Jeep has confirmed it will join the booming four-door ute market, with the workhorse due in local showrooms some time in 2018.
The US car maker has been evaluating a pick-up for several years but will finally have a Toyota HiLux rival after strong global demand for utility vehicles made the proposition too good to ignore.
“We’ve been on record saying we want to offer the Wrangler in more than its current two-door and four-door variants, and that will include a Wrangler pick-up or ute,” said Zac Loo, the head of product planning at Jeep Australia.
The new model can’t come soon enough for Jeep in Australia
“To combine that rugged, off-road capability with the practicality of a ute would create something very special.”
Jeep teased ute fans with a rugged four-door ute concept at a recent off-road event in the US.
While that vehicle won’t make it into production, it does provide a rather large clue as to how a Jeep Wrangler four-door ute could look.
The new model can’t come soon enough for Jeep in Australia, with ute sales continuing at record pace.
The Toyota HiLux was the second-best selling vehicle overall last month and has been Australia’s top selling 4WD outright for the past 11 years in a row.
Other utes such as the Ford Ranger have also made big inroads into the segment, and four utes now regularly make the Top 10 sellers list locally.
Conversely, Jeep sales have tanked in Australia over the past 12 months (sales have halved in the first three months of this year alone), even though the SUV segment is booming.
Reliability and customer service issues have plagued the Jeep brand, which is in the process of trying to rebuild its image after a disgruntled customer posted a YouTube video that attracted more than 2 million hits.
The next generation Jeep Wrangler is due to be unveiled in 2017; it will be the model’s biggest overhaul in the brand’s 75-year history.
The four-door ute version is due to follow in 2018.
Pricing is yet to be announced but it is expected to sell at premium over the regular models in the Wrangler range, which currently stretches from $38,500 to $53,500 plus on-road costs.
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