Jeep To Begin Production Of Next-Gen Wrangler In November 2017
FCA’s Toledo Assembly plant in Ohio will be its birthplace
Jeep Wrangler has been one of the most celebrated marques for the company over the last decade. Introduced back in 2007, it won hearts across the globe with its rugged looks and no-nonsense off-road capabilities. Jeep, part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) group, will unveil an all-new model of the Jeep Wrangler later this year, post which, production will begin in FCA’s Toledo assembly plant in Ohio, USA.
Unlike in India, where Jeep entered in 2016 with just three models, the company has more than 10 models on sale in America. To accommodate an all-new model, FCA will take some time for shifting of stuff in its currently operational production plants. Currently, Jeep manufactures the Cherokee at the Toledo plant. To make room for the all-new Wrangler, FCA will shut a part of the production plant from April 2017 for six months and modify the assembly line. The Cherokee’s production will be shifted to Jeep’s Belvidere, Illinois, facility.
The current Wrangler model will remain in production in Ohio alongside the new one until March 2018. Post that, it will go out of production to make room for the new Jeep pickup. Since the full-fledged production is slated to begin in November 2017, Jeep will unveil the all-new model much earlier than that. The new Wrangler will most likely be offered with an option to choose between three engines, two transmissions, several roof configurations and an updated list of in-car gadgetry.
In India, Jeep currently sells the Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and Wrangler Unlimited. All the models are brought to the country via the CBU route. This year Jeep will launch the highly anticipated Jeep Compass in India. It will be the first Jeep product to be manufactured at FCA’s Ranjangaon facility, near Pune.