AD #2493 – FCA Retools Engine Plant for Jeeps, Mid-Size Pickup Segment Soars, How the Jeep Gladiator Got Its Name
December 7th, 2018 at 10:32am
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Runtime: 8:01
0:29 FCA to Retool Engine Plant for Jeeps
1:01 Mid-Size Pickup Sales Through November
2:01 Euro NCAP Rates Two FCA Vehicles Poorly
3:07 Chevy Shows Less-Bold High Country HD
3:44 Rinspeed Details New microSNAP Vehicle
5:14 How the Jeep Gladiator Got Its Name
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On today’s show… FCA is running out of manufacturing capacity and needs anther plant to make Jeeps… the Honda Ridgeline is losing ground in the mid-size pickup segment… and Rinspeed unveils a wild, modular, autonomous vehicle. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the voice of the automotive industry.
FCA TO RETOOL ENGINE PLANT FOR JEEPS
At a time when General Motors is talking about closing assembly plants, FCA is going to open one. The Detroit News reports that FCA is going to retool an idled engine plant in Detroit to make 3-row Jeep Grand Cherokees, instead. FCA is doing this because it’s essentially out of manufacturing capacity. Last month it’s plants were running at 92% of capacity, while GM ran at only 72%, while Ford was running at an average of 81%.
MID-SIZE PICKUP SEGMENT SOARS
With the introduction of the Jeep Gladiator, the return of the Ford Ranger and with Hyundai working on a production version of the Santa Cruz, the mid-size pickup segment is about to get real crowded. But let’s look at how the models currently on sale stack up against each other. The Toyota Tacoma completely dominates its competition and is outselling the second-place Chevy Colorado by over 100,000 units, through the first 11 months of the year in the U.S. There’s another big drop off to the third-place Nissan Frontier. But it’s impressive to see such an old vehicle increasing its sales. The GMC Canyon is next and is up 8% so far this year. But poor Honda, consumers just aren’t responding to the Ridgeline and it’s the only midsize pickup whose sales are down in 2018. The segment is up double digits this year, so it suggests there’s room for more players.
| Mid-Size Pickup Sales YTD 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Tacoma | 224,128 | +24.9% |
| Chevy Colorado | 123,652 | +19.6% |
| Nissan Frontier | 72,154 | +5.4% |
| GMC Canyon | 30,889 | +7.9% |
| Honda Ridgeline | 27,725 | -13.1% |
| Total | 478,548 | +16.2% |
EURO NCAP SCOLDS FCA
Euro NCAP, the organization that crash tests new vehicles for the European market, is scolding FCA over the safety of its vehicles. The Fiat Panda and the Jeep Wrangler just received zero and one star respectively, in its latest round of tests. The Panda got dinged because it only features a seatbelt reminder as part of its safety assist features. And the all-new Wrangler got a low score because the only form of driver assistance features it has, is a seatbelt reminder and a driver-set speed limiter. The Euro NCAP says it’s disappointing that a new vehicle like the Wrangler doesn’t have automatic emergency braking or lane-keep assistance.
Still to come… a look at a wild autonomous, ride sharing concept from Rinspeed.
CHEVY SHOWS LESS-BOLD HIGH COUNTRY HD
Earlier this week, Chevy took the wraps off the new Silverado HD, which featured a fairly polarizing front end. Well it turns out that was only one of its styles. Each of the five trims will get its own distinct design, features and technology. Now the company is showing off what the top of the line High Country will look like. As you can see, the front end isn’t as bold as the LT model it showed off earlier this week. But unfortunately, Chevy didn’t reveal any more details about the High Country. The new Silverado HD goes on sale in mid 2019.
ELECTRIC, AUTONOMOUS, RIDE SHARING, DELIVERY VEHICLE
A few months back, Swiss company Rinspeed, teased a concept it will show off at CES next month. And now we’re getting more details. Called the microSNAP, it’s an evolution of the SNAP concept it displayed previously. It’s an electric, autonomous, ride sharing vehicle, that features a chassis that can be separated from the body. That way, the chassis, which houses all the components and technology, can be swapped out and recycled once that tech becomes outdated. Both vehicles carry passengers, but the microSNAP, which is the same size as a Renault Twizy, can only hold two people. And it’s been designed to be a “just-in-time” delivery vehicle. As part of that delivery service, Rinspeed is demonstrating how an automated robot station can swap out the bodies carrying the cargo, to handle all the orders. It’s a pretty cool concept but there’s a lot more features we don’t have time to dive into. So if you’d like to learn more just look for the link in today’s transcript or in the description box below.
