knows what a foreign auto maker can bring in the form of style to an American make. And of course, with many car companies producing smaller vehicle someone has to fill the Off-Road niche market – why not Jeep? The questions is, will they be here to sell…and will you buy?
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