Anthony Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autolinedaily/2016/11/23/ad-1994-new-jeep-grand-wagoneer-cancelled-vw-axes-us-diesels-borgwarner-electrifies-business From podcast: The Jeep brand keeps expanding its lineup into new segments and it had plans to move more upscale, moving a whole segment above the Grand Cherokee. But now Autoforecast Solutions reports that plans for the 2019 Jeep Grand Wagoneer have been cancelled. The problem seems to be that the architecture for the Grand Cherokee, which is also shared by the Dodge Durango, simply cannot accommodate a vehicle that is a full segment size larger. The solution may be to build the Grand Wagoneer off the Ram pickup platform instead. The most expensive Jeep now is the SRT Grand Cherokee, which costs about $65,000. Jeep sees the opportunity to go further upscale than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 24, 2016 Author Share Posted November 24, 2016 As of right now, they are the only ones reporting this, so no verification of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 *ahem* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Now that I got that out of my system That company had the least flexible platforms more than anyone I can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 As of right now, they are the only ones reporting this, so no verification of this. I heard that they were having trouble making this work as recently as that presentation that showed the shadowed front and rear clips, but that the directive from on high had been to, quote, "make it work." Remember the couple times they floated out the possible pricepoint for this thing? I was told that was a trial balloon to see if they could get what they needed to out of this for it to make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 I wonder how much time and money they just wasted ignoring their engineers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Isn't the platform a (now) distant relative of the platform used in the MB GL(S)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Isn't the platform a (now) distant relative of the platform used in the MB GL(S)? Yes, that's where this program started. AFAIK, there is a next-gen utility program being developed off the new Ram. Right, Anthony? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 My understanding was that the Wagoner would be designed to compete with the Escalade and Navigator, not Tahoe and Expy. Maybe they did the math and decided neither segment would pay out on potential volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Yes, that's where this program started. And the GLS is practically Escalade size is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 My understanding was that the Wagoner would be designed to compete with the Escalade and Navigator, not Tahoe and Expy. Maybe they did the math and decided neither segment would pay out on potential volume. When has that stopped them before? Or rather when have they had realistic math? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 24, 2016 Author Share Posted November 24, 2016 AFAIK, there is a next-gen utility program being developed off the new Ram. Right, Anthony? Yes, but these days that has as much weight as a feather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 FWIW: insiders are calling BS on this article. i.e. GW still coming as planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 FWIW: insiders are calling BS on this article. i.e. GW still coming as planned. Autoline isn't typically one to whiff these things.... Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 Autoline isn't typically one to whiff these things.... Interesting. I'm thinking the same thing. This isn't something they pull out of thin air. Sometimes the "insiders" aren't as inside as they think they are. ...and in the case of FCA, directions change more often than the wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 I'm thinking the same thing. This isn't something they pull out of thin air. Sometimes the "insiders" aren't as inside as they think they are. ...and in the case of FCA, directions change more often than the wind. Thinking back a little bit, Autoline doesn't typically stick their neck out at all on things that aren't pretty well solidified. They seem to favor industry news and press releases to insider tips and rumors. I wouldn't write this off. IIRC, they were among the first to report the imminent closure of Mercury, when all of the usual sources, mine included, insisted that it wasn't happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 I reached out to them for more info. Let's see if they reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehaase Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 The folks on allpar are fiercely loyal to Chrysler, even when it appears to be a sinking ship. Chrysler has made so many mistakes since 1957 it's hard to believe it keeps on surviving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 26, 2016 Author Share Posted November 26, 2016 The folks on allpar are fiercely loyal to Chrysler, even when it appears to be a sinking ship. Chrysler has made so many mistakes since 1957 it's hard to believe it keeps on surviving. Chrysler has remarkable timing with the successes they have had. Usually rescuing them from the jaws of bankruptcy at the last minute. I don't see anything on the horizon that will pull them out this time. In an increasingly environmentally focused industry, Jeep and Ram cannot be the only forward-moving portions of the company. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 26, 2016 Author Share Posted November 26, 2016 I reached out to them for more info. Let's see if they reply. Their reply: The source of the story, as we mentioned in #Autoline Daily, is #Autoforecast Solutions. We find them to be 100% reliable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 We find them to be 100% reliable. I'd agree. This isn't coming from self-important, low-level, internet forum fodder. If that's their source, I'd call that a lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Nobody is picking up on it which is still odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 I tried having a conversation about this on Allpar, but they are never wrong about anything and just shut you out if you have contradictory opinions. Regardless, I sent some feelers out to other news orgs to do some vetting. I'm curious how this is shaping up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 I don't think this story is true at all. The reasoning is illogical. The existing Durango is the already one size bigger than Grand Cheorkee and we know Mercedes GLS is also the same size. There is nothing there to suggest the next gen design wouldn't be able to accommodate the parameters of a Wangoneer (which is basically direct replacement for Durango). I suspect what is going on is that the LWB ultra-lux Wagoneer (i.e. something similar to LWB Range Rover) has been cancelled... probably due to someone coming to their senses that $150k Jeep is unattainable, at least not in the immediate future. However, I still fully expect the 3-row Wangoneer based on the new Grand Cherokee platform to appear soon. This $60k~$100k space is ripe for the taking for Jeep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 (edited) It is funny to see Mopar fans go on about how "any day now" there will be all new RWD Dodges from Alfa Romeo, "just wait!". Completely forgetting how the company was a begger asking for bail outs. Edited November 29, 2016 by 630land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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