While Land Rover Defender is off sale, Jeep diverts its focus on the Wrangler. Back in 2008, Chrysler Vice Chairman Tom LaSorda unveiled a range-extended electric 4-door Wrangler along with similarly engineered Town and Country minivan. The Wrangler was supposed to have a 40-mile range before a gas engine starts to supply additional electricity. However, in 2009 Fiat SpA dropped the models from future product plans. Jeep is now revisiting the Wrangler and it has an open goal with it. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler could come with a hybrid version.
According to Top Gear, Jeep is studying a hybrid version for its Wrangler lineup. Fully electric is not an option for the Wrangler, as they are not going to allow a driver to be stranded on a hill somewhere. There are plenty of hybrid options, and Jeep has to strike the right balance.
On top of that, Jeep is exploring the option of adding various levels of autonomy to stay competitive with other automakers. The new Jeep Wrangler will come in 2018 with improvements to fuel economy, handling, and refinement. Jeep will also improve its off-road capabilities.
Autocar reported that the hybrid version of Jeep Wrangler will have an electric and battery components that will most likely be hooked up to a new four-cylinder soft-turbo petrol engine. Jeep will also introduce a hybrid version of many of its models. Also, there is some good news for the British fans of the Jeep Wrangler. The current UK volume of the Wrangler is limited to 2000 units, which has urged many disappointed UK customers to write letters of complaint to CEO Michael Manly.
To increase the output at its Toledo Jeep Factory, Jeep is investing $700 million so it can move to 350,000 units a year. It is a rise of about 50%. The new Jeep Wrangler will arrive on the UK market at least a year ahead of the new Land Rover Defender, and it should have sufficient volume to satisfy the demand.
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