Coming up next, a look at why Jeep chose the name Gladiator for its new pickup.
HOW THE JEEP GLADIATOR GOT ITS NAME
When rumors started flying that Jeep was planning on introducing a pickup truck, it was assumed that it would be named the Scrambler, in honor of the past model. But the company surprised people, when it chose name Gladiator instead. On last week’s Autoline After Hours, we were joined by Scott Tallon, Jeep’s Marketing Director and Mark Allen, the head of Jeep Design, and they discussed the debate inside the company over the name.
(Clip from AAH #443 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
And for more about the new Gladiator, you can watch that entire show right now on our website, Autoline.tv or just look for it on our YouTube channel.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
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Comments (44)
December 7th, 2018 at 10:59 am
I assumed Gladiator would be the name as I remember the original Gladiator and thought Jeep would rely on nostalgia to promote this vehicle.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:12 pm
I’ve already begun to acclimate to the new Chevy HD front end, still don’t love it, but not repulsive to me anymore. The new HD High Country even looks better IMO. And even looking at the first released HD, at 1/4 front view, looks okay (even good). Again, IMO. For most of the people that are interested, if the specs and capabilities meet their needs, and with styling subjective anyway, they may sell quite a few of these.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:26 pm
The Gladiator used to be a full size truck so I can see why people may have thought Scrambler which was a CJ based truck. They could have used the Comanche name as well as that was the compact/midsize Jeep truck in the 80s. Maybe if they are bold and do a 2 door version they can call it the Scrambler.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:28 pm
Very interested to know if the Rinspeed concept (and any other modular vehicles like it) will be held to current crash test standards. Because, I’ve gotta say, if a welded-together Jeep Wrangler can’t pass the Euro NCAP, then a vehicle with a chassis held down by just four snap-on points stands no chance of even scoring a 0.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:29 pm
This Hyundai truck has to be the slowest roll out I’ve ever seen . They have been talking about ,hinting at ,promising this thing for what 5 years now ? By the time they do release this they will have missed their chance to get a foothold in the segment.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:36 pm
I like the “High Country” better than the other one, but would like it better if they’d just do away with that band 2/3 of the way up the grill, and just put another narrow bar. Of course, I’m not part of their customer base, so they shouldn’t care what I think.
I’ve long said that many pickup truck purchases are irrational, in that many, or most pickups never haul or tow anything. An extension of the irrationality of pickup purchases, is that the Ridgeline is doing so poorly. The way most pickups are actually used, the Ridgeline is one of the best, with a lockable “trunk,” and a good ride and handling for a pickup.
As far as irrational vehicle purchases, I certainly make them, as with the Corvette.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
5 If Hyundai would do an actual small pickup, the size of an S-10 or the old Ranger, and sell it at the right price, they would have the market to themselves, and would do great with it.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Maybe Jeep wanted to stay away from any controversy using a name like the Comanche. Gladiator is good choice for truck.
December 7th, 2018 at 12:53 pm
While the Ridgeline might be capable it’s looks really let it down. The lockable trunk thing is good and bad. If I need my spare and I’ve got a load in the back it’s not looking like such a brilliant an idea.
December 7th, 2018 at 1:08 pm
9 I’ve only needed a spare once in the last 30 years, but yeah, I see your point. Of course, most pickups rarely, or never have anything in the bed anyway.
December 7th, 2018 at 1:15 pm
I think it is horrible of General Motors to announce its plant closures and huge layoffs right now during the Holiday Season. I have heard a number of people say “Boycott GM Products” or “No more Bailouts for GM”. GM should change its name to “Scrooge Motors”! No more bailouts for you! I believe GM Top Executives should take a huge pay cut to carry those lay off employees until new product or great selling product can be moved into those plants that are scheduled to close. This would be a great way for Ms. Barra and GM Executives to save face. It is not just about “business”! This is about peoples’ livelihoods and neighborhoods. GM is shifting the burden of supporting these employees and the surrounding communities on to the back of the American People in the form of unemployment and social services benefits. This is just another form of corporate bailout for their short sightedness and mismanagement.
