Jeep’s target market covers everyone
Jeep has established itself in the field of off-road vehicle performance. But now it’s looking to appeal to a larger market to cover young fans. It is determined to meet the needs of both young and old using the charisma of the new Wrangler.
However, on the expansion of the automaker’s target market, some Jeep purists are voicing their disagreement. They think the brand has gone too soft than expected. “Everyone is worried that Jeep will lose its name,” said Cefali, vice president of the Great Lakes Four-Wheel Drive Association and also a Jeep consumer. “I would hate to see Jeep not come to the forefront of off-road driving.”
The Jeep Wrangler, the successor to the World War II Jeep, is a mini sport utility vehicle that debuted in 1987. It was first updated in 1997. The next modification was made in 2007 and the last one is for this model year. The new Jeep Wrangler is equipped with a number of firsts including power windows and door locks. Through the automaker’s 65-year history, this is the first time it has offered such features.
“It looks like they’re putting out some things that aren’t really off-road-ready,” Cefali added. Such sentiment is why it was crucial to speak to Jeep purists when the new Wrangler was just a sketch, said Jeff Bell, vice president of Jeep, a Chrysler Group division of DaimlerChrysler AG. He added that with competition from newer brands like Hummer and rugged midsize SUVs like the Nissan Xterra, a modern Wrangler had to be built. But the looks and features wouldn’t offend four-wheel drive loyalists.
The Jeep Wrangler now comes with a flip-up windshield and removable and convertible tops. The new Wrangler’s exterior was designed with its heritage in mind, said Trevor Creed, Chrysler’s senior vice president of design. Kerry Ann Griffith, a Wrangler fan herself, is happy to learn that the motorized features don’t stop hardcore Jeep fans from removing the doors for summer adventures. “I don’t care what they do with the Jeep brand as long as they keep the traditional Wrangler,” said Griffith, who rides trails at least once a month.
“Once people see the new Wrangler, they’ll be blown away by how it looks and what it can do,” said Tom LaSorda, Chrysler’s chief executive officer.
Jeep sales rose 11.5 percent in 2005 and the automaker is eager to ease sales further with its new Compass, Liberty Diesel and seven-passenger Commander. “It’s a big round of applause that you can grow Jeep,” Bell said.
The Jeep Compass is a crossover sport utility vehicle introduced for the 2007 model year at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The vehicle uses a 172 horsepower, 2.4-liter GEMA I4 gasoline engine for the Australian market and European. Now that the vehicle is modified to cater to a broader market, it comes with a lot of promise and surprises. The automaker said the vehicle is designed to offer more fun, utility, freedom, capability, as well as the potential for exceptional fuel economy and interior flexibility without compromising affordability. Although the automaker considered significant modifications, proven parts like the EBC brake rotors will remain on the model.
The automaker expects the 2007 Jeep Compass to be designed with urban styling to attract new buyers in the compact SUV segment, which is projected to double to 568,000 units by 2010 and triple to 814,000 by 2016 from 297,000 units in 2004. attract single women and professional newlyweds between the ages of 20 and 40. The automaker is also targeting an upscale demographic with a median income of $60,000.
The new Jeep Compass features the Jeep brand’s signature seven-slot grille, round headlamps and trapezoidal wheel openings, and a new silhouette featuring a raked windshield. Side-curtain airbags are standard, and it’s equipped with the world’s new 172-horsepower 2.4-liter engine produced by Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co.
The Jeep Liberty Diesel, for its part, is a compact sports utility vehicle that features 2 new PowerTech engines, a 150-hp 2.4 L I4 and a 210-hp 3.7 L V6, a 2.8 L VM Motori turbodiesel engine became Available in the CRD model. and four-wheel disc brakes. In 2005, it took the title of best-selling compact sport utility vehicle.
A midsize 7-passenger sport utility vehicle introduced in 2006, the Jeep Commander features 3 sunroofs, square sides, a vertical windshield and highly distinctive styling. It also offers a base V6 engine with two optional V8s and a new Hemi. In Europe, the vehicle offers a Diesel engine developed by DaimlerChrysler with BlueTec technology.
According to Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc., Jeep needs to keep in touch with changing buyer tastes, particularly the younger generation. “A lot of the younger consumers in the market are premium-oriented,” Lindland said. “They’re looking for premium brands, so a brand like Hummer is very attractive to them. What Jeep needs to do is become very attractive to that market. They’re trying to broaden the overall brand appeal without alienating core buyers. They need to get younger buyers interested in Jeep.”