The next Jeep Wrangler will switch to aluminum

Jeep has so far kept its plans for the next generation of the Wrangler secret. The only clues it has offered are in the latest prototypes the brand has presented, but they are not definitive. This uncertainty is affecting Wrangler enthusiasts as well as workers at the Toledo plant in Ohio, where the off-roader comes off the production lines.

However, Automotive News has learned from sources close to the project that the signs suggest there is no cause for concern. The information it has gathered confirms that the new Wrangler will have a body made of aluminum, but that it will still be mounted on a body-on-frame chassis (in English, the body-on-frame layout), a factor that makes it very unlikely that its production will move to other facilities.

The unease surrounding the next generation arose when the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Sergio Marchionne, stated at the Paris Motor Show that, to reduce the weight of the new Wrangler, the vehicle had to be built at another plant capable of working with aluminum. The adaptations the Toledo factory would need to handle this material are very expensive, which is why other sites were being considered.

Marchionne added that two of Chrysler’s North American plants currently suffer from overcapacity, but the ones he mentioned work with unibody architectures (in English, unibody), so Toledo is ruled out. Likewise, the Ohio city council bought a plot of land next to the factory on Tuesday, October 21, which would indicate that FCA plans to expand it in order to increase production of the Wrangler.

In any case, what Marchionne and CEO Mike Manley have made clear is that the new Wrangler must use a body, chassis and engines that are lighter, the new eight-speed automatic gearbox that is more efficient and a more modern design, all without losing its renowned off-road capability.

Via | Automotive News

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadJeep Wrangler2 versions · from 87,750 €