Jeep to Highlight New Concept Trucks in Utah
It's that time of year again: The counter-culture engineers and Mopar Underground guys at Jeep will bring several concept play toys to Moab, Utah, for the 50th anniversary of the Easter Jeep Safari, and they're teasing us with a few illustrations.
To mark this silver anniversary, Jeep has a new crop of specialty vehicles ready to take on the challenging 4x4 trails around Moab, possibly offering a hint of what Jeep could bring to market in the near future. Additionally, we've heard from our sources Jeep might also bring some new 75th-anniversary special-edition Jeeps, but we're not sure which models will sport the new trim.
The illustrations you see here signal the types of off-roaders that will run the slick rock trails during the safari from March 20 to March 27 — one is called the Jeep Trailcat and the other the Crew Chief.
We have high hopes that this will be the event where Jeep gives us an early look at a new Jeep pickup truck, which Fiat Chrysler Automobiles officials have confirmed is coming. Given that one of these vehicles will be called the Crew Chief, we're hoping when it's revealed in Utah that it will include four full-size doors on an elongated Wrangler Unlimited ladder frame with a 5.5-foot bed. We'll know more after we see all six of the concepts later in March.
Manufacturer illustrations
Comments
Jeep concepts are always cool but wouldn't it be great if they would build em?
Finally Jeep and Artic Cat are in business together.
Top photo is very retro on the old jeep truck grill.
2nd photo is very 70s.
This Fiat midsize truck will finally be the ultimate pretend toy truck for the offroad/image obsessed. It will be to little trucks what the HUMMER was to SUVs. With (presently) cheap fuel, a very loyal following, good looks, great offroad performance, and huge brand appeal things like every day common sense, spotty build quality/reliability, primitiveness will continue to be nothing more than speedbumps for Fiajeep. With enough common parts and shared production the profit should be good on new ones and resale high for used ones while furthering the image/brand.
Unless it is a Jeep pickup truck, why bother with Jeep's on a truck site!
Hey Clint, I drive a toy truck, about the heaviest thing it has hauled is a 6X6 bull Elk, of course all the meat was in coolers and antlers hanging over both sides of the bed, my bow and gear fit behind the front seats, it's all good.
A Jeep might be my next toy truck.
@ooxxii Because pickups are just one subgroup of trucks. SUVs are another subgroup of trucks. Body on frame vehicles built and designed to do work all fall into the category of "truck". People used to even do agricultural work with Jeeps.
In the same way, there are different subgroups of vans. Cargo vans, passenger vans, minivans, etc.
WXman - oxi only sees a few groups:
1.small Toyota trucks and 2.everything else.
3.Him and the 4.zombie apocalypse.
Jeep is the only FCA brand with excitement in North American markets these days.
After decades of crappy Jeep product the current generation of big Jeep SUVs and Jeep Wranglers are really competitive. If they introduced a full size pickup that built on the foundation of the current RAM with new drivetrain options and improvements to the rear suspension it would be a real home run.
Hopefully FCA doesn't find a way to kill the momentum.
OK bend over
I believe that ooxxie is not Oxie. Big Al has not posted in a while. Could it be??
It is oxi. bafo was banned.
http://www.jeep.com/jeep_life/news/jeep/gladiator_concept.html
Jeep has had this concept since 2005. FCA hasn't done anything because Sergio Marchionne:
1. Is european and doesn't understand the American love affair with pickups.
2. he is afraid. He is scared that a Jeep Pickup would steal sales from Ram. Ram has been the only thing keeping Fiat globaly afloat in general, and Italy specifically.
3. Is a damn fool. For not taking advantage of the vacumn created when Ford abandoned the small AND midsize pickup segment.
Yawwwn! They have been dangling a pickup like a carrot to a horse for over 10 years now. Screw them. I wouldn't buy one if it did come out!
When Jeep brought out the concept Jeep Pickup with the 2.8 VM crd I was ready,cash in hand to buy one.11 years later and still nothing but hot air and definite possible maybes.Until ordering actually opens up on them,they are still vaporware in my book.JMHO...
Well said ty
While I wholeheartedly believe that Jeep showing up with anything less than a production equivalent of the AEV JK Brute would be utter failure, that in itself means the Easter Jeep concept will be more-
A 707 HP Jeep pick-up has my interest...
If they can squeeze that big block in the G.C. it will fit in the Wrangler.
Note how the windshield is not flip down and the hood is way different.
Thanks for the info Mark.
@JK: You can't tell a thing from those concept sketches; the green one clearly mimics the look look of the original Gladiator pickup with sharper, edgier lines while the Trailcat seems to borrow design elements from the Renegade while using an existing aftermarket hood only somewhat modified.
We'll have to see what they actually show up with at Moab.
"Jeep concepts are always cool but wouldn't it be great if they would build em?" YES. Agree with 110%
http://blog.caranddriver.com/jeep-trailcat-is-the-707-hp-hellcat-powered-wrangler-from-hell/
Better photo.
Pickup of the future. Go to:
www.conceptpickup.com
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