By the way GM, that new Chevy Silverado HD IHMO is HORRIBLE! The FCA Ram has my vote.
December 7th, 2018 at 1:20 pm
The Announcement by FCA to re-open one of its idle engine plants is Fantastic news. I had previously suggested that FCA might consider re- introducing those nameplates from the almost forgotten “American Motors” brand which Chrysler had acquired long ago. I would love to see new models of the Eagle and AMX on the road as CUV’s. These nameplates could fill gaps in the FCA product line-up. Something for Mike Manley and the FCA Board of Directors to think about going forward. Go JEEP!
December 7th, 2018 at 1:26 pm
10- I’ve got terrible luck with flats, when I put on my winter tires this year 2 had to had slow leaks and I’ve got a third that will have to go in. I would think the old ” does he need a truck or not” debate is some what regional. I know I work with roughly 200 people and 90% of which drive trucks but the majority hunt and or fish and then people like me who own dirt bikes and quads and motorcycles that need hauling. Not to mention the amount of guys who are also tradesmen. Then there are our SOP’s, and deck projects and….
December 7th, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Well FCA if you want full beast mode in the gladiator then you need to offer a hemi I’m sure it’s going to do well either way. Only complaints I’ve heard is people wanting it offered in a 2 door.
December 7th, 2018 at 1:34 pm
11 So what should GM do? Not close plants keep them open and run the business ineffecent until they need another bailout. I think there decision sucks too but they can’t operate like they did when they had 50 % of the us market. Sadly this is what they need to do. Also sad that they are getting so much grief for trying to prevent what they did before
December 7th, 2018 at 1:49 pm
15 Unfortunately Barra and Crew had a great opportunity when they jettisoned Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Opel, Vauxhall, Saab, Holden through bankruptcy and took the US Government Bailout. They could have also gotten rid of Cadillac and Buick. Then they would have been able to become a much leaner company with fewer redundant models (Clones) and better positioned themselves for the future.
But No, They got in bed with the Chinese and built more manufacturing plants in both China and Mexico. This is simply seriously bad corporate mismanagement and a lack of respect for the home country. They did not need to pour billions into the Volt and Bolt. They were are the forefront of Electric Cars with the EV1! I think I have made my point.
December 7th, 2018 at 1:54 pm
VW realizes it made a HUGE mistake with Diesel-Gate and is looking to save itself in any way possible. They see electrification and the best avenue to accomplish this especially in Europe it’s home market. Ford better realize that linking arms with VW will be good of the short term, but ultimately VW will assimilate Ford and it’s rich history into oblivion.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Danny @ #8 That would make sense if they didn’t already have 2 models named Cherokee and another named Renegade. Maybe they just wanted people to think of it as a happy Roman ( Glad He ate her) LOL
December 7th, 2018 at 2:03 pm
Why is it taking Ford so long to bring the New Bronco to Market? Look how fast Honda got the New Passport to market with units to show up in dealerships by mid 2019.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:04 pm
18 XA351GT You are BAD!
December 7th, 2018 at 2:07 pm
GM still has Holden they just don’t actually build any of their own cars. Every car sold in Australia is a import captive or otherwise. There is zero vehicle manufacturing there. That was a result of lifting import tariffs and being flooded with cheap imports. It killed their domestic market, Even Toyota closed their plant there also.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Lex I know I can’t help myself.
If GM was smart they would have Kept just Chevy and Caddy . If they were going to keep GMC make it the only source for trucks and SUVs for the corp.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:24 pm
There has to be more to the reason Jeep got a 1 star rating then…It didn’t have lane keep assist or emergency braking. If the lack of these driver assist features drops you 4 stars, then what is the point of having 5 stars?
And how sad is it that people would think a vehicle without lane keep assist or emergency braking is so unsafe that it deserves 1 star. Good grief.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:36 pm
13 Maybe I’ve been lucky in regard to flats. I’ve had two or three punctures over the last 30 or 40 years that needed to be patched, but they leaked slowly enough that I didn’t need a spare.
