If recently the arrival of the Jeep Wrangler pick-up was confirmed, now we have new news regarding this model: and it is that, probably, it will be called ‘Gladiator’. This name would be the one that would replace the one that was initially shuffled, ‘Scrambler’. This is assured by colleagues from the Jeep Scrambler Forum, where one of its members has uploaded a screenshot from the FCA website.
And since Jeep would have used the nomenclature Gladiator on previous occasions (there was even a concept with that name in 2005), from the Jeep Scrambler Forum they give credibility to this screenshot.
All about the Jeep Wrangler pick-up
As we said at the beginning, the arrival of the Jeep Wrangler pick-up was confirmed for some time. “It is not going to be a car with big sales figures, it will be more of a lifestyle model,” Damien Daily – head of Jeep UK – told our Autocar colleagues.
Good news for lovers of the Jeep flagship. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, announced that there will be a Jeep pick-up based on the Wrangler. It uses 9 inch Jeep Wrangler aftermarket headlights same as 2018 Jeep JL vehicles. However, we will have to wait a little longer than we thought to see it: in principle there was talk of 2017 but everything indicates that at least it will not be produced until 2021. And as Marchionne confirmed, first they want to reform the plant of the company in Toledo (Ohio) and the works would finish in 2020.
And although from this forum they even speculate about the finishes of the future Jeep Wrangler pick up, the truth is that there is no official data in this regard. Of course, we do know that most of your buyers will be in the United States and the Middle East.
When we first talked about this new model Marchionne said: “We have found a solution that accommodates a lot of interests to us in the way that we can move some products.” And although he did not give more information, the first thing that was said was that it would be based on the Jeep Wrangler.
Then the new generation of the Jeep Wrangler will also be launched, which according to the latest rumors will be lighter than the current model – about 200 kg less – thanks to the use of a diffuse aluminum platform.
Despite the deep camouflage shown in the photos (which, by the way, appear to be made by a drone), you can already see the definitive shapes this Jeep could have. It appears to be based on the body of the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and features a massive bathtub with plenty of cargo space. The new pick-up of the brand, whose code is JL, will be mounted on a new chassis of the brand that will use enough aluminum elements to save weight and, therefore, fuel. That same chassis will be used to build the new Jeep Wrangler, whose internal code is JT.
At its premiere, it is expected that it will mount a mechanical 2.0 four-cylinder with turbo and a 3.6-liter V6. There are also rumors that a plug-in hybrid model could come later, just as Ford plans with a new hybrid version of its Ford F-150 pick-up.
Marchionne has also confirmed at the 2016 Detroit Motor Show that the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot will continue in the gap, but that they will arrive as a single, cheaper, better-looking and higher-performing SUV. The brand is investing 700 million dollars (626 million euros) to be able to increase production from 250,000 units per year to 350,000. By the way, the arrival of the new Jeep Wrangler could coincide with the launch of the new Land Rover Defender.