Jeep. There's Only One.

And then there were two. ChryCerebus has turned the page to Chapter 11 (as opposed to turning the corner), and what’s left looks a lot like Crissis-ler. The conventional wisdom is that Chrysler is toast (the brand, not the company), Dodge is on the bubble, and Jeep is the only brand that has actual worth in a Detroit-style fire sale. Fair enough. For the sake of argument, let’s pretend that, with the bankruptcy, Chrysler is able to shed it’s legacy costs and indentured servitude to the unions union contracts, and can either move forward as a leaner, meaner company, or sell its assets in liquidation. With the Chrysler brand D.O.A., and Dodge coughing up blood, let’s examine the best way to save Jeep, either as a stand-alone company or as something worth acquiring, and allow me make an out in left-field proposal for who should buy Jeep, wheel-lock, stock and barrel.

Jeep is the quintessential American brand. Nothing says “all-purpose, tough-as-nails, durable and reliable vehicle” like Jeep. Or at least it did, until the Chrysler brain trust started mucking about with the time-tested, Trail-Rated® formula. But something in Chrysler’s history points the way to the way out for Jeep: Lee Iacocca’s humble K Car.

Set your WABAC machines for the start of the Lee Iacocca era, and how he saved Chrysler. He ruthlessly cut scope, found a single, simple platform upon which to build the future, and then rode that horse for all it was worth. What was a K Car? It could be practically anything…from pocket rocket to a scaled down Family Truckster, the K Car was a chameleon for Chrysler. I owned one – a Chrysler Laser – complete with a 4-banger turbo. Got over 130,000 miles out of that whip before I sold it and bought…a Chysler Le Baron convertible. So using that logic, I give you the future of Jeep, and the K Car for the new Millenium: The Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited.

Before you scoff, look at what Jeep has already done with the Wrangler. Born of an all-purpose vehicle from WWII, the Wrangler has evolved into the ultimate off-road/utility vehicle. You can get a Wrangler in 2- or 4-doors, in 2- or 4-wheel drive, and in a removable T-top/hardtop, ragtop, or both. Where “cheap plastic interior” might be a problem in a Chrysler or Dodge, it’s a huge advantage in a Wrangler. Fill it full o’ mud? Divert a garden hose (or a river) inside, and hose that puppy out good as new.

What you may not know is that Jeep has been sitting on an Unlimited-based pickup for years. They already make one – for the Egyptian Army. That brings up interesting possibilities for Future Jeep.

What’s to stop Jeep from releasing a hardtop 2-door Unlimited configured as a pickup, or a hardtop 4-door Unlimited with an open cargo area like the Hummer SUT? With a ladder frame, there’s little to prevent them from bolting on other body configurations – say, a panel truck or a flatbed. Jeep’s got the rep – and the goods – to be a credible entry into the work truck market, and a modified JK platform offers immediate entry into the game.

But what of the rest of the line? Kill the Compass, the Patriot, and the Commander. Mothball the Liberty for some time in the future when the market will bear a “cute ute.” (Not the new one, but the older body style, that looked more Wrangleresque than the current “Nitro beaten with an even-uglier stick”), As the industry buzz says they have a segment-killer in the 2011 Grand Cherokee, keep that in the pipeline as a hedge against the future.

So let’s say we’re successful in refocusing Jeep. Who owns/runs the company? Current management has proved themselves incompetent. The union? Gimme a break. The obvious solution is to sell the Jeep division. But to whom? My choice (as insane as this will sound): Ford.

Ford has a history with the Wrangler’s forebearers – they made Jeeps right alongside Willys-Overland back in WWII. They took their medicine early, and as a result have resisted government handouts. And they are the OTHER quintessential American brand. Ford is the only domestic playa left standing. But aside from that, Jeep gives Ford something they don’t have – a credible off-road presence. It’s a better strategy than selling it to another Eurotrash buyer, or allowing the Obama Nation to create some sort of Frankensteinian American Leyland out of the salvaged parts from Chrysler and GM.

To see why Jeep is worth saving, you have but to look at the resale value of any Wrangler. America needs Jeep, but not as a Welfare Queen, but as a shining example of Capitalism, Know-How, and the American Way. Here’s to hoping that Chapter 11 won’t be the final chapter in the Jeep saga.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 8:09 pm and is filed under marketing, Random Stuff.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.