Yeah, I’m sure the actual “need” for pickup trucks is quite regional. Retired people in condos in Florida have no need whatever for them, but there are several pickups in my complex.
Of course some people would think I need one when I am in Indiana in the summer, since I occasionally transport or motorcycle or lawn tractor. I use a 4 x 8 flatbed tilt trailer, which is almost free to own, and didn’t cost much to buy.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:44 pm
16 GM sells about 2 million cars a year in China, so it makes sense for them to build them there. They are kind of forced to, and it may, or may end up more, or less that way, depending on how “trade wars” sort out. BMW and Mercedes build their highest volume CUVs in the U.S., because that is where they sell most of them.
As far as GM (and Ford and FCA) building vehicles in Mexico, in years past, before NAFTA became so controversial, it was a way to lower the “average” cost of building cars, and helped them stay competitive, or more competitive.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:49 pm
8, 18 I’m thinking they didn’t want to use the Cherokee name, because the previous Cherokee was, basically, an S-10/Ranger competitor, and they want to market the Glad-he-ate-her as as more upscale, and macho. Too bad there is no 2 door version, though.
As far as the hemi, maybe they are saving that for later, and will have an SRT version. I suspect the hemi would fit fairly easily. It is physically bigger than a Chevy small block V-8, but is still fairly compact.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:50 pm
@11 – LEX, it’s not just GM who lets workers go just before Christmas. To my knowledge, this is typical among automakers.
I can’t tell you the number of times my group of fellow Ford contract employees almost got the ax during the holidays. Our contract was renegotiated each December. I’m not sure when fiscal years end for each manufacturer, but the time to get extra weight off the books (from a business standpoint) is just before the next fiscal year starts up. For my business, it lines up with the calendar year.
December 7th, 2018 at 2:55 pm
I see quite a few of the heavy duty trucks, all makes, towing travel trailers; of course you are going to see them hauling empty most of the time but when you need one, you need one. Some are mine is bigger than yours but there certainly is a need that may not be apparent.
December 7th, 2018 at 3:01 pm
23 It seems that EURO NCAP should just crash test the cars, and publish results of those tests, maybe with stars. Then, publish a chart with the list of safety features, like emergency braking or lane-keep assistance, not stars needed. Make it easy for people to determine what safety gadgets are present, which some people might want, and some would not care about.
I’ve driven a car with lane keep assist, and turn it off. I use turn signals as reliably as anyone, but if I change lanes with no one within a half mile behind me, I might not use them, and don’t want that tug on the steering wheel when I change lanes.
December 7th, 2018 at 3:07 pm
28 Yeah, I agree that, except with people you know, you can’t tell which of the trucks never haul or tow anything. I know quite a few people, though, who have trucks for no real reason, except that they “like” them. As long as fuel is cheap, I doubt that much will change, as far as vehicle buying habits in the U.S., except that I will be in an even smaller minority because I mostly drive cars. The exception is my ’89 van, which I drove only a few hundred miles a year.
December 7th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
@30 Kit Gerhart you hit the proverbial nail on the head! US Consumers like Trucks and Large SUV’s now because fuel is cheap. In my area it is at of under $3.00 per gallon. US Consumers only struggle with the question of fuel economy when gasoline prices rise above $4.00 per gallon.
I can not tell you how many Hummers H2s I have seen on the road lately. Where have they all been hiding? The best bet is to have one large vehicle and one smaller vehicle in the household. When you need the really large vehicle just rent it.
Between the new technology being introduced into vehicles very year and the uncertainly of fuel prices and drive modes it is now just better to lease short term.
This whole issue over Direct Injected Engines has me troubled. Why should I want to pay thousands for a engine cleaning or rebuild due to carbon buildup on my valves? The OEM’s need to warranty these types of motors for a longer period of time. They should also incorporate both Direct Injection with Multi-Port Fuel Injection on next years engines to keep those valve stems clean with pressurized gasoline flowing over them IMHO.
December 7th, 2018 at 5:12 pm
It seems that not all direct injection engines are equal, as far as valve carbon problems. I heard a lot about problems with earlier BMW GDI engines, but I haven’t heard much about problems with GM 3.6 V-6s with GDI. Maybe there are problems, but I just haven’t heard about them.
