Jeep overall has become a shell of its former self, with sales down 36% from before the pandemic. Stellantis managed to turn off customers to what was one of the hottest and most desirable brands by jacking up prices and mismanaging its lineup.
The problems at Stellantis are not limited to Gladiator or even to Jeep. The Ram truck brand has also struggled to keep up with truck offerings from General Motors and Ford. Dodge has cut some of its popular models in anticipation of electric versions. Chrysler, once the company’s core brand, is essentially down to one model, the Pacifica minivan, arguably the weakest segment of the US market.
Perhaps they should hire some executives from the REI marketing team?
The average price for a new vehicle in the US is over $47,000, and the big 3 domestic brands are all thousands higher than that.
I still see some Jeeps at trailheads, but I think 4Runners are most represented. I didn't realize that Jeep had killed the Patriot, Renegade, and Cherokee (they could have renamed it without discontinuing it!). I guess there's still the Compass if you want to spend under $50k.
The evolution of auto brands over the years is fascinating to me.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
We traded in our FJ that we bought in 06 and it had 250K and some of that was San Juan camping and a lot of AZ roads. AZ. pin striping was on a par with Chums. Only replaced the front axles. Some jeepers are kinda like the Harley folks, they want that Murica image and besides it's not like they're gonna take them offroad anyway. I'm happy to see the Broncos coming out strong. Our first 4x4 was an 82 Bronco, which btw was crap and it was replaced by an even crappier Blazer. Toyota for the win.
My high school was a preparatory academy for working the assembly line at Jeep. I grew up about a mile away from the Jeep factory and one of my girlfriends back then lived on Willys Parkway. So I'm well acquainted with the types of guys that put Jeeps together and heard all the stories firsthand about the onsite drinking & drug use on the assembly line. Even the guys that build Jeeps don't buy Jeeps, they have known about their quality issues for decades. The folks in Toledo all buy Chevy and Ford trucks for their camping and hunting trips.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into 781,000 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models from 2021 to 2023 over reports of spontaneous underhood fires—this has prompted a class-action lawsuit from Jeep owners.
Alston_Neal wrote:We should start our own involving mini liquor bottles.
Like tossing them out the window instead of sticking them on the dash?
I only mention that due to the amount of Fireball bottles we find whenever we do our Adopt-A-Road clean-ups along Bush Highway.
chumley wrote:Is there a dumber trend linked to a specific vehicle on the planet?
Just maybe, also Subaru related. There's this "moo moo subaru" thing where people leave little plastic cows with a note on them on subarus apparently that has gotten pretty popular. My best understanding is that is was started by someone on etsy selling them and the note and did a little guerilla marketing. Go capitalism I guess?
Someone gave me a tiny duck at a gas station stop. They were in a jeep at a pump next to mine. I was puzzled, put it in a cup holder for about a month then threw it away. Benefits of not being on most social media; I miss out on the trends.
@Alston_Neal
My 8 year old daughter has requested a pack of something like 150 miniature ducks for Christmas to hide all over the place. Life, uh, finds a way.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares Steps Down From Jeep Maker; Shares Slide.
Chrysler parent Stellantis STLA -6.63%decrease; red down pointing triangle said Chief Executive Carlos Tavares is stepping down, effective immediately, after the automaker’s sales and profit sharply declined this year.
Shares dropped about 7% in Monday trading. Stellantis’s shares have fallen more than 40% this year. The company said Sunday that it wasn’t changing the financial guidance that it gave in October.
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