Still, GDI seems like a lot of complexity, for not much. I’ve heard 3% better mpg, and a little more power, but not enough to notice. To me, the biggest advantage may be less “pickiness” about the octane of gas. My ’16 Corvette runs fine on regular, in normal driving, and gets about the same mpg. I think the direct injection contributes to that.
December 7th, 2018 at 6:19 pm
Possible use of GM factories:
https://electrek.co/2018/12/07/tesla-consider-buying-shuttered-gm-factories-elon-musk/
December 8th, 2018 at 8:02 am
As Kit mentioned, some foreign manufacturers had DI valve coking problems and probably some earlier U.S. makes as well. Seems this has mostly been minimized in engines of late. One explanation that I’ve heard, is that through the intake cycle there is a back-flush of fuel charge that washes over the intake valve stems which help clean and cool those valves. And again, Kit is right about the tolerance an engine can have with higher compression ratio using D.I. technology which helps both with economy (enough to matter) and higher horse power (seeing 300 plus h/p in six cylinder, non boosted engines).
December 8th, 2018 at 9:48 am
Prius is one of few new cars to not use direct injection. They must not think the efficiency improvement justifies the extra expense, and power is a relatively low priority. I don’t know if the Atkinson cycle tuning changes the equation, but the some other Toyota hybrids do have GDI. I suspect cost is the main factor with Prius.
December 8th, 2018 at 5:07 pm
34 A friend has a Camaro with one of those 300+ hp sixes, and it is purely a regular gas burner. Premium is not required, or even “recommended.” It works great in that car. I suspect the direct injection helps it get that 335 or so hp from 3.6 unboosted liters, on regular gas.
December 9th, 2018 at 2:26 pm
Yeah, I’ve got the LGX 3.6 in my Caddy XT5; 310 h/p, cylinder deactivation, stop/start (not thrilled, difficult to defeat) but great power and fuel mileage.
December 9th, 2018 at 3:06 pm
The Camaro doesn’t have stop/start. I’m not sure if it’s a 2017 or 2018. Camaro may be the only application of that without S/S.
December 9th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Just came down I-95 today, Charleston, SC to Orlando (miserable because of the storm); was getting over 32 mpg at 60 and under and just at 29 mpg at steady 70ish. I’ve done better on similar trips but the heavy rain had some effect. Cylinder deact. won’t come on over 60 mph.
December 9th, 2018 at 4:59 pm
That’s pretty good mileage for a tall vehicle like that. My Corvette gets about 29.5 on 1100 mile trips between FL and IN, going 75-78 most of the time. That is calculated from fillups, not the readout, though the readout is only a little “optimistic.” The Prius gets about 46 doing the same thing. Of course, the Prius gets double to triple the mpg of the ‘Vette in short trips, stop and go, etc. With the ‘Vette, cylinder deact. comes on at 70 and above, but probably on slight descents, so slight that I don’t even notice.
December 9th, 2018 at 5:08 pm
Great numbers for the Vette ( she’s hardly puffing and great aero) but impressive regardless. If your cylinder deact is like mine, I have to look at the dash to know whether it is activated or not; it is that seemless.
December 9th, 2018 at 5:57 pm
I have to look at the indicator too. I can’t feel the deact. I don’t have the “noisy on demand” exhaust, but I’d think you might hear that octave pitch change in noisy mode. Maybe it is always in quiet mode at light throttle.
December 10th, 2018 at 8:45 am
Yeah I have the 3.6L motor in my 2012 CTS and I have put 120,000 miles on it without any problems. I will occasionally run some fuel injector cleaner made specifically for DI engines but only done that a couple times. Not sure if it really does anything.
December 10th, 2018 at 11:08 am
17
Unless Ford has eliminated its two-tier stock setup, it doesn’t seem feasible for VW to assimilate them into the dustbin of history.
RE: Jeep trucks. I’d be curious to cut a 2dr Wrangler body in half behind the doors, set the two pieces on a 4dr chassis and then fill in the empty mid-section with matching sheet metal. Instant Scrambler. Just add a fiberglass cab roof and